The latest and greatest from the Utah Utes in Salt Lake City...thoughts from the coaches and players...camps and clinics...soccer news from around the globe...Ole!
Well, the locker room project is coming along. We are in the final stages of preparation. We have purchased some furniture and a TV to add some comfort...as well as the ability to watch some video...
And we are decorating it with photos of great team moments...moments of success, joy, celebration, teamwork...taken from some of our old games...
We thought you might enjoy a few great photos from the past. It's amazing how a photo can inspire you and put a smile on your face!
The MLS All-Star game has come to Utah! Tonight the best of Major League Soccer will face off against Everton at 7:30 PM local time at Rio Tinto Stadium.
It will be an exciting event and the soccer fans here in Utah are pumped up! The game features some of the best players in North America (and beyond)...Blanco, Donovan, Keller, Ching, Davis, Holden and Freddie Ljungberg. There will also be 3 players from our hometown team, ReAL Salt Lake: Kyle Beckerman, Will Johnson and Javier Morales.
The Everton team, which finished 5th in the EPL last year, is making its 2nd trip to Utah in 3 years. They lost to RSL two summers ago, 2-0 in an exhibition match played here at Rice-Eccles Stadium on the Utah campus. Everton features U.S. goal keeper, Tim Howard, and Australian forward Tim Cahill.
Utah soccer fans are getting used to big-time events...we've had the U.S. women play against Ireland in 2003...the U.S. qualifier against Costa Rica in 2005...Real Madrid came out in 2006 to play RSL...and now the MLS All-Star game...
As Landon Donovan said in today's Deseret News: "(Rio Tinto Stadium is) beautiful and the crowd is great," Donovan said. "Salt Lake has always been good to us with the national team. I like the fans there. They're savvy and knowledgeable."
Abby Wambach is EVERYTHING that a great soccer forward should be...
great personality that is not afraid of the spotlight fearless and mentally tough strong mobile soft feet goal thirsty great celebrations!
We have been huge fans of Abby's since her playing days at Florida. And, in our opinion, she is one of the top 3 or 4 players in the world. She was a big and strong forward and has added many other dimensions to her game through hard work.
We work hard with our forwards here at the U. And we try to emulate the things that Abby is able to do in front of the opponent's goal. We have some great young forwards such as Lauren Hair and Erin Dalley.
We celebrated this weekend when Abby scored her 100th goal for the U.S. team in a 1-0 victory over Canada. What an incredible accomplishment. Even better, she got the goal in her hometown of Rochester, New York.
She has scored with her head, with long shots, by dribbling through the defense, PK's, both feet, incredible collections in the box...Wow!
She scored one of the most important goals in the history of U.S. soccer with her overtime goal in the 2004 Olympics gold medal game against Brazil...
And Abby grew even more in our eyes with this comment after breaking her leg in a warm-up game for the 2008 Olympics and being knocked out through injury:
“I want to thank all the fans, the doctors, the players on the team and Tasha Kai for scoring the winning goal,” said Wambach from the emergency room. ”Obviously, it’s devastating, but above everything else, I’m only one player, and you can never win a championship with just one player. I have the utmost confidence in this team bringing home the gold.”
“I’m excited to watch them and cheer them on during this challenge they’ve been presented with,” said Wambach. “It’s really going to take everyone coming together. I love them all so much, and appreciate so many people involved with this game and the team. I put my heart and soul into this game every day, but sometimes accidents happen. I’ve gotten so many calls already, and I just want to say how much I appreciate that.”
We think that her comments laid the foundation for the 2008 US Olympic team incredibly winning the Gold Medal without her. She told the team publicly that she will be okay and that she had confidence that they could win...wow!
Okay...so watch this great compilation of some of her 100 goals for the U.S. team... Great job, Abby!
Coach Manning here…I wanted to drop in and tell you a little about my brush with history. This month marks the 10 year anniversary of the 1999 Women’s World Cup. I am sure you have heard the story…the U.S. team defeats China in front of 90,000 fans at the Rose Bowl. Brandi Chastain makes the winning penalty kick and proceeds to take off her shirt in celebration. The crowd and a nation go nuts and all kinds of athletic and social barriers for women are broken and models re-defined.
Well, the 1999 WWC had a great effect on my life. I am the coach here at the U of U because of it. I was in the middle of the storm from the time the winds started blowing until this very day. It was a great and powerful storm and looking back it still makes me smile to this day.
So, it’s 1998 and I am teaching math at Los Alamitos High School and coaching at a girls’ soccer club called the Southern California Blues. I had been coaching girls for about 5 years after my friend, Larry Draluck, asked me to help a bit with the club. Having been a graduate of Santa Clara University, I stayed in touch and used to go back and work camps in the summer.
Jerry Smith was the head coach at SCU and had turned the Broncos into a national powerhouse. His wife was the assistant coach…her name was Brandi Chastain. I saw Jerry at a youth tournament in May of ’98 and he asked if I’d like to come and help him with his team. Apparently, the U.S. team was going to Florida for a 6-month residency program to prepare for the 1999 WWC. Brandi would be gone for that time and wouldn’t be able to help him full-time anymore. Well, I took about 10 seconds to think about it …let’s see…a full-time job at one of the top programs in the country and an opportunity to learn about the women’s college game from the best…of course I would help!
So, here I was in the fall of 1998, helping to coach the Broncos. Brandi stayed as a volunteer and helped when she was in town. We had an incredible season…we were undefeated up most of the season and set an NCAA record for consecutive shutouts (17)…we lost a heartbreaker to Florida in the NCAA semi-finals.
