Sunday, July 10, 2011

Set the Date

If you're scheduled to play the U.S. Women's team in World Cup Soccer action on July 10, you might as well not even show up. On July 10, 1999, Brandi Chastain's ice-cold penalty kick drilled the side of the net to give the Americans a 5-4 edge in the shootout and the FIFA World Cup title over China.

In 2011, Abby Wambach's header in the 122nd minute tied the match against Brazil 2-2. Then all five U.S. penalty kickers scored, giving them a 5-3 mark and the quarterfinal win. Wambach joined the team four years after the win over China, and scored a gold medal-winning header in the 2004 Summer Olympics in extra time. That goal was also against Brazil.

According to an online translation site, the applicable phrase in Portuguese is "Nós nunca tivemos uma possibilidade," or "We never had a chance."

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