June 23--REPORTING FROM EDMONTON, Canada -- The U.S. and Colombia are scoreless midway through the first half of their elimination-round game at the women's World Cup.
After a week spent pondering her options, U.S. Coach Jill Ellis decided to stick with the pairing of Abby Wambach and Alex Morgan up front. And it seemed to work in the early going, although the U.S. had a Wambach goal negated in the fourth minute because she was offside.
Colombia keeper Catalina Perez got her left hand on a rolling shot from Tobin Heath but Wambach jumped on the rebound, pushing it into the net for what would have been her record-tying 15th World Cup goal.
The play and the goal was waved off -- correctly, it appeared from the replays.
The next good U.S. chance again came from Wambach -- this time from the edge of the area -- 10 minutes later. But a leaping Perez got enough of her left hand on that one to knock it away.
Then in the 19th minute, Wambach headed a Megan Rapinoe corner kick into the side netting.
It was a familiar theme for the U.S. in this World Cup: plenty of chances, just no goals.
The Americans also got another piece of bad news in the first half when midfielder Lauren Holiday earned her second yellow card of the tournament. That will keep her out of the quarterfinal match with China, provided the U.S. advances.
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The time for talk is over. Now Colombia and the U.S. will settle their differences on the field at the women's World Cup.
The winner of Monday's match will move on to face China in the tournament quarterfinals Friday in Ottawa while the loser will go home.
The U.S. beat Colombia in group play at the 2012 Olympics and in the last World Cup, winning each game 3-0. But the South Americans are still smarting from the last one, claiming the U.S. doesn't respect them. That led to harsh words over the last week, with Colombia's Lady Andrade predicting an upset win.
The U.S. will use the same lineup Monday it used in their group-play final, pairing Abby Wambach and Alex Morgan up front, starting Tobin Heath in the midfield with Carli Lloyd, Lauren Holiday and Megan Rapinoe and staying with the same backline that has started all four World Cup games: Ali Kreiger, Becky Sauerbrunn, Julie Johnston and Meghan Klingenberg.
Hope Solo will start in goal.
The Colombians made one important -- and mandatory -- change to their lineup, starting 20-year-old Catalina Perez in goal. Perez, a junior at the University of Miami, replaces regular keeper Sandra Sepulveda, who is serving a one-game suspension for yellow-card accumulation.
Perez is the third keeper Colombia has started in four World Cup games.
