14 January 2011 - Not Exactly Going Out On A Limb There

On 14 January 2011, the Western New York Flash selected forward Alex Morgan with the first pick in the WPS draft. She went on to become a breakout star for club and country.

Born and raised in California, she played for the University of California, Berkeley from 2007 to 2010, finishing as the team's top scorer in all four years. In March 2010, she earned her first senior cap for the United States, making a total of eight appearances that year. With her star clearly on the rise, Western New York needed little incentive to make her the draft's top pick over Virginia's Sinead Farrelly (chosen second by Philadelphia) and North Carolina's Meghan Klingenberg (taken third by Washington).

The Flash had gone undefeated in 2010, winning the W-League Championship, but moved to the top-flight WPS for 2011. Playing alongside forwards Marta and Christine Sinclair, Morgan made thirteen appearances and scored four times as the Flash won the league in their debut season.

Unfortunately, WPS suspended operations before the 2012 season, but Morgan moved back to the W-League to play for the Seattle Sounders. She continued to shine for the United States, mostly as a substitute in 2011, but becoming a regular starter in 2012. She led the team in goals (28) and assists (21) and helped them claim the Olympic gold medal over Japan, then finished third in voting for the 2012 FIFA Player of the Year Award.

In 2013, Morgan signed with the Portland Thorns of the new women's top flight, the NWSL, and won the league title.

19 September 2012 - Sundhage's Sayonara

On 19 September 2012, Pia Sundhage closed out her time in charge of the US women's team with a 6-2 win over Australia.

The United States picked the former Swedish national team star in November 2007 to take over from embattled manager Greg Ryan. At the time, she was an assistant with China, her only international managerial role, but she had previous experience at the club level, including spells with Kolbotn, KIF Örebo, and the Boston Breakers.

In her five years at the helm, the United States won Olympic gold in 2008, were runners-up in the 2011 World Cup (losing to Japan on penalties), then repeated as Olympic champions in 2012. Shortly afterward, she announced that she was stepping down to return to Sweden.

Her last match was a friendly against Australia, part of the team's post-Olympic Fan Tribute Tour. A sold-out crowd of 18,598 gathered in Commerce City, Colorado and watched as the teams played to a 2-2 draw at the break. But the US got four second-half goals from Abby Wambach, Alex Morgan, Shannon Boxx, and Sydney Leroux to claim the 6-2 victory.

The match left Sundhage with an overall US record of 91 wins, 10 draws, and only six losses. She currently manages the Swedish national team.

6 August 2012 - Better Late Than Never

On 6 August 2012, the US women advanced to the gold medal match thanks to the latest goal ever scored in Olympic history.

The game was the second women's semifinal, with Japan already advancing with a 2-1 win over France. The US were up against neighbors and rivals Canada, who had just eliminated hosts Great Britain in the quarterfinals.

Playing at Old Trafford in Manchester, the two teams traded a pair of goals each from Canada's Christine Sinclair (22', 67') and the US's Megan Rapinoe (54', 70') to remain level deep into the second half. All four goals were impressive, but Rapinoe's were particularly so, as her first goal snuck in directly from a corner kick and her second was a long-range blast off the opposite post from the edge of the penalty area.

Sinclair then completed her hat-trick in the 73rd minute, which also made her the tournament's leading scorer, before US forward Abby Wambach converted an 80th-minute penalty to bring the sides level once again. They remained level into the second half of extra time. Then, in the third minute of stoppage time, US forward Alex Morgan scored with a header to secure the victory.

The US went into the final, where they beat Japan in a rematch of the 2011 World Cup Final. Canada did not go home empty-handed, though, beating France to claim the bronze.



[Photo credit: Jamie McDonald/FIFA/Getty Images]