PWSI's Ali Krieger back in women's team for two-week camp

U.S. Women’s National Team head coach Pia Sundhage will bring 27 players to a two-week training camp at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., starting Monday, May 19, and running through Monday, June 2.

At the end of the camp, Sundhage will choose a 20-player roster to compete in the 2008 Peace Queen Cup in South Korea, where the U.S. will play Australia (June 15), Brazil (June 17) and Italy (June 19). If the USA wins the group, it will play for the Peace Queen Cup title on June 21. The U.S. leaves for South Korea on June 8.

Two players currently recovering from minor surgery – goalkeeper Nicole Barnhart (knee) and captain Christie Rampone (gall bladder) – will join the camp should they be fit enough to participate. Defender Keeley Dowling and midfielder Angie Woznuk return to camp after missing action while recovering from back injuries.

With Barnhart sidelined, Sundhage has called in 2004 Olympic gold medalist Kristin Luckenbill to join Hope Solo and Briana Scurry in the U.S. net.

Sundhage has also called in one player who has yet to see training camp action, giving a look to uncapped defender Kendall Fletcher, a former UNC star and veteran of the U.S. U-21 Women’s National Team.

Dumfries, Virginia local and former PWSI star defender Ali Krieger returns to the team after missing the past few months playing for FFC Frankfurt, the top women’s club in Germany and one of the best in Europe. She'll arrive late to camp however, as she won't be released from duty until May 25th as she will attempt to help Frankfurt capture the women's UEFA Cup trophy Saturday the 24th.

Kregier, a former Penn State University star and local player for PWSI earned her first two caps for the U.S. in January at the Four Nations Tournament in China. She was called up for the other three US team camps since then, but her club would not release her.

"Playing for Frankfurt has been a great experience and I am very happy to be on one of the best club teams in the world" Said Krieger via email Monday. "I am really happy to be thrown back into the mix after missing out on a few big events [with the US team], but I did miss for appropriate reasons - UEFA Cup games and German Cups games for Frankfurt. I think playing here in Europe this year, has honestly been the best experience I think I could get."

The remainder of the training camp roster is made up of the players who helped the USA to three wins on its recent domestic tour, downing Australia, 3-2, on April 27  and, 5-4, on May 3, and rolling over Canada, 6-0, on May 10. Twelve different players have scored goals for the USA in 2008, led by Natasha Kai with 10 goals, while Abby Wambach and Lindsay Tarpley have nine each.

This will be the second edition of the Peace Queen Cup, with the USA winning the inaugural tournament in 2006. The competition, which also features North Korea, South Korea, Canada and Argentina, is extremely well-organized and one of the most competitive women’s tournaments in the world leading into the Olympics.

UNITED STATES WOMEN’S NATIONAL SOCCER TEAM
Training Camp Roster
May 19 - June 2, 2008 – The Home Depot Center – Carson, Calif.

GOALKEEPERS (3): Kristin Luckenbill (Paoli, Pa.), Briana Scurry (Dayton, Minn.), Hope Solo (Richland, Wash.);

DEFENDERS (9): Rachel Buehler (Del Mar, Calif.), Lori Chalupny (St. Louis, Mo.), Stephanie Cox (Elk Grove, Calif.), Keeley Dowling (Carmel, Ind.), Kendall Fletcher (Cary, N.C.), Ali Krieger (Dumfries, Va.), Kate Markgraf (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.), Heather Mitts (Cincinnati, Ohio), Cat Whitehill (Birmingham, Ala.);

MIDFIELDERS (9): Shannon Boxx (Redondo Beach, Calif.), Tobin Heath (Basking Ridge, N.J.), Angela Hucles (Virginia Beach, Va.), Carli Lloyd (Delran, N.J.), Leslie Osborne (Brookfield, Wis.), Lindsay Tarpley (Kalamazoo, Mich.), Aly Wagner (San Jose, Calif.), Kacey White (Arlington, Texas), Angie Woznuk (El Cajon, Calif.);

FORWARDS (6): Lauren Cheney (Indianapolis, Ind.), Natasha Kai (Kahuku, Hawaii), Heather O’Reilly (East Brunswick, N.J.), Amy Rodriguez (Lake Forest, Calif.), India Trotter (Plantation, Fla.), Abby Wambach (Rochester, N.Y.)