The Algarve Cup, a tournament in southern Portugal that annually brings together some of the world’s top teams, will this year see the USA face Japan (March 2), Finland (March 4) and Norway (March 7) in group play.

The USA is deep into preparations for the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Germany, which will be held June 26-July 17. The USA was drawn into Group C and will face Korea DPR on June 28 in Dresden, Colombia on July 2 in Sinsheim and finish the first round against Sweden on July 6 in Wolfsburg.

At the end of the camp, Sundhage will select a roster of 23 players for the USA’s 16th appearance at the Algarve Cup. The USA has been attending the tournament since 1994 and has won it seven times, most recently last year when the Americans defeated Germany 3-2 in a championship game played in sloppy field conditions. This year, the Algarve Cup will feature four teams that will be participating in the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup: the USA, Japan, Norway and Sweden.

The training camp roster features all 21 players who helped the USA win the Four Nations Tournament in China a week ago, including midfielder Carli Lloyd, who scored twice, Nicole Barnhart, who was named the Best Goalkeeper of the tournament, team captain Christie Rampone and forwards Lauren Cheney and Amy Rodriguez, both of whom scored in the competition.

Returning to camp will be goalkeeper Hope Solo and forward Abby Wambach, both of whom missed the Four Nations as they continue to recover from injuries. Both finished in the Top 10 in the voting for the 2010 FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year as Wambach was fifth and Solo was eighth.

Just two players are making their first WNT training camp appearance in midfielder Sinead Farrelly, a long-time member of the USA’s youth national teams programs and the second overall pick in the 2011 WPS Draft by the Philadelphia Independence, and goalkeeper Bianca Henninger, the USA’s starter at the 2010 FIFA Women’s World Cup. She was named Best Goalkeeper of the tournament last summer in Germany.

Two players who earned their first senior team caps in China were rewarded with another call-up in forward Sydney Leroux and midfielder Meghan Klingenberg.

Other veterans on the roster include Shannon Boxx, Rachel Buehler (who earned her 50th cap in China), Stephanie Cox, Amy LePeilbet, Heather Mitts, Heather O’Reilly and Lindsay Tarpley, who scored the winning goal against Canada at the Four Nations, her first for the USA since coming back from a major knee injury suffered in the summer of 2009.

Joining Solo and Barnhart are young goalkeepers Ashlyn Harris, Henninger and Alyssa Naeher, both of whom are working toward their first senior team caps. Henninger, a rising senior at Santa Clara, rising UCLA senior Leroux and rising Boston College junior Kristie Mewis, the USA’s top two attackers on the 2010 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Team, are the only players in camp with college eligibility remaining.

The U.S. women were based in Orlando, Fla., during Residency Training Camps for the 1995 and 1999 Women’s World Cups and the 1996 Olympics but have not trained or played in Florida since 2008, when a post-2008 Olympics Achieve Your Gold match was played in Tampa, Fla. Prior to that, the U.S. women had not been to Florida since February of 2000.

This will be the last domestic training period for the U.S. Women until mid-April.

UNITED STATES WOMEN’S NATIONAL SOCCER TEAM
Training Camp Roster by Position
Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
Feb. 3-9, 2011

GOALKEEPERS (5): Nicole Barnhart (out of contract), Ashlyn Harris (Western New York Flash), Bianca Henninger (Santa Clara), Alyssa Naeher (Boston Breakers), Hope Solo (out of contract)

DEFENDERS (9): Rachel Buehler (Boston Breakers), Stephanie Cox (Boston Breakers), Whitney Engen (Western New York Flash), Amy LePeilbet (Boston Breakers), Heather Mitts (Atlanta Beat), Christie Rampone (out of contract), Becky Sauerbrunn (Washington Freedom), Meghan Schnur (out of contract), Brittany Taylor (Sky Blue FC)

MIDFIELDERS (13): Jordan Angeli (Boston Breakers), Yael Averbuch (Western New York Flash), Shannon Boxx (out of contract), Sinead Farrelly (Philadelphia Independence), Tobin Heath (Sky Blue FC), Meghan Klingenberg (Washington Freedom), Lori Lindsey (Philadelphia Independence), Carli Lloyd (Atlanta Beat), Kristie Mewis (Boston College), Kelley O’Hara (Boston Breakers), Heather O’Reilly (Sky Blue FC), Megan Rapinoe (Philadelphia Independence), Lindsay Tarpley (out of contract)

FORWARDS (5): Lauren Cheney (Boston Breakers), Sydney Leroux (UCLA), Alex Morgan (Western New York Flash), Amy Rodriguez (Philadelphia Independence), Abby Wambach (Washington Freedom)

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