Five US Women Will Compete on First Day of Speed Skating’s ISU World Cup Event in Inzell, Germany

March 6, 2014 Jon Green Leave a comment

The first ISU World Cup event since the Olympics will take place in Inzell, Germany this weekend. After a disappointing Sochi Olympics the US speed-skaters will look to rebound back on the World Cup circuit. Events have an A and B division and someone from the B Division can’t win the overall event even if they were quickest between both divisions.

There are only a few events on the first day and the US has two women (Heather Richardson and Brittany Bowe) in the 1500m Division A event. Most of the competition for the US will happen in the first of the two women’s 500m races as Anna Ringsred, Kelly Gunther, Sugar Todd, Brittany Bowe, and Heather Richardson will all compete. The second 500m race will be on Saturday.

WeSupportTheUS.com will have coverage of the first day’s results on Friday evening as well as information on Saturday’s start lists.

Schedule:

March 7th
- 6 AM ET – Men’s 5000m Division B
  - Patrick Meek
- 6:52 AM ET – Women’s 1500m Division B
  - Anna Ringsred
- 9 AM ET – Women’s 500m (1 of 2) Division A
  - Anna Ringsred
  - Kelly Gunther
  - Sugar Todd
  - Brittany Bowe
  - Heather Richardson
- 11:04 AM ET – Women’s 1500m Division A
  - Heather Richardson
  - Brittany Bowe

Track and Field, World Championships

US Track and Field Team of 48 Set to Compete in IAAF World Indoor Championships

March 6, 2014 Jon Green Leave a comment

It’s a big weekend for some track and field athletes that represent the US as they will be in competition at the IAAF World Indoor Championships.

Things get started on Friday with action beginning in 15 events and medals being awarded in two events (women’s pentathlon and men’s shot put).

Defending medalist that will get started on Friday include Bernard Lagat (gold medalist in the men’s 3000m), Ryan Whiting (gold medalist in the men’s shot put), and Ashton Eaton (gold medalist in the heptathlon). The US won twice as many medals (18) as any other nation in 2012 as well as winning 10 gold medals. No other nation won more than two gold medals and only 26 were awarded in total. The pressure will be on to try and duplicate the success again this year.

WeSupportTheUS.com will have coverage of the World Championships all weekend, look for a recap on Friday evening of the first day of competition.

Schedule:

March 7th
- 4 AM ET – Women’s High Jump – Qualification
  - Inika McPherson
- 4:05 AM ET – Women’s 400m- Heats
  - Joanna Atkins
  - Francena McCorory
- 4:15 AM ET – Men’s Shot Put – Qualification
  - Kurt Roberts
  - Ryan Whiting
- 4:45 AM ET – Men’s 400m – Heats
  - Kyle Clemons
  - David Verburg
- 5:25 AM ET – Women’s 3000m – Heats
  - Gabe Grunewald
  - Shannon Rowbury
- 6 AM ET – Women’s Pentathlon – 60m Hurdles
  - Sharon Day-Monroe
- 6:10 AM ET – Men’s Heptathlon – 60m
  - Ashton Eaton
- 6:25 AM ET – Men’s 1500m – Heats
  - Lopez Lomong
  - Will Leer
- 6:35 AM ET – Women’s Pentathlon – High Jump
  - Sharon Day-Monroe
- 7 AM ET – Women’s 800m – Heats
  - Chanelle Price
  - Ajee Wilson
- 7:05 AM ET – Men’s Heptathlon – Long Jump
  - Ashton Eaton
- 7:30 AM ET – Men’s 800m – Heats
  - Erik Sowinski
  - Nick Symmonds
- 8:15 AM ET – Women’s Pentathlon – Shot Put
  - Sharon Day-Monroe
- 12 PM ET – Women’s Pentathlon – Long Jump
  - Sharon Day-Monroe
- 12:05 PM ET – Women’s 60m Hurdles – Heats
  - Nia Ali
  - Janay DeLoach Soukup
- 12:30 PM ET – Men’s Heptathlon – Shot Put
  - Ashton Eaton
- 12:35 PM ET – Men’s 60m – Heats
  - Dominic Berger
  - Omo Osaghae
- 1:20 PM ET – Men’s Long Jump – Qualification
  - Tyron Stewart
  - Jeff Henderson
- 1:35 PM ET – Women’s 1500m – Heats
  - Heather Kampf
  - Treniere Moser
- 1:55 PM ET – Men’s Heptathlon – High Jump
  - Ashton Eaton
- 2:05 PM ET – Men’s Shot Put – Final
- 2:10 PM ET – Women’s Pentathlon – 800m
  - Sharon Day-Monroe
- 2:25 PM ET – Men’s 3000m – Heats
  - Bernard Lagat
  - Galen Rupp
- 2:55 PM ET – Women’s 400m – Semifinals
- 3:25 PM ET – Men’s 400m – Semifinals