After the season, we learned more details about the World Cup that would take place in the U.S. Some games would be played in San Jose and Palo Alto and the final would be at the Rose Bowl. We had some teams training at Santa Clara and I was a site manager for the Swedes, the Chinese, and the Russians…all who practiced there. It was great to see world-class players like Hanna Ljungberg and Sun Wen in person…even if some of the coaches got angry at me because the field was too dry!
I went to some early round games…Sweden, Japan, Russia, and China all played and the games were well-played and well-attended. We were also busy with summer camps and there was great excitement in watching games on TV with the campers. It was all very inspiring.
The U.S. was doing well and momentum was building. We would hold our breath for Brandi and the other players. In the quarterfinal game against Germany, Brandi accidentally passed the ball into her own net to give the Germans an early lead. We were so happy and relieved when she later scored and helped the U.S. to a 3-2 comeback win.
So the semi-finals were set and the U.S. would play Brazil at Stanford Stadium. We had a camp going on and would take all 275 campers to the game (a huge project). One of my great memories is that Brandi came by the camp to say hello to all. She was in the middle of this huge tournament. She was nursing a sore ankle. And yet took the time to drive over to Santa Clara to talk to some young people about the game. The commitment and mindset of those U.S. players was truly an incredible thing to witness. She walked in front of the crowd at camp with an electric “stim” machine and inspired and informed us all.
The next day we bussed over to Palo Alto and watched another thrilling U.S. victory (2-0) as goal keeper Brianna Scurry put on a world-class display….So it was on to Pasadena and the final against the mighty Chinese.
I called and ordered 4 tickets…I took my mom, my nephew Justin (8 years old at the time) and my cousin Julie. It was HOT that day…and there wasn’t a lot of action as both teams were organized and excellent from the back. I remember how much the game changed when USA midfielder Michelle Akers had to leave the game due to heat exhaustion. She is maybe the greatest female player ever and it was a pleasure to see her do her thing that day.
It got to penalty kicks…I remember captain Carla Overbeck taking one of the first for the U.S…she made it and did an exaggerated celebration, jumping all the way back to her teammates at the center circle. I thought that really gave the U.S. players confidence and helped them to relax. So here comes #5...the last kicker for the U.S….and it’s Brandi….I was nervous. My nephew had met Brandi a few times and was very excited for her. Brandi had taken a PK and hit the post in a game against China just 3 months earlier. So it took incredible determination and self-belief to step up that day. She also took it with her left foot…she is a natural right-footed player….WOW!
Well, the rest is history. An indelible moment in sports history and an unforgettable month. I got back to the office and we were overwhelmed with letters, phone calls and e-mails for Brandi…a small price to pay for watching a truly great accomplishment!
It’s hard to believe that it has been 10 years since the “bra” moment…Yes, July 1999 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California…90,000 people and a nationwide TV audience glued to the field to watch 22 players from the U.S. and China…22 FEMALE players…It was a hot day and full of tension and drama.And it was definitely one of those moments…you knew it at the time…big occasion and one that will be remembered forever.
Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times has written a fantastic article about that day and its lasting effect.He has two daughters who are now 20 and 14 years of age.And he talks about the 1999 Women’s World Cup and how it affected their lives.He makes a great point in that the world has not taken to watching women’s team sports they way some thought at the time…but it has given women everywhere, including his daughters, the role models and impetus to do great things…MUST READ…check it out by clicking here!
We've been busy the last couple of weeks with some travel and camps and the blog has been down for a bit. But rest assured, we've got lots more in store as we turn the corner and head into a great 2009 season. The players are training and getting ready to report to preseason training on August, 4. And the first game at Ute Field vs. Utah Valley in on August 21.
We've got lots of great news and features to share, including the following:
Great soccer lessons and information
The completion of the brand new locker room for the Ute Soccer Team
BIG news about the September 24 game vs. Utah State
A brand new season ticket package and private club for Utah Soccer Supporters
Team and player updates
The 10th anniversary of the 1999 Women's World Cup
April 5 vs. Weber State, Wyoming at Ute Field (All Day)
April 12 vs. UVU, BYU at BYU (12 PM, 4 PM))
April 19 vs. Denver Univ. in Grand Junction, CO (10 AM)
Take a Tour of the University of Utah, Downtown Salt Lake, and other surrounding areas!
The "Lemeza Video" was filmed by current player Stephanie Lemeza and her father when they came to vacation in Utah. The video provides great insight into all that our University and city has to offer. Click here to Check it out!
Well, the locker room project is coming along. We are in the final stages of preparation. We have purchased some furniture and a TV to add some comfort...as well as the ability to watch some video...
The MLS All-Star game has come to Utah! Tonight the best of Major League Soccer will face off against Everton at 7:30 PM local time at Rio Tinto Stadium.
The Everton team, which finished 5th in the EPL last year, is making its 2nd trip to Utah in 3 years. They lost to RSL two summers ago, 2-0 in an exhibition match played here at Rice-Eccles Stadium on the Utah campus. Everton features U.S. goal keeper, Tim Howard, and Australian forward Tim Cahill.
Abby Wambach is EVERYTHING that a great soccer forward should be...
Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times has written a fantastic article about that day and its lasting effect. He has two daughters who are now 20 and 14 years of age. And he talks about the 1999 Women’s World Cup and how it affected their lives. He makes a great point in that the world has not taken to watching women’s team sports they way some thought at the time…but it has given women everywhere, including his daughters, the role models and impetus to do great things…MUST READ…check it out by clicking here!
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