Three Independence Players to Compete with U.S. Against Germany Thursday Night
Independence looking “less and less like an expansion team” with great representation on U.S. squad by Lindsey, Mitts, and Rodriquez.
The U.S. Women’s National Team will take on defending FIFA World Cup Champions, Germany, this Thursday evening in one of the most anticipated friendly matches of the year. Two of the world’s top women’s soccer teams will square off in the newly constructed Impuls Arena in Augsburg, Germany, one of nine venues in the 2011 Women’s World Cup. Three Philadelphia Independence players will lace up their cleats on Thursday evening representing the U.S. in the match against Germany, who enter the match as recent European Cup Champions. The U.S. team has played just six matches this year due to the schedule of the inaugural WPS season, but boasts a record of 6-0-1 going into Thursday night’s contest.
Independence players Amy Rodriguez, Heather Mitts, and Lori Lindsey were all named to the U.S. roster by Head Coach, Pia Sundhage, after proving their value in the recent training camp at the Home Depot Center in Carson, CA. Amy and Heather both have established themselves as consistent National Team selections, while Lori is looking to earn only her second career cap. All three players were key figures in the WPS last season and will help Philadelphia hit the ground running in the 2010 season.
It is sometimes challenging for expansion teams in professional sports leagues to attract top players in their first year of play, but a recent article on the U.S. Women’s National Team website noted that “the Independence are looking less and less like an expansion team with three players on the WNT roster.” To have acquired such high caliber players before the 2010 kickoff is a great accomplishment for Philadelphia and an exciting start for the Independence in the WPS.
Independence Head Coach, Paul Riley, knows how significant having three players competing for the U.S. is for his team. “It is tremendous to have three of our players represented in Germany. Amy and Heather have been regulars with the U.S., but I think they are both very excited to be joining the Independence. I’m hoping all these National Team experiences will help them bring some maturity and experience to the younger members of our squad. Heather is a dynamic personality and player with great hunger to get up and down the line. Amy is a handful, and her speed and ability to beat players will keep the German defense on their toes. Lori has worked extremely hard for this opportunity and I’m sure she will grab it with both hands. She is smart, industrious, and can unlock defenses with her final ball. I’m very confident that all three of our players will perform well against the Germans.”
The Independence wishes Amy, Heather, Lori and the entire U.S. squad the best of luck against Germany on Thursday. The match kicks off at 1pm ET and fans can follow the action on ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker or Twitter.com/ussoccer.
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