Alpine Skiing, Olympics, Recaps, Sochi 2014

Sochi Alpine Skiing Recap: US Medals in Four Events, But Success Very Hit and Miss

March 6, 2014 Jon Green Leave a comment

It may sound great the the US medaled in four separate events in alpine skiing in Sochi but when you consider that there are ten events and the US medaled in six of them in Vancouver you can see how it wasn’t a total success in Sochi. There were some bright moments in events the US hasn’t dominated in the past and one young skier in particular has the potential to be a future star. Still there was not nearly the star power of Bode Miller and Lindsey Vonn on the medal stand for the US in this Olympics.

Men’s Downhill

The men were certainly competitive in the downhill with two top eight finishes (Bode Miller eighth and Travis Ganong fifth) but medals are still elusive in this event for the US with just one in the last five Olympics.

Women’s Downhill

Without Lindsey Vonn, the defending gold medalist, the US did their best to try and win the downhill but couldn’t get anyone higher than eighth (Julia Mancuso). They did place three in the top 17 but this was only the second time since 1988 that the US didn’t have anyone in the top seven.

Men’s Super-G

The men’s super-g was a major success for the US with Andrew Weibrecht leading the way with a silver and Bode Miller right behind him grabbing the bronze. It was the second straight Olympics with a super-g medal, the first time the US has medaled in two straight over the eight Olympics it’s been contested in.

Women’s Super-G

The women’s super-g was another event where the US was solid, Julia Mancuso’s eighth place is nothing to scoff at, but wasn’t able to be among the very best. It’s the third time in the last four Olympics that the US hasn’t been able to place anyone in the top six after winning gold in both 1994 and 1998.

Men’s Combined

The men’s combined was a chance for Bode Miller to win back-to-back golds. He was the top US skier but wasn’t able to reach the top five as he finished sixth. Jared Goldberg and Ted Ligety also placed in the top 12 for the US. This was the first time since 1998 that the US didn’t medal in the event.

Women’s Combined

The US only had one of four women finish the combined event but they’ll take it after Julia Mancuso grabbed the bronze medal. Mancuso has now been the top American in four straight Olympics in the combined and her medals in Vancouver and Sochi are the first time the US had medaled in two straight Olympics.

Men’s Giant Slalom

In the men’s giant slalom the US grabbed gold as Ted Ligety stole the show on his first run and did enough on the second run to take first. It was the first ever gold for the US and only their second medal ever after Bode Miller’s silver in 2002.

Women’s Giant Slalom

Mikaela Shiffrin came close to giving the US a medal in the giant slalom but finished fifth place. It was an improvement on 2010 for the US but did make it five times in the last six Olympics that the US did not medal. It’s the second best finish in the last six Olympics.

Men’s Slalom

Only one of the three US men finished in the slalom with Nolan Kasper placing 13th. This is not a strong event historically for the US with only one top 10 visit since 1984. Kasper’s 13th was an improvement on Vancouver where he was the top American in 24th.

Women’s Slalom

Winning gold in the women’s slalom is not something that has been on the radar of the US lately. Mikaela Shiffrin may be the best female slalom skier in the world at just 18, but for the US this was an event that hadn’t seen a top ten finish since 1992 and hadn’t seen a medal winner since 1972. Shiffrin dashed those streaks and perhaps may be starting a new one as she has the potential to be a major figure for the US for the new few Winter Olympics.

Previous Olympic Recaps

Short Track Speed Skating
Freestyle Skiing
Curling
Nordic Combined
Figure Skating
Ski Jumping
Skeleton
Luge

FIS Ski Jumping World Cup, Ski Jumping

Nick Alexander and Anders Johnson Will Attempt to Qualify for Latest Ski Jumping World Cup Event in Trondheim

March 6, 2014 Jon Green Leave a comment

Previous FIS Ski Jumping World Cup Coverage

It’s been three straight events on the Ski Jumping World Cup tour since we had an American advance from the qualifying round. Nick Alexander and Anders Johnson will try to end that streak on Thursday in Trondheim, Norway. There are 58 men in the round vying for 40 spots in the first round that will be held on Friday. Last time out in Kuopio neither American placed in the top 50 in the qualifying round.

