Tarpley’s Thoughts

We qualified for the Beijing Olympics!  We beat Costa Rica 3-0 to advance and Canada beat Mexico 1-0 to earn the other birth.  It was very exciting to qualify and continue our goal of representing the USA in Beijing. 

The last few days at Olympic Qualifications we had a lot of fun.  We went bowling at a nearby bowling alley, hit up Starbucks once again and played a very competitive game of soccer tennis.  It was a lot of fun.  I actually took bowling in college for my PM.  You would think I would be better than I am! Ha ha.

Right now, I am enjoying some down time at home.  I am resting up for our domestic tour which starts in North Carolina and ends in Washington D.C.  We play three games, two against Australia and one against Canada. 

I hope everyone is enjoying this wonderful spring weather!

We beat Mexico 3-1 in front of almost 23,000 fans this afternoon.  It was one of the best atmospheres that I have ever played in.  The fans were shouting at us, doing the wave and cheering very loudly.  We did very well to keep our composure and win this very important game.  We play Costa Rica on Wednesday night.  Whoever wins that game will qualify for the Olympics.

Go USA!

Last night we played Jamaica and we won 6-0. They played very well and it took us a little while to figure out how to solve their system. We scored 6 nice goals in front of a very lively crowd. It was a beautiful night and it was really fun to play under the lights. Tomorrow we play Mexico and it is sold out! It will be a really fun environment to play in.

Stephanie Cox had her 22nd birthday on Thursday and we had a party for her. It was a lot of fun….we had a piñata, cake, candy and lots of singing. We all had a really good time especially for the man who was holding the piñata who kept moving it up and down so Steph couldn’t hit it. We all got a good laugh out of it!

I’m excited to watch UNC play Kansas tonight in Men’s basketball. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that we get the channel down here. If not, I’ll be in the Internet watching it! Go Heels

Greetings from Juarez, Chihuahua in Mexico!  We are just across the border about 25 minutes from El Paso preparing for our first game in Olympic Qualifying.  We play Jamaica on Friday and we are really excited about it.  We arrived on Monday after training in Los Angeles at the Home Depot Center for the past week.  We can’t wait to start playing the games…..

We have been enjoying Mexico especially the nice weather!  Today on our way home from training we got to stop at Starbucks.  Our giant bus pulled over to the side of the road and we all jumped out and got our favorite Starbucks treat. I added another Starbucks mug to my collection of mugs from various cities I’ve visited.  Other than that, we are laying low preparing for our first match. 

Tonight we are going to see Mexico play Jamaica.  I’m looking forward to seeing the stadium and watching the other teams play.  I will keep you updated throughout this tournament….the top two teams advance to the Olympics!

Tarp