Team Usa

WHAT WERE they thinking? Is the U.S. Olympic Committee, and conspirator Ralph Lauren, so clueless of American consciousness that they didn't know producing USOC-authorized gear in China would be a gut-punch to most Americans? When it was learned the "Made in China" label would be found in the Team USA apparel in the opening and closing ceremonies, it even awakened the dwarfs in Congress, creating a rare bipartisan moment when zany opposites such as Nancy Pelosi and John Boehner would blast away at the same target.

Even though he was released just before leaving for the Goodwill Games, Upper Dublin grad and University of Richmond junior Sean Gavaghan has no regrets about spending part of his summer as a pitcher for Team USA. "It was a bittersweet experience," Gavaghan said . "I would have loved going to the Goodwill Games because the team was just really starting to come together. But at the same time, it was a very tiring schedule. We were either playing or traveling every day. I felt like I got a fair chance to pitch, but I was happy to be home, too. " While playing for Team USA, an Olympic development squad sponsored by the United States Amateur Baseball Federation and based in Millington, Tenn.

Clark Donatelli was anxious. He had just gone through a torturous practice at the old Olympic ice hockey rink in Lake Placid, N.Y., but his motor was still running in high gear. Donatelli is like that. He chatters. He cackles. Need to find him? Follow the noise. He was the acting captain for much of Team USA's tuneup tour, and it's easy to see why. The guy is definitely intense. He is also proud, and, after four long years, he's tired of defending the underachieving 1988 U.S. Olympic team.

ELMA, N.Y. - U.S. women's national soccer team midfielder Carli Lloyd has been cleared to play for the Western New York Flash after missing the last two months recovering from a broken left shoulder. The Flash said that the former Delran High star is scheduled to join the National Women's Soccer League team for practice Friday. She has been out since hurting her shoulder in Team USA's 3-0 win over Iceland in the Algarve Cup on March 6. Lloyd was assigned to the Flash in January, shortly after the league was established.

Boyertown High's Wynne McCann was named to the Team USA women's national baseball team that will compete at the World Cup in Venezuela from Thursday through Aug. 23. McCann, 16, is a pitcher and third baseman and the youngest player ever selected by Team USA.  

The new CoreStates Center opened last night amid lots of cheers for Team USA and for the center itself. At left, Chris Wilde (from left), Erik Watling and Tom Smith root for Team USA against Canada during the World Cup match. At right, Nicky (from left), Candy and Fred Stampone take a moment to look at a goalie figure.

When athletes are selected to the Olympic team to represent their nation, it's an honor for them - and for their hometowns. Such is the feeling in Lansdowne, where a banner was hung Tuesday to cheer on native son Leroy Burrell, who will be representing Team USA in Barcelona as a sprinter in track and field events.

Marion Jones, who has returned to competition after giving birth last June to a baby boy, is among the runners who will take part in tomorrow's "USA vs. The World" races at the Penn Relays. Jones, a three-time gold medalist in the 2000 Olympics, gave birth on June 28 to Tim Montgomery, whose father is 100-meter world-record holder Tim Montgomery. She returned to outdoor competition last weekend at the Mt. San Antonio College Relays, and finished fourth in the 200, clocking 23.02 seconds.

Former Indiana University of Pennsylvania linebacker Terