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Rodriguez lifts U.S. with Wambach's aid

Women's national soccer team edges Brazil in Olympic tuneup

By Pat Rooney, Special to the Rocky

Published July 13, 2008 at 7:10 p.m.

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The United States' Abby Wambach heads the ball away from Brazil's Pitty during play Sunday at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. The United States defeated Brazil 1-0 in the game.

Photo by Doug Pensinger © Getty

The United States' Abby Wambach heads the ball away from Brazil's Pitty during play Sunday at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. The United States defeated Brazil 1-0 in the game.

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Abby Wambach was unable to thrill Front Range soccer fans by scoring her milestone goal.

Still, Wambach helped make sure the U.S. women's national soccer team began its final pre-Olympic tuneup on a winning note.

The Americans put on an entertaining show in the blaring heat Sunday at Dick's Sporting Goods Park, getting a goal by Amy Rodriguez off a crossing pass from Wambach in the 71st minute to post a 1-0 victory against Brazil.

The teams will meet again Wednesday in San Diego in the squads' final exhibition before the Olympics in China.

The U.S. improved to 20-0-1 this year and posted its second victory against Brazil since it beat the Americans in the semifinals of last year's World Cup.

"It's great for our confidence and it's just great getting us ready for the Olympics," Rodriguez said. "This is part of our preparation. We want to go into the Olympics confident and ready, and I think we showed that out here (Sunday)."

Wambach, who needs one goal to become the ninth women's player, and the fifth from the U.S., to amass 100 international scores, was unable to find the back of the net despite several early chances. Yet her crossing pass from the left wing in the 71st minute proved just as effective.

Brazilian defender and team captain Tania had an open angle at clearing the pass, but the ball glanced off her leg and rolled directly to Rodriguez on the right side of the box.

Rodriguez, the Most Valuable Player of the NCAA tournament for national champion Southern California in the fall, blasted a shot that deflected off the fingertips of Brazilian goalkeeper Barbara for her fifth goal with the national team this year.

Rodriguez, who entered the match after halftime, also scored Team USA's only goal against Brazil in the final of the Peace Queen Cup on June 17 in South Korea.

"I wasn't really expecting that ball to pop through," Rodriguez said. "Fortunately, the defender took a bad touch and it was able to sneak by to me. Every win counts, and with every game, we want to get better."

U.S. coach Pia Sundhage, who took over in the wake of the 2007 controversy-fueled letdown at the World Cup, experimented freely throughout the match, giving goalkeepers Hope Solo and Nicole Barnhart one half of play and making six substitutions in the field.

"If you look at the starting lineup, we had it for the third game in a row," Sundhage said. "We could still do some changes, of course. I think it's good to have some sort of continuity . . . but the people coming off the bench change the game. You could see that (Sunday)."

U.S. 1, Brazil 0

Brazil0 0 - 0

U.S.0 1 - 1

Goals - Rodriguez, U.S. (Wambach), 71st minute. Shots on goal - Brazil 2-2 - 4; U.S., 7-4 - 11. Saves - Brazil 9 (Andrea 6; Barbara 3); U.S. 3 (Solo 2; Barnhart 1). Corner kicks - Brazil 3-3 - 6; U.S. 3-1 - 4. Yellow cards - Rosana (Brazil), 64th minute; Raquel (Brazil), 69th minute. A - 15,071.