Women’s Downhill at Crans-Montana Postponed to Sunday, Super Combined Race Cancelled

Previous Crans-Montana FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup Coverage

They tried and tried to get the downhill in on Saturday at Crans-Montana. After postponing it several times due to fog on the course they eventually ran out of time to get it in and had to move it to Sunday. That meant the cancellation of what would have been the second and final super combined race of the World Cup season. The field will remain the same with six US competitors.

  • Leanne Smith
  • Laurenne Ross
  • Julia Mancuso
  • Stacey Cook
  • Jacqueline Wiles
  • Julia Ford

Check back on WeSupportTheUS.com tomorrow for a recap of the race (assuming they actually get it in this time!).

Schedule:

  • March 2nd
    • 4 AM ET – Downhill
      • Leanne Smith
      • Laurenne Ross
      • Julia Mancuso
      • Stacey Cook
      • Jacqueline Wiles
      • Julia Ford

US U-23 Women’s Soccer Starts Six Nations Tournament With 1-0 Win Over Japan

Previous Six Nations Tournament Coverage

The US U-23 women’s soccer team got the Six Nations Tournament off to a great start as they weathered a lot of Japanese possession and nabbed the only goal of the game in a 1-0 win. The US put out a team heavy on the college players with seven of the 11 from NCAA teams. They did use three of their five subs on professional players.

Lineup:

  • GK – Aubrey Bledsoe – Wake Forest
  • DEF- Abby Dahlkemper – UCLA
  • DEF – Arin Gilliland – Kentucky
  • DEF – Kassey Kallman – FC Kansas City
  • DEF – Caprice Dydasco – UCLA
  • MID – Danielle Colaprico – Virginia
  • MID – Meleana Shim – Portland Thorns FC
  • MID – Kealia Ohai – Houston Dash
  • MID – Chioma Ubogagu – Stanford
  • FWD – Maya Hayes – Sky Blue FC
  • FWD – Katie Stengel – Wake Forest
  • SUB – Emily Sonnett – Virginia
  • SUB – Jenna Richmond – FC Kansas City
  • SUB – Erika Tymrak – FC Kansas City
  • SUB – Shea Groom – Texas A&M
  • SUB – Jennifer Hoy – Chicago Red Stars

The US got their goal from Kealia Ohai in the 56th minute off a pass from Katie StengelAubrey Bledsoe made five saves for the US as the US outshot Japan 11-9. In other action on Saturday Germany knocked off Norway 3-2 and England and Sweden drew 1-1. The US and Germany both sit with three points in the standings but Germany has scored more goals so they currently sit top on goals scored. Germany and the US will not meet so both could win out and finish tied at 3-0.

Continue reading US U-23 Women’s Soccer Starts Six Nations Tournament With 1-0 Win Over Japan

Travis Ganong Follows Up Third Place Yesterday With a Fourth Place Today in Downhill at World Cup in Kvitfjell

Previous Kvitfjell – Alpine Skiing World Cup Coverage

There’s no doubt who the top downhill skier has been for the US for the last month. Travis Ganong has his third straight top five finish in major downhill competitions with a fourth place finish on Saturday at the second downhill race in Kvitfjell. The fourth place finish moved him into the top 10 in the season standings and he’ll be eager for the next week and a half to pass quickly before the final downhill race of the 2013-14 World Cup season in Lenzerheide, Switzerland.

The US also got an eighth place finish from Bode Miller while Erik Fisher, Jared Goldberg, and Andrew Weibrecht all finished at least 13 spots better than they had in the downhill on Friday.

Kvitfjell - Downhill #2

Sunday will see the same seven skiers wrapping up the stop in Kvitfjell with a Super-G race. Make sure to check back on WeSupportTheUS.com for coverage of the results of that race.

Schedule:

  • 5:30 AM ET – Super-G
    • Marco Sullivan
    • Steven Nyman
    • Travis Ganong
    • Bode Miller
    • Erik Fisher
    • Jared Goldberg
    • Andrew Weibrecht

Bradley Wilson Wins Moguls Event at FIS Freestyle Ski World Cup Event in Inawashiro

Previous Inawashiro FIS Freestyle Ski World Cup Coverage

Men’s Moguls

Inawashiro - Mens Moguls - QualificationThree of the seven US men advanced from the qualification round to start things off on Saturday. Bradley Wilson was the top American in second with Dylan Walczyk and Joseph Discoe also placing in the top six. Wilson showed the best speed of the top skiers in the run, something that would continue all event.

Inawashiro - Mens Moguls - Final One

In round one of the final two of the three Americans were eliminated by failing to reach the top six. Discoe and Walczyk finished seventh and eighth so they didn’t miss out by much. Wilson finished third in this round but was again very quick.

Inawashiro - Mens Moguls - Final Two

In the last round of the final Bradley Wilson went fast again, the fastest of all his runs, and it paid off. If he’d been just a few hundredths of a second slower it would have cost him the title but instead he edged out Marc-Antoine Gagnon for the title despite a substantially lower jump score.

Women’s Moguls

Inawashiro - Womens Moguls - QualificationThe US women did a better job getting out of the qualification round with four of the six advancing (Ali Kariotis, Heather McPhie, Sophia Schwartz, and Eliza Outtrim), though they only placed one in the top six. Notably absent from that group was Hannah Kearney who took a DNF on her run.

Inawashiro - Womens Moguls - Final One

In the first round of the final the Eliza Outtrim made a big gain moving from 14th in the qualification round to fifth to advance to the final round along with Heather McPhie.

Inawashiro - Womens Moguls - Final Two

McPhie continued to improve her standings in each run in the final round when she finished second (after fourth and thirds in the previous two runs). Missing out on a medal in fourth was Outtrim.

Sunday Preview:

On Sunday both the men and women will hold dual moguls events. These events use a qualification round to set a bracket of the top 16 skiers. They will then battle head-to-head through four rounds of elimination with the top scorer advancing.

Schedule:

  • March 1st
    • 7:45 PM ET – Women’s Dual Moguls – Qualification
      • Hannah Kearney
      • Ali Kariotis
      • Heather McPhie
      • Sophia Schwartz
      • Eliza Outtrim
      • Keaton McCargo
    • 9:25 PM ET – Men’s Dual Moguls – Qualification
      • Dylan Walczyk
      • Joseph Discoe
      • Troy Murphy
      • Bradley Wilson
      • Jeremy Cota
      • Bryon Wilson
      • Patrick Deneen
    • 11:30 PM ET – Women’s Dual Moguls – Finals (Round of 16)
    • 11:42 PM ET – Men’s Dual Moguls – Finals (Round of 16)
    • 11:54 PM ET – Women’s Dual Moguls – Finals (Quarterfinals)
  • March 2nd
    • 12:02 AM ET – Men’s Dual Moguls – Finals (Quarterfinals)
    • 12:10 AM ET – Women’s Dual Moguls – Finals (Semifinals)
    • 12:18 AM ET – Men’s Dual Moguls – Finals (Semifinals)
    • 12:29 AM ET – Women’s Dual Moguls – Finals (Final)
    • 12:37 AM ET – Men’s Dual Moguls – Finals (Final)

World Champions: USA Men Win Compound Archery Team Gold in Nimes

Previous 2014 World Archery Indoor Championship Coverage

A World Championship was in the cards for the US on Saturday in France as the compound men’s team of Jesse BroadwaterBraden Gellenthien, and Reo Wilde weren’t quite perfect (237 out of a possible 240) but didn’t need to be as they beat Denmark 237-234 to win the world championship and set up the possibility of the individual/team double for Wilde who will be going for the individual title on Sunday.

The win continued a long stretch of US dominance in the event. The US has won the indoors six straight times now with Italy in 2001 the last country other than the US to win the title.

Compound Men Team - Elimination Rounds - 3-1-14

Women’s Compound

The women’s team wasn’t able to duplicate the men’s success as they fell in the final 233-234 to Mexico. It was a tough result for Christie Colin, Crystal Gauvin, and Erika Jones who will have to settle for a silver after a strong ranking round that had the Americans with the #1 seed. The US scored higher than anyone else in quarterfinal and semifinal matches but it didn’t matter because when the two teams actually met in the final Mexico delivered.

The win for Mexico was their first world title of real significance and ended more than a decade of US domination in the women’s event. The US had won seven straight titles and last lost in 1999 when France won.

Compound Women Team - Elimination Rounds - 3-1-14

Sunday Preview

Sunday is a return to the individual events with two Americans shooting for gold (Christie Colin and Reo Wilde) while two others shoot for bronze (Jesse Broadwater and Brady Ellison). The US has always had a gold medalist in at least one of the individual compound events dating back to the beginning of the Indoor World Championships in 1991.

Schedule

  • March 2nd – Individual Finals
    • 4:45 AM – Compound Women’s Gold Medal Final
      • #2 Christie Colin vs. #19 Jeanine Van Kradenburg
    • 8 AM – Compound Men’s Bronze Medal Final
      • #2 Jesse Broadwater vs. #11 Stephan Hansen
    • 8:15 AM – Compound Men’s Gold Medal Final
      • #10 Reo Wilde vs. #4 Sergio Pagni
    • 9 AM – Recurve Men’s Bronze Medal Final
      • #8 Brady Ellison vs. #13 Viktor Ruban

Today is the Day: USA Will Find Out Group Stage Opponents as U-20 Women’s World Cup Draw is Held

We don’t know the pots that will be used for the U-20 Women’s World Cup draw this afternoon but we do know the teams who will be involved and what they’ve accomplished lately at the youth women’s levels. The USA probably isn’t the favorite for this tournament but they’ll certainly be one of the teams in contention.

