Sunday Soccer

Christie Rampone was named to succeed the pregnant Kristine Lilly as captain of the U.S. Women's National Team today.

Meanwhile, the Under-23 women's team has opened its camp at Home Depot Center. UCLA and USC both have players on the roster.

Didn't know there was a women's U-23 team? U.S. Soccer has realigned its youth teams. More details here in this (edited) U.S. Soccer press release:

The U-21 WNT has been changed to a U-23 age group as a result of the Nordic Cup becoming a U-23 competition. As a result, the U.S. U-21s, who dominated the Nordic Cup for the past decade, will become a U-23 squad with no overage players for the summer tournament that brings the USA together with Europe’s top youth teams.

The U-23s serve a valuable purpose giving players on the fringe of the full WNT player pool, some of whom have finished their college soccer, a chance to keep training at a high level in National Team camps and international matches. This year the U.S. U-23s, led by head coach Bill Irwin, will compete in the Nordic Cup in Sweden against Europe’s top U-23 teams.

The U.S. Under-18 Women’s National Team, under head coach Dean Duerst, who coached the U.S. U-17s last year, is being reinstituted (after having existed from 1998-2001). The purpose is to give international competition to players who have just finished a cycle with the U.S. U-17s, but are a year away from the next U-20 cycle. The U-18 WNT provides a transition for a number of those players that could possibly make up the core of the team that would attempt to qualify for the following U-20 Women’s World Cup. FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cups are held every two years.

In addition, the U.S. Under-16 Girl’s National Team will be absorbed by the U.S. U-17s, much in the same way the Men’s U-17 Residency Program features two age groups of players every year.

Club America won InterLiga Saturday night in Carson before a capacity crowd on penalty kicks and fellow local blogger Luis Bueno was still excited about what he had witnessed at 1 a.m.

Playing a little weekend catch-up, Chivas USA has signed Coach Preki to a new contract, while Maykel Galindo and Jonathan Bornstein habe both undergone successful surgeries.

The Galaxy have released details of the open tryouts scheduled for next month. If you've got talent and $150 click here for details.

Prep action from the Daily News is here and from the Long Beach Press-Telegram here.