Ali Krieger signs with the Orlando Pride

Ali Krieger of the U.S. women’s national team signed with the Orlando Pride November 2, 2016.

Orlando Pride acquires Ali Krieger

Head Coach Tom Sermanni has this to say about the acquisition of Ali Krieger from the Washington Spirit, “We’re ecstatic to get Ali Krieger to the Club. She’s one of the best players in the country. She’s extremely experienced, a great leader, great personality and a great signing for us leading into 2017. I think she’ll help both on the field and off the field. She’s a real thorough professional, so her preparation will start to influence and help our younger players. Her focus and her quality in her training and play will be a huge asset to the team.”

The 32 year old, Ali Krieger, comes to play for the Orlando Pride in their new 25,500 seat stadium.  Krieger led the Washington Spirit to the 2016 NWSL Final; she had a team record scoring 39 points. The team finished second that season but failed to win the championship.

Ali Krieger was a part of one of the best defenses in World Cup history. Krieger and the American defense held opponents to just three goals with five total shutouts, going 540 minutes without allowing a goal.

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Redskins rookie looks starstruck as he gets Matthew McConaughey’s autograph before debut

Actor and well-documented Redskins fan Matthew McConaughey is at Monday’s season opener against the Steelers at FedEx Field with his wife, Camila Alves. McConaughey, who inspired the Redskins with a speech at a charity event before their Week 4 win over the Eagles last season, roamed the sidelines before Monday’s game and chatted with current and former players, including rookie Su’a Cravens.

Cravens, who played his college football 10 miles from Hollywood, at Southern Cal,  posed for a photo with McConaughey and even snagged an autograph.

McConaughey told Breaking Burgundy’s Ben Standig that his burgundy suit was “special-made for this game.”

“We need to shoot ‘We Are Marshall II,’ McConaughey!” ESPN analyst and former Thundering Herd star Randy Moss shouted when the actor was shown during the pregame show. “And put me in it!”

McConaughey isn’t the only celebrity in Landover on Monday. Local Olympians Kevin Durant, Helen Maroulis, Ginny Thrasher, Lauren Kieffer, Ali Krieger and Ashley Nee are in attendance, while Katie Ledecky is scheduled to make an appearance on the video board.

Maury Povich and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell are also in the house.

OLYMPIC ROOKIES READY FOR GOLDEN CHANCE IN BRAZIL

When head coach Jill Ellis named her roster for the 2016 Olympic Games, there were many familiar names. The team assembled to travel to Brazil is an exciting mix of veterans and up-and-coming talents, but one roster note stands out: of the 18 players named to the team, 11 will be competing in their first Olympic Games.

The group of Olympic rookies, featuring players with more than 50 caps down to those with just a few, includes: Morgan Brian, Crystal Dunn, Whitney Engen, Lindsey Horan, Julie Johnston, Meghan Klingenberg, Ali Krieger, Allie Long, Alyssa Naeher, Christen Press and Mallory Pugh.

“Certainly going into the World Cup, we recognized we had more of a senior roster,” Ellis said in discussing the Olympic Team selection. “Now, it’s not just having your eye on the Olympics this summer, it’s having your eye on what’s beyond that. Getting younger players experience in this world event will help down the line. I think that’s part of what you have to do in this position is always plan to continue winning world championships. It’s a great infusion of new players – a slightly different style in terms of different players and pieces and putting it all together – and that’s actually been good. It’s refreshing, as a staff, to work with different faces and try to blend them.”

Brian, Engen, Johnston, Klingenberg, Krieger, Naeher and Press were all part of the World Cup championship team in 2015, while Dunn, Horan, Long and Pugh will experience their first world championship at the senior level, although the quartet have each have represented the USA in a youth World Cup.

“Myself and other older players do have some experience from last year’s World Cup, even if this is our first Olympic Games, so we can bring that to the table,” Naeher said. “Those that have been at the Olympics before will give support to us first timers and we can reciprocate by bringing what we learned during the World Cup experience to those who are experiencing their first world championship.”

Defender Julie Johnston (left) and goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher were part of a U.S. defense that pitched a convincing shutout in
the team's final pre-Olympic warm-up game, a 4-0 win vs. Costa Rica in Kansas City.

Krieger, who started every game at the 2015 Women’s World Cup at right back, was an alternate for the 2008 Olympic Team and was almost certain to make the 2012 squad when a devastating ACL injury dashed her dreams. Four years later, soon-to-be 32-year-old Krieger became the oldest first-time U.S. Women’s Soccer Olympian – a fact she embraces.

“After three tries, it’s finally happened,” Krieger said. “I’ve waited for this my entire life and I’ve trained for it my entire life. You play to be able to compete at the highest level and you dream of this when you’re young, so making it a reality is amazing. Add to that, we are playing for ourselves and for Team USA so it’s inspiring to see so many athletes be a part of this. There’s extra motivation and extra support.”

Four years ago, Klingenberg and Press were still trying to break into the team when they were named alternates for the 2012 Olympic squad. Klingenberg had just two caps at the time and Press had yet to debut.

Now, after starting every match at the 2015 Women’s World Cup and playing the most minutes (384 out of 450) of any U.S. player in the Olympic Qualifying tournament, Klingenberg is a key cog on the back line. Press has an impressive strike rate, having scored 34 goals in 70 caps since debuting at the beginning of the 2013, including her first World Cup goal that came against Australia in the tournament opener last summer.

“When Jill called me she said, ‘this call is a bit different than four years ago,’ and it was one of the best things,” Klingenberg said. “I was happy and proud in 2012 as an alternate but I wanted to be on the team and win a medal with my teammates and win a medal for the USA. So to be able to go to Brazil is special and I’m humbled and honored to represent it with this group of people. We have a great team with incredible people.”

Dunn, who was among the final 25 players vying for 2015 Women’s World Cup spots before the roster was trimmed to the 23 that represented the USA in Canada, has become a valuable part of the U.S. attack, scoring 10 goals in 2016, behind only Alex Morgan’s 11. Horan, who came back to the U.S. this year after playing professional soccer in France with Paris Saint-Germain for more than three years, has developed into a strong presence as a holding midfielder, while her club teammate and fellow midfielder Allie Long made a return to the WNT scene in April and played her way into a spot on the Olympic Team.

As for Pugh, the 18-year-old forward became the second youngest women’s soccer Olympian in U.S. history. She will be about a month older than Cindy Parlow was at the 1996 Atlanta Games. The selection put an exclamation point on an incredible debut year for Pugh, who has played in 14 of the USA’s 15 games so far in 2016 and has recorded seven assists, a team-leading mark, as well as scored three goals.

Morgan Brian (back) and Mallory Pugh (front) are the two youngest players on the USA's Olympic roster at 23- and 18-years-old, respectively.

“When [Jill Ellis] called, a bunch of emotions were going through my mind,” recalled Pugh, who is also the captain of the U.S. U-20 Women’s National Team that will compete in the U-20 Women’s World Cup in Papua New Guinea later this fall. “I was a bit in shock because I know I’ve worked hard and it’s because of my teammates on the National Team, on the U-20s and back at home that have pushed me. I appreciate that from them and I wouldn’t be in the position I am in today without them. I thought, did that really just happen? Am I going to go to the Olympics? I will not only be with amazing athletes on my team but also on Team USA. It will be so cool to see so many different athletes, find out their journeys and be inspired by them.”

To win the gold, teams will have to slog through six games in 16 days, including three group games in the span of a week. Among several other strong contenders to win the tournament, the USA is poised to make a strong run, one in which several first-time Olympians will no doubt play major roles should the Americans once again step to the top of the podium.

The U.S. WNT will kick off Group G play at the 2016 Olympic Games against New Zealand in Belo Horizonte on Aug. 3 (6 p.m. ET; NBCSN, NBC Universo). The team then remains in Belo Horizonte to face France on Aug. 6 (4 p.m. ET; NBCSN, NBC Universo) before taking off to Manaus for its final Group G game vs. Colombia (6 p.m. ET; NBCSN, NBC Universo).

All fields at Ali Krieger Sports Complex to have lights

The Prince William Board of County Supervisors approved the appropriation of $650,000 from Potomac District proffer funds to provide lights for three fields in the complex on May 17.

The developer of Potomac Shores project is constructing one girls’ softball field and three soccer/lacrosse fields in the Ali Krieger Sports Complex.

The developer is providing lights for one of the soccer/lacrosse fields.

The softball field will be shared between Prince William County and John Paul the Great High School.

“Agenda item 4-I is a resolution that would appropriate additional proffered funds to cover the costs of lighting the other three fields,” said Communication Services Division Chief for the Department of Parks and Recreation Brent Heavner.

Heavner said the plans always called for all fields being lit.

The fields are scheduled to be turned over to the county by fall 2016.

Washington Spirit continue their unbeaten run with a 1-0 win over the Houston Dash

Joanna Lohman's first half goal proved enough for the Spirit

On a windy and chilly night at the Maryland Soccerplex, the Washington Spirit beat the Houston Dash 1-0 thanks to a goal from Joanna Lohman in the first half. Despite Dash goalkeeper Lydia Williams' heroic efforts and Houston's opportunities, the Spirit prevailed and continued their five-game undefeated streak. It wasn't the prettiest performance from the Spirit but nonetheless, the team walked away with three points.

Starting XI: Stephanie Labbe; Alyssa Kleiner, Megan Oyster, Shelina Zadorsky, Ali Krieger; Tori Huster, Joanna Lohman, Christine Nairn (Whitney Church 84') ; Diana Matheson (Katie Stengel 89'), Crystal Dunn, Cali Farquharson (Estefania Banini 46’)

The Spirit played against the wind in the first half which proved a challenge since the team relied on long balls over Houston's backline. "It was part of the game plan because they press really high and we didn’t want to give them an opportunity similar to Boston in the first half," Spirit head coach Jim Gabarra said. "What ended up happening was we started taking too many touches and slowed the tempo down and started playing out of the back and that got them into the game."

Crystal Dunn and Diana Matheson were fluid and potent on the attack for the Spirit and proved dangerous on the flanks. At the beginning, neither team settled into a rhythm and possession bounced back and forth between both sides. Houston's quick counterattacks caught the Spirit backline off guard several times and both teams had substantial gaps between their midfield and defense. Christine Nairn's trademark long distance shot went high in the 6th minute and Dunn's weak shot in the 14th minute skipped wide left.

Defensively, the Spirit struggled with bad passes and dangerous interceptions from the Dash. This can be attributed to both Houston's pressure and the heavy winds but was uncharacteristic for the Spirit's back four this season. Dash forward Rachel Daly intercepted one such pass midway through the half and looked to combine with Chioma Ubogagu only for the ball to go out of bounds, bailing the Spirit out.

After the first half hour, both teams grew increasingly dangerous in front of goal. Dunn put terrific pace on a cross but despite the open space in front of goal, no Spirit player arrived to put it on frame. In the 34th minute, Williams came off her line to collect a Spirit cross but missed. The Spirit failed to create a quality shot in the ensuing scramble and the game remained scoreless. Three minutes later, Daly's threatening header went wide.

Joanna Lohman scored her second goal of the season in the 39th minute, converting her header for what ended up being the game's only goal. After an interchange with Dunn on the right flank, USWNT defender Ali Krieger passed the ball down the flank to Nairn, peeling into space. Nairn powered a cross into the wind from the right corner and Lohman ran into the center of the box, heading the ball past Williams and into the upper-left corner.

