On Wednesday, the U.S. women's national team will play at Sporting Park in the first leg of the 2014 CONCACAF Women's Championship. The USWNT will play Trinidad & Tobago on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. CT following Guatemala's match vs. Haiti. On Thursday, Jamaica will play Martinique while Mexico and Costa Rica will square off at 7:30 p.m. CT to round out Group B.
Tickets are available for all matches at Ticketmaster.com or at the Sporting Park Box Office on gameday.
To preview the matches at Sporting Park, we spoke with Jen Cooper, host of the weekly Keeper Notes Women's Soccer podcast and color commentator for Houston Dash. Cooper was also instrumental in raising funds for the Trinidad and Tobago women's national team ahead of their World Cup qualifying campaign. More than $14,000 has been raised so far through Cooper's site. Click here for more info.
JK: It's been six months since Jill Ellis was named Interim Manager of the USWNT, have you seen much of a difference in the style of play under Ellis as supposed to Tom Sermanni?
JC: Ellis is much more focused on player roles instead of team lineups -- it's been interesting to hear her refer to players in the traditional "football" language jersey numbers (ie. "She can play as a 6 or a 7"). She's also got much less time to experiment since the Women's World Cup is just eight months away, so of course we're not seeing any new faces.
I think the biggest challenge for Ellis is figuring out the defensive midfield situation, as veteran Shannon Boxx is just getting back into form after having a baby. It seems she prefers to push Lauren Holiday back to defensive mid, while Tom Sermanni was giving Morgan Brian a lot of time there.
JK: Do you think the poor results at the Algarve Cup served as an eye opener for a squad that has proved so dominant on the world stage over the past decade?
JC: Of course, losses for the USWNT are few and far between -- there have only been twelve in the last decade, and most of them came in highly competitive tournaments like the Algarve Cup. I don't believe the back-to-back losses in March were a wakeup call so much as incredibly important matchday experiences for the players and the team. Coach Tom Sermanni was starting a lot of inexperienced players in that tournament to give them critical experience leading up to qualifying, and it's unfortunate that apparently short-term results were prioritized over long-term development.
JK: Many people know about the big names on the USWNT roster (Wambach, Morgan, LeRoux etc.) ... but who is a lesser known player that fans should watch out for in this tournament?
JC: There's a World Cup-winning goalkeeper on this US squad who everyone should know ... but it's not Hope Solo! Washington Spirit keeper Ashlyn Harris was part of the US team that won the inaugural u19 Women's World Cup in 2002, but she didn't get her first senior cap til 2013. She has a legitimate chance to be the No. U.S. goalkeeper for the Women's World Cup. With the lack of high-level competition in this tourney, Harris should get some time in the nets.
Forward Christen Press will be fun to watch on the other end of the field. She had a great season for the Chicago Red Stars this summer, after making it all the way to the Women's Champions League final in Europe in May.
JK: Three players on the USWNT roster play for the local team FC Kansas City. How important are they to the team's success in the qualifying stages of the tournament
JC: The dynamic combination play of Lauren Holiday and Amy Rodriguez was a big part of FC Kansas City's success this year -- just check out the two goals the tandem produced in the NWSL championship game. And Becky Sauerbrunn is one of the smartest centerbacks in the game, who can also sneak upfield and score a goal. The question is, will Jill Ellis be able to take advantage of their potency as well as Blues coach Vlatko Andonovski did?
JK: Is there a team in the CONCACAF region that can upset the United States in the tournament? If so, who has the best chance?
JC: It's a long shot, but I'd say the "dark horse" with a chance of upsetting the USWNT is Costa Rica, the likely semifinal opponent for the USA. Costa Rica hosted the u17 Women's World Cup last spring, and they're one of the few regulars in CONACAF qualifying. They always finish just outside the placement for WWC berths, but with the larger field for 2015, finally the Ticas have a real shot.
JK: Which teams do you expect to come out of CONCACAF to qualify for the Women's World Cup?
JC: As much as I'd like this tournament to have some surprises, I think we'll see the predicted USA-Mexico final with Costa Rica and Trinidad & Tobago in the 3rd place game. I know Randy Waldrum's Soca Princesses have the heart to get out of the group stage, but the quick turnaround and travel between matches will be exhausting, so I think the better-supported Costa Rican squad will prevail in the 3rd place match and T&T will face Ecuador in the CONCACAF/CONMEBOL playoff in November.