With just three more ski jumping events left after this the time is running out for Alexander and Johnson to have one last strong event in the 2013-14 World Cup season. WeSupportTheUS.com will have coverage of the results later on Thursday.

ATP Tour, Tennis, WTA Tour

Madison Keys and Three Other American Women Advance at BNP Paribas Open. Three Men Advance From Qualifying.

March 6, 2014 Jon Green Leave a comment

Previous BNP Paribas Open Coverage

Women’s Singles

Click Image to Expand

Five top 100 American women took part in the first round on Wednesday with three of them advancing. Madison Keys had a tough matchup against Tsvetana Pironkova but handled her easily in a 6-2, 6-1 win. Varvara Lepchenko also impressed in a 6-2, 6-2 win over Alison Van Uytvanck. Alison Riske had the highest ranked first round opponent and was able to win the first set but ended up losing 6-3, 3-6, 3-6 to Bojana Jovanovski.

Five more American women will play in the first round on Thursday. Only two of them will face lower ranked opponents: Bethanie Mattek-Sands, who is taking on Caroline Garcia, and Victoria Duval, who is taking on Alisa Kleybanova.

Women’s Doubles

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There are seven doubles teams entered into the women’s event in Indian Wells that have at least one American. Only two of them are composed of two Americans and one of those, Madison Keys and Alison Riske, get things started on Thursday. They’ll be taking on the #5 seed Cara Black/Sania Mirza while fellow American Liezel Huber along with Chan Hao-ching of Chinese Taipei will take on the #2 seed Ekaterina Makarova/Elena Vesnina

Men’s Singles

Three American men were able to advance from qualifying into the main draw. #11 Alex Kuznetsov didn’t have to face a seeded player in either of the two rounds and won 6-7 (5), 7-6 (4), 6-2 over Taro Daniel on Wednesday. In a matchup of two Americans Robby Ginepri advanced over Austin Krajicek after a 6-1, 7-5 win. Finally the lowest ranked American to advance was Daniel Kosakowski who knocked off #3 David Goffin 6-3, 6-2.

Click Image to Expand

Nine American men begin the first round on Thursday including three matchups involving two Americans. Sam Querrey takes on Alex Kuznetsov, Michael Russell takes on Donald Young, and Tim Smyczek takes on Jack Sock. The Querrey-Kuznetsov matchup is the least competitive by rankings but should still be competitive. The Smyczek-Sock matchup is between two players ranked just three spots apart. Finally while Donald Young is ranked ahead of Michael Russell he’s only won one of five career meetings.

Broadcasting Information:

Tennis Channel will be broadcasting the tournament from 2 PM – 2 AM ET while ESPN3.com has streams of the play at three stadiums that will include 10 of the 11 singles matches involving the US on Thursday.

Schedule:

March 6th – Tennis Channel – 2 PM-2 AM ET
- Men’s Singles First Round
  - Approx. 2 PM ET – Jack Sock vs. Tim Smyczek – Stadium 1 – ESPN3 – First ever meeting
  - Approx. 4 PM ET – Donald Young vs. Michael Russell – Stadium 2 – ESPN3 – Michael Russell leads 4-1 all-time
  - Approx. 8 PM ET – Rhyne Williams vs. Jeremy Chardy – Stadium 3 – ESPN3 – First ever meeting
  - Approx. 8 PM ET – Robby Ginepri vs. Paul-Henri Mathieu – Tied 2-2 all-time
  - Approx. 10 PM ET – Ryan Harrison vs. Andrey Golubev – Stadium 2 – ESPN3 – First ever meeting
  - Approx. 12 AM ET – Sam Querrey vs. Alex Kuznetsov – Stadium 1 – ESPN3 – First ever meeting
- Women’s Singles First Round
  - Approx. 2 PM ET – Taylor Townsend vs. Karin Knapp – Stadium 3 – ESPN3 – First ever meeting
  - Approx. 4 PM ET – Victoria Duval vs. Alisa Kleybanova – Stadium 1 – ESPN3 – First ever meeting
  - Approx. 8 PM ET – Coco Vandeweghe vs. Alexandra Cadantu – Stadium 1 – ESPN3 – First ever meeting
  - Approx. 10 PM ET – Bethanie Mattek-Sands vs. Caroline Garcia – Stadium 1 – ESPN3 – First ever meeting
  - Approx. 12 AM ET – Vania King vs. Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova – Stadium 2 – ESPN3 – Zahlavova-Strycova leads 2-1 all-time
- Women’s Doubles First Round
  - Approx. 6 PM ET – Madison Keys/Alison Riske vs. #5 Cara Black/Sania Mirza – First ever meeting
  - Approx. 6 PM ET – Liezel Huber/Chan Hao-ching (Chinese Taipei) vs. #2 Ekaterina Makarova/Elena Vesnina – First ever meeting

Soccer

US Defense Exposed in 2-0 Loss to Ukraine

March 6, 2014 Jon Green Leave a comment

Previous US Men’s Soccer Coverage

Things did not go too well for the US Men’s Soccer team in their matchup with Ukraine in Cyprus on Wednesday. Defensive lapses in the first and second half led to Ukraine goals and few players impressed in one of their final chances to make the case for inclusion in the preliminary 30-man Brazil squad that will take camp in May.

Three men who really did not help their cases were defenders Edgar Castillo, Oguchi Onyewu, and John Brooks. All three struggled with Castillo’s man consisting beating him down the left and Brooks heading a ball straight to a Ukrainian player for a breakaway chance that resulted in their second goal. Onyewu certainly wasn’t responsible for giving the ball away on that goal but he did not hustle back and after an initial save from Tim Howard the lack of his presence in the box was part of the reason Ukraine so easily scored off the rebound.

The US didn’t look great going forward either but were slightly better in the second half with Alejandro Bedoya making some nice plays. The best chances came after Aron Johannsson was introduced and he had a volley cleared off the line that could have put the US on the board.

It wasn’t a great showing but since this was just part of the squad the US will take to Brazil (This was almost entirely European based players) too many conclusions probably can’t be drawn. In fact of the four starting defenders in this game three of them seem unlikely to make the trip to Brazil and if they do will not be expected to contribute heavily. Geoff Cameron seems extremely likely to make the Brazil roster but whether he appears at right back (like he did vs. Ukraine) or is a midfield substitute is unknown.

The next game for the US is a friendly against Mexico on April 2nd that will allow the MLS and Liga MX based players to make their final case to make the May 30-man squad for the training camp before Brazil.

Soccer

USA U-23 Women Win Six Nations Tournament, Only Team to Go 3-0

March 6, 2014 Jon Green Leave a comment

Previous Six Nations Tournament Coverage

There’s no doubt we can proclaim who the winner of the Six Nations Tournament is as after the three games for all six teams wrapped up with the US beating Norway 2-1. That result, combined with Germany’s 2-2 draw with Sweden, left the US as the clear winner as the only team to win all three of their games.

In the matchup against Norway Maya Hayes started off the scoring for the US late in the first half with Katie Stengel making it 2-0 with 15 minutes left to go. Norway did pull one back a few minute later but never could equalize and the US held on to go to 3-0 while Norway lost their third straight game, all by a single goal and all against the top three teams in the tournament.

You’re unlikely to see anymore Women’s U-23 coverage for nearly a year. The team doesn’t play very many games so it’s likely they won’t be in another tournament until next year’s Six Nations Tournament. The main women’s national team is currently in action in the Algarve Cup while the U-18 team is headed to La Manga as they will take part in the 10 Nations Tournament beginning on Saturday. You’ll find coverage of both here on WeSupportTheUS.com

Schedule:

March 1st
- USA 1-0 Japan
- Germany 3-2 Norway
- England 1-1 Sweden
March 3rd
- Norway 1-2 Japan
- Germany 4-2 England
- USA 2-1 Sweden
March 5th
- USA 2-1 Norway
- England 0-4 Japan
- Germany 2-2 Sweden

Soccer

Late Japanese Goal Leaves US With Just a Draw In Algarve Cup Opener

March 6, 2014 Jon Green Leave a comment

Previous Algarve Cup Coverage

The US outshot Japan 20-8 on Wednesday but struggled to find the back of the net. The only time they were able to score was in the 59th minute on a deflected clearance after Sydney Leroux raced at the Japanese keeper as she was clearing the ball and was able to deflect it. For a while it looked like that would be enough to get the US a win but with seven minutes left Japan’s Aya Miyama was able to get a free kick pass Hope Solo and leave the game a draw at 1-1.

Highlights of the 1-1 draw

It’s certainly not the end of the world for the US in the Algarve Cup even though only the top team in the group has a chance to play for the championship. Sweden beat Denmark 2-0 but two wins for the US would mean that only Japan could top them (it would go to goal differential). The US and Sweden face off on Friday morning with a loss by the US eliminating the possibility of them winning the group.

WeSupportTheUS.com will have a recap on Friday of the next round of Algarve Cup action.

Group Stage Schedule:

March 5th
- 7:45 AM ET – USA 1-1 Japan
- 1 PM ET – Sweden 2-0 Denmark
March 7th
- 8:30 AM ET – USA vs. Sweden
- 9:10 AM ET – Japan vs. Denmark
March 10th
- 9:40 AM ET – Japan vs. Sweden
- 9:40 AM ET – USA vs. Denmark

Cross-Country Skiing, FIS Cross-Country World Cup

Kikkan Randall Finishes 7th, Wins 2013-14 Sprint Title, at Drammen Cross-Country Skiing World Cup Sprint Event

March 6, 2014 Jon Green Leave a comment

Previous Drammen – FIS Cross-Country Skiing World Cup Coverage

Kikkan Randall wrapped up her third straight Cross-Country Skiing Sprint World Cup Title on Wednesday after a seventh place finish left her far enough ahead with one event left that she can’t be caught. It’s a huge accomplishment for the American who became the fourth woman ever to win three titles and third (all since 1998) to win it at least three times in a row.

Men’s Sprint

On the men’s side only Andrew Newell was able to qualify for the finals after he placed 30th in the qualification round. Simeon Hamilton nearly made it in but finished 31st 0.23 seconds behind the final qualification spot. In the final Andrew Newell was quickly eliminated after finishing last in his quarterfinal heat, 25th overall.

Women’s Sprint

Kikkan Randall was the top American in qualifying with a 17th place finish and Sadie Bjornsen also qualified in 21st. Ida Sargent (35th) and Sophie Cadwell (37th) were both within 1.25 seconds of qualifying. Randall was eliminated in the semifinals after her time of 3:06.17 was third in her heat and not fast enough overall to grab a lucky loser spot, she finished seventh overall.

Upcoming:

The next World Cup event is not far off, long mass-start events for the men (50km) and women (30km) will be held Saturday and Sunday in Oslo. Check back to WeSupportTheUS.com on Friday evening for a preview of the start list for the men’s event.

Alpine Skiing, FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup

Gold Medalist Mikaela Shiffrin Headlines Group of Three Americans in Women’s Giant Slalom World Cup Event in Are, Sweden

March 6, 2014 Jon Green Leave a comment

Previous Women’s FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup Coverage

The women’s alpine skiing world cup will feature a giant slalom event on Thursday in Are, Sweden, the first since the Olympics. Getting underway in a World Cup race for the first time since winning a gold medal will be Mikaela Shiffrin. She’ll race in her stronger slalom event on Saturday but certainly is capable of winning the giant slalom races as well. Also in the field will be Megan McJames who finished 30th in Sochi and Julia Mancuso who took a DNF on Thursday. The event consists of two runs three hours apart tomorrow.

WeSupportTheUS.com will have coverage of the results tomorrow night. Another separate women’s giant slalom event will be held in Are tomorrow.

Schedule:

March 6th
- 7:30 AM ET – Women’s Giant Slalom – Run 1
  - Mikaela Shiffrin
  - Julia Mancuso
  - Megan McJames
- 10:30 AM ET – Women’s Giant Slalom – Run 2

Schedule:

Schedule:

Men’s Downhill

Women’s Downhill

Men’s Super-G

Women’s Super-G

Men’s Combined

Women’s Combined

Men’s Giant Slalom

Women’s Giant Slalom

Men’s Slalom

Women’s Slalom

Previous Olympic Recaps

Women’s Singles

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Women’s Doubles

Click Image to Expand

Men’s Singles

Click Image to Expand

Broadcasting Information:

Schedule:

Schedule:

Group Stage Schedule:

Men’s Sprint

Women’s Sprint

Upcoming:

Schedule:

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