In the second half, the Spirit created nearly all of the chances but couldn't put Houston away. Some of that was their own doing but Dash goalkeeper Williams made several acrobatic saves, keeping Houston in the game until the final whistle. In the 73rd minute, Dunn beat the Dash defense, forcing Williams to make a kick save to keep the score 1-0. Two minutes later, Estefania Banini made a clever pass to Dunn but Williams denied Dunn again, saving her close-range shot. With the game coming to a close, Williams parried Banini's shot over the crossbar.

Overall, the Spirit created many chances despite heavy pressure from Houston. Their defense also improved in the second half especially in preventing attacks down the center. Yet the Spirit only converted one of their ten shots and several promising opportunities on offense didn't translate into a final product. Nonetheless, in harsh conditions, they found a way to win for the fourth time in five games this season.

The Spirit lead the NWSL with 13 points after five weeks of play and are 4-0-1. Next week the Spirit face the Portland Thorns in the first of a three-game road trip. Kickoff is Saturday at 10pm Eastern.

U.S. women’s soccer team turns attention back to the field

U.S. women’s soccer players — current and former — have generated a ton of off-field attention in the past week, what with the discrimination complaintand retired star Abby Wambach’s arrest (followed by childish digs by two U.S. men’s players). Tonight, on-field matters regain the foothold.

The Americans will play the first of two friendlies against Colombia, their round-of-16 foe at the World Cup last summer in Canada, at Pratt & Whitney Stadium in East Hartford, Conn. Coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1 and Fox Sports Go. The teams will meet again Sunday afternoon at Talen Energy Stadium in Chester, Pa. (2 p.m., FS1, Fox Sports Go).

Ticket sales in Connecticut have surpassed 20,000 (the men struggled to hit 20K for a World Cup qualifier in Columbus last week), while every one of the 18,000 seats has been claimed for the match at the MLS venue in the Philadelphia suburbs. Both are equipped with grass fields, extending the streak of women’s matches on a natural surface this year to 11 of 11 — refreshing choices after last year’s justifiable commotion about the World Cup and most of the victory tour on artificial turf.

The women’s team will return to a grass field in June: The U.S. Soccer Federation announced this week that a June 2 friendly against World Cup runner-up Japan is set for DSG Park in Commerce City, Colo., home to MLS’s Colorado Rapids. The United States and Japan will play again June 5 at a venue to be announced soon.

After training for a week in Florida, the U.S. women arrived to snow in Connecticut. The game-time temperature is going to be 40 degrees with no further precipitation.

Jill Ellis called 23 players into camp; 18 will be in uniform for each of the Colombia matches. For the Olympics this summer, only 18 players are permitted to travel to Brazil.

Two players on the current roster are 17 years old: forwards Mallory Pugh, who started in Olympic qualifiers, and newcomer Ashley Sanchez, the U-17 captain.

The current squad:

Goalkeepers: Ashlyn Harris (Orlando Pride), Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars), Hope Solo (Seattle Reign).

Defenders: Whitney Engen (Boston Breakers), Jaelene Hinkle (Western New York Flash), Julie Johnston (Chicago Red Stars), Meghan Klingenberg (Portland Thorns), Ali Krieger (Washington Spirit), Kelley O’Hara (Sky Blue FC), Becky Sauerbrunn (FC Kansas City), Emily Sonnett (Portland Thorns).

Midfielders: Morgan Brian (Houston Dash), Tobin Heath (Portland Thorns), Lindsey Horan (Portland Thorns), Carli Lloyd (Houston Dash), Allie Long (Portland Thorns), Samantha Mewis (Western New York Flash), Heather O’Reilly (FC Kansas City).

Forwards: Crystal Dunn (Washington Spirit), Alex Morgan (Orlando Pride), Christen Press (Chicago Red Stars), Mallory Pugh (Real Colorado), Ashley Sanchez (Southern California Blues).

