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Where EAST meets the Northwest

SOCCER CITY USA. Portland soccer fans were treated to international-level soccer last month at Portland’s JELD-WEN Field. A near-sellout crowd watched the match, which was the second of a two-game series featuring the women’s national teams of the U.S. and Canada. Pictured are Megan Rapinoe (#15) of the U.S. squad battling Canadian player Diana Matheson (#8). (AR Photos/Jennifer Lim)

From The Asian Reporter, V21, #19 (October 3, 2011), page 10.

By Jody Lim

The Asian Reporter

Portland soccer fans were treated to international-level soccer last month at Portland’s JELD-WEN Field. The match was the second of a two-game series featuring the women’s national teams of the U.S. and Canada.

The games were scheduled as a "Celebration Series" following the U.S. team’s participation in the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup, in which Team Japan won the cup in dramatic fashion over the U.S. in a 120-minute match that was eventually decided with penalty kicks.

The game in Portland was a coming home of sorts for several alumni of the University of Portland (UP). Megan Rapinoe and Stephanie Cox of the U.S. team and Sophie Schmidt of the Canadian team played before the near-sellout crowd. The fourth UP alum, Christine Sinclair, was unable to make the trip, but will be available for Team Canada’s next training camp, which begins this month.

The crowd enjoyed top-notch soccer as the teams battled on the field. The U.S. outshot Canada 11-3 in the first half, which included two opportunities by Rapinoe — in the 33rd and 39th minutes — that rattled the crossbar. At halftime, the match remained scoreless. In the second half, however, the U.S. team found the net.

In the 63rd minute, Abby Wambach gathered a loose ball in the penalty area and buried it in the upper left corner. Wambach struck again in the 70th minute on a header assisted by Kelley O’Hara, which put the U.S. lead at 2-0. In stoppage time, Alex Morgan added a third goal on an assist by Lauren Cheney.

In the previous match, held just days before in Kansas City, the teams ended in a 1-1 draw. The U.S. outshot Canada 16-10 in the match, which saw both goals scored in the first half. USA’s Wambach scored in the 10th minute on a penalty kick after the Canadian team was called for a handball in the penalty box. Team Canada tied it up in the 42nd minute when Melissa Tancredi scored on an assist from Kelly Parker.

After the U.S.-Canada series concluded, the U.S. team started a six-week break. The players will head back to training camp in November to begin preparations for the 2012 CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualifying tournament. The competition will be held at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver, Canada January 19 through 29, 2012.

The U.S. squad was the lone CONCACAF representative at the 1996 and 2000 Olympic Games, the first two Olympics to feature women’s soccer. The top two teams at the January tournament will earn the region’s two berths to the London games.

The competition will mark the third edition of the CONCACAF qualification tournament, which has been held every four years since 2004. The U.S. won the 2004 competition held in Costa Rica and the 2008 tourney held in Mexico. Mexico qualified along with the U.S. to participate in the 2004 Athens Olympics while Team Canada claimed the second berth for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Discounted presale tickets to the qualifying tournament in the U.S. supporters section are on sale through late October. To learn more, visit <www.ussoccer.com> and search "2012 CONCACAF tournament tickets."

* * *

Among the Canadian players participating in the recent two-game series was 18-year-old Jaclyn Sawicki, a native of Coquitlam, British Columbia who is in her sophomore year at the University of Victoria. The defender recently recovered from a knee injury, but had previously played nationally and internationally with appearances throughout Canada and the U.S. as well as in Sweden, Denmark, Germany, and Brazil.

The daughter of a Filipina mother and a Polish father, Sawicki has played soccer since she was seven years old. Until age 14, she was also an avid dancer who performed a variety of styles, including tap, ballet, jazz, lyrical jazz, and hip-hop. Due to conflicting schedules in both competitive soccer and dance, she had to choose between pursuing activities on the soccer pitch or on the stage.

"I would do anything to be able to dance again," Sawicki said. "If it were possible to do both, I would, no questions asked!"

Sawicki has garnered attention for her performance on the pitch. Her selection to the 22-player Canadian National Team, which also played a match in Kansas City for a crowd of 16,191, was a memorable experience. She described earning her first cap (international appearance) in Kansas City as "amazing."

"Walking in front of 16,000 to 18,000 people was overwhelming at first. I got goosebumps every time the crowd would cheer," said Sawicki, who in Portland played in front of 18,570 fans. "I wasn’t expecting that many people to watch a friendly match. As much as I am extremely happy to get my first cap, I was honored to be able to dress and warm up with the team, never mind actually playing. Before the USA series, I think the biggest crowd I have played in front of was 1,000 to 2,000."

To learn more about the Canadian National Team, visit <www.canadasoccer.com>.