Asia (AFC)

  • China
    • 3rd at 2013 AFC U-19 Championships
    • 3rd in Group Stage at 2012 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup (Group included top two teams in tournament)
    • Participated in 2012 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup
  • North Korea
    • 2nd at 2013 AFC U-19 Championships
    • Quarterfinalist at 2012 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup
    • 2nd at 2012 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup
  • South Korea
    • Won 2013 AFC U-19 Championships
    • Quarterfinalist at 2012 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup

Africa (CAF)

  • Ghana
    • 4th in Group Stage at 2012 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup (Group included top two teams in tournament)
    • 3rd at 2012 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup
  • Nigeria
    • 4th at 2012 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup
    • Quarterfinalist at 2012 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup

Continue reading Today is the Day: USA Will Find Out Group Stage Opponents as U-20 Women’s World Cup Draw is Held

Sarah Hammer Finishes Second in Women’s Individual Pursuit at 2014 Track Cycling World Championships

Previous 2014 Track Cycling World Championships Coverage

The US took home their first medal of the 2014 Track Cycling World Championships on Friday and also saw the men’s omnium get underway.

Women’s Individual Pursuit

2014 Track - Womens Individual Pursuit - Qualifying

Two American women were in the field for the individual pursuit and Sarah Hammer got the event off to a great start with a 3:29.711 that was tops in qualifying by almost a full second and put her into the gold medal race. The other American, Ruth Winder, finished 10th in 3:42.908. Hammer wasn’t able to find the same speed in the gold medal race and actually finished nearly two seconds slower than in qualifying. That left her with a silver medal. Hammer will be back in action on Saturday when the women’s omnium starts.

2014 Track - Womens Individual Pursuit - Gold Medal Race

Continue reading Sarah Hammer Finishes Second in Women’s Individual Pursuit at 2014 Track Cycling World Championships

USA U-23 Women Set For Six Nations Tournament in La Manga, Spain

The US U-23 women’s soccer team will be challenging some of the world’s best at the Six Nations Tournament in La Manga, Spain over the next few days. While this age group is past the age of youth World Cups and the Olympics are not an U-23 tournament for the women’s teams this is still a good chance for the players to get some international experience and show why they should be considered for inclusion for the full national team in the future.

US Team

The US team is composed of both college (11) and professional (9) players.

Goalies:

  • Aubrey Bledsoe – Wake Forest
  • Abby Smith – Texas

Defenders:

  • Abby Dahlkemper – UCLA
  • Amanda Frisbie – Seattle Reign FC
  • Arin Gilliland – Kentucky
  • Jaelene Hinkle – Texas Tech
  • Kassey Kallman – FC Kansas City
  • Emily Sonnett – Virginia

Midfielders:

  • Danielle Colaprico – Virginia
  • Caprice Dydasco – UCLA 
  • Jenna Richmond – FC Kansas City 
  • Meleana Shim – Portland Thorns FC
  • Frances Silva – FC Kansas City
  • Erika Tymrak – FC Kansas City

Forwards:

  • Shea Groom – Texas A&M
  • Maya Hayes – Sky Blue FC
  • Jennifer Hoy – Chicago Red Stars
  • Kealia Ohai – Houston Dash 
  • Katie Stengel – Wake Forest
  • Chioma Ubogagu – Stanford

Continue reading USA U-23 Women Set For Six Nations Tournament in La Manga, Spain

Both Americans Finish Outside Top 50 at FIS Ski Jumping World Cup Event in Lahti

Previous Lahti – FIS Ski Jumping World Cup Coverage

Anders Johnson had his best competitive jump since Sochi scoring an 85.6 but it was only good enough to place him 54th in the qualification round. He narrowly out jumped fellow American Nick Alexander who scored an 84.4 and placed 57th. They both were around 10 points out of qualification. They didn’t go as far as the 40th place jumper but they also lost a few points due to the wind being stronger at their backs when they jumped.

Lahti - Qualification Round

Saturday will bring a team event in Lahti but the US is not among the ten teams of four competing. Another individual event will be held on the same hill on Sunday and I expect that the Anders Johnson and Nick Alexander will be competing in that, but I have yet to see a start list and so no confirmation on that.

A 34th Place Finish for Bryan Fletcher at the Nordic World Cup Event in Lahti, Two Duos in Team Event on Saturday

Previous Lahti – FIS Nordic World Cup Coverage

The only American in the field for the main event at the FIS Norid World Cup event in Lahti was Bryan Fletcher. Fletcher placed 37th in the ski jumping potion to leave himself 2:18 behind the leader at the start of the cross-country half. Fletcher was 27th in the cross-country and lost a little time on the top spot as he ended up 34th with a time of 27:12.1 and finishing 2:44.3 behind the winner, Johannes Rydzek of Germany.

Lahti - Large Hill-10km
There will be a team event on Saturday featuring 20 teams of two. Each team will take jumps and then there will be a 2×7.5km cross-country portion. The US has two teams in the event, Adam Loomis and Nick Hendrickson, and Bryan Fletcher and Taylor Fletcher.

Schedule:

  • March 1st
    • 5 AM ET – Team Ski Jumping Round
      • Adam Loomis and Nick Hendrickson
    • 9:15 AM ET – Cross-Country 2×7.5km Round
      • Bryan Fletcher and Taylor Fletcher