Notable absences: Megan Rapinoe (knee injury), Christie Rampone (knee), Sydney Leroux (pregnant) and Amy Rodriguez (pregnant).

Following Sunday’s match in Chester, the NWSL players will report to their clubs for the build-up to the regular season openers April 16-17.

The next big date on the calendar is April 14: the Olympic draw. The Americans will be the top seed in Group F or G. (Groups A-D are for the men’s field, and E is headed by the Brazilian women.)

The women’s Olympians are Brazil, Colombia, United States, Canada, France, Germany, Sweden, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Australia, China and New Zealand.

Wednesday kickaround: D.C. United, Washington Spirit, Americans abroad

Honduran media reports Vida left back Brayan Garcia, a 22-year-old national team player, will trial with the MLS club in Bradenton, Fla. Spanish story here. No official confirmation from DCU, but Garcia’s representative told the Insider he arrived from Honduras last night and will begin training today.

Last week, the club identified eight trialists (plus two unsigned draft picks) for the first stage of training camp. It will pare the list and add others ahead of the second stage in Sarasota, Fla., starting Feb. 11. By that time, United hopes to have signed one or two higher-profile players from abroad.

“Ideally, we would like to add players as soon as possible, but we want to make the best long-term decisions,” General Manager Dave Kasper said. This is a key week for player movement as most countries close their transfer window by Feb. 2.

One of the trialists, Costa Rican defensive midfielder Ariel Rodriguez, has always wanted to play in MLS and was granted permission by Alajuelense to work out with United, Kasper said. The club submitted a discovery claim with MLS.

While the club enters its fifth day of workouts in Bradenton, United’s Markus Halsti remains in Washington with his expecting wife. He will probably report by Monday.

Still no European destination for outgoing midfielder Perry Kitchen, who rejected United’s contract offers. He remains with the U.S. national team in Carson, Calif. United retains his MLS rights, but he is not returning to Washington; both sides have moved on.

Another former DCU regular, Chris Pontius, is embracing a fresh start after seven years (and several injury setbacks) in Washington.

At Philadelphia Union training camp, he told the gathered media: “Seven years in one place, it was a long time. I got into too much of a routine, and I wasn’t pushing myself every day like I know I could. And I knew Philly’s a place where I can change things up and give me a fresh start. … The biggest thing for me – every time I walked into that stadium, I thought about injuries. … It got very monotonous for me in D.C., and I felt like I needed a shakeup.”

WASHINGTON SPIRIT

The NWSL club is awaiting official word on Canadian national team allocations. It appears midfielder Diana Matheson will return to Washington, and goalkeeper Stephanie Labbe and a central defender are on the way. Ali Krieger and Crystal Dunn are the Spirit’s U.S. allocations.

The league schedule has yet to be announced, but based on preseason and international schedules, opening weekend is April 16-17. The Olympics will necessitate an extended break. Training camps are expected to open March 14.

The Spirit announced four preseason friendies, all at Maryland SoccerPlex: University of Virginia (March 19), Penn State (March 26), North Carolina (April 2) and Duke (April 9).

AMERICANS ABROAD

After four years in Portugal, American-Australian goalkeeper Caleb Patterson-Sewell has signed with NASL expansion Rayo OKC.

Defender Geoff Cameron remained out with an ankle injury for Stoke City’s defeat on penalty kicks to Liverpool in the second leg of the League Cup semifinals.

Eric Lichaj played 90 minutes at right back in Nottingham Forest’s 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace.

In Tijuana’s 2-1 Copa MX victory over Murcielagos, 20-year-old attacker Amando Moreno scored the match winner in the 86th minute after entering early in the second half. Defender Michael Orozco and forward Paul Arriola logged 90 minutes, and midfielder Fernando Arce entered in the 87th.

In Dorados’ 2-1 Copa MX defeat at Universidad Guadalajara, midfielder Sonny Guadarrama scored in the 65th during a 90-minute outing. Midfielder Joe Corona also played the entire match.