Abby Wambach Heads the Ball Against Sweden in Soccer Match Earlier This Year

Soccer News: U.S. Women’s National Team's Coach Sundhage Announces Roster

U.S. Women’s National Team head coach Pia Sundhage has named 24 players to travel to Italy for the first leg of the home-and-home series that will determine the final spot in the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

In Mexico, the USA received goals from Abby Wambach (who scored eight times during the tournament to up her career total to 117), Amy Rodriguez, Lauren Cheney, Megan Rapinoe, Carli Lloyd, Alex Morgan, Rachel Buehler andYael Averbuch, but an upset loss to Mexico in the semifinal sent the USA into the playoff against the Italians.

Sundhage's 24 woman roster includes:

Averbuch, Yael	M	5-10	11/03/86	Upper Montclair, N.J.	Sky Blue FC	13/1
Barnhart, Nicole	GK	5-10	10/10/81	Gilbertsville, Pa.	FC Gold Pride	29/0
Boxx, Shannon	M	5-8	06/29/77	Redondo Beach, Calif.	FC Gold Pride	134/21
Buehler, Rachel	D	5-5	08/26/85	Del Mar, Calif.	FC Gold Pride	46/1
Cheney, Lauren	F	5-8	09/30/87	Indianapolis, Ind.	Boston Breakers	30/11
Cox, Stephanie	D	5-6	04/03/86	Elk Grove, Calif.	Boston Breakers	64/0
DiMartino, Tina	M	5-2	11/06/86	Massapequa Park, N.Y.	Philadelphia Independence	5/1
Harris, Ashlyn	GK	5-9	10/19/85	Satellite Beach, Fla.	Washington Freedom	0/0
Krieger, Ali	D	5-6	07/28/84	Dumfries, Va.	FFC Frankfurt (Germany)	8/0
LePeilbet, Amy	D	5-7	03/12/82	Crystal Lake, Ill.	Boston Breakers	42/0
Lilly, Kristine	M	5-4	07/22/71	Wilton, Conn.	Boston Breakers	352/130
Lindsey, Lori	M	5-5	03/19/80	Indianapolis, Ind.	Philadelphia Independence	14/0
Lloyd, Carli	M	5-8	07/16/82	Delran, N.J.	Sky Blue FC	98/22
Loyden, Jillian	GK	5-10	05/25/85	Vineland, N.J.	Chicago Red Stars	1/0
Mitts, Heather	D	5-5	06/09/78	Cincinnati, Ohio	Philadelphia Independence	112/2
Morgan, Alex	F	5-7	07/02/89	Diamond Bar, Calif.	California	7/3
O'Reilly, Heather	M	5-5	01/02/85	East Brunswick, N.J.	Sky Blue FC	132/27
Osborne, Leslie	M	5-8	05/27/83	Brookfield, Wis.	Boston Breakers	61/3
Rampone, Christie	D	5-6	06/24/75	Point Pleasant, N.J.	Sky Blue FC	224/4
Rapinoe, Megan	F	5-7	07/05/85	Redding, Calif.	Chicago Red Stars	19/8
Rodriguez, Amy	F	5-4	02/17/87	Lake Forest, Calif.	Philadelphia Independence	53/12
Sauerbrunn, Becky	D	5-7	06/06/85	St. Louis, Mo.	Washington Freedom	3/0
Tarpley, Lindsay	M	5-6	09/22/83	Kalamazoo, Mich.	Boston Breakers	119/30
Wambach, Abby	F	5-11	06/02/80	Rochester, N.Y.	Washington Freedom	147/117

The first leg of the playoff will take place in Padova, Italy on Nov. 20 at Euganeo Stadium and will be live on ESPN3.com at 10:30 a.m. ET (4:30 p.m. local). The entire roster will continue to Chicago for the second leg on Nov. 27 at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Ill., which will kick off at 1 p.m. ET and also be broadcast on ESPN3.com.

Sundhage is bringing the 20 players who were in Mexico for the 2010 CONCACAF Women’s World Cup Qualifying tournament while adding three additional midfielders in Lindsay Tarpley, Leslie Osborne and Tina DiMartino, as well as goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris, who trained with the team in Cancun but was not part of the game-day rosters. Sundhage will name 18 players to suit up for each of the two matches.

Tarpley, who has 120 caps, participated in the USA’s pre-qualifying training camp, her first since fully recovering from ACL surgery. This is Osborne’s first call-up since July 2009. She has 61 caps and was a member of the USA’s 2007 FIFA Women’s World Cup Team. DiMartino, who has five caps, is coming off a solid season in WPS with the Philadelphia Independence, for whom she scored four goals.

Tickets starting at $10 are on sale through ussoccer.com, by phone at 1-800-745-3000, at all Ticketmaster ticket centers throughout Chicagoland (including Carson Pirie Scott and Walmart stores), and at the Toyota Park ticket office (open Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.). Groups of 15 or more can obtain a discount order form at ussoccer.com or call 312-528-1290.

The USA will leave for Italy on Nov. 14 and will have four full days of preparation in Padova before opening the two-leg series that will be decided by aggregate goals. If the teams are tied on total goals after the two matches, away goals will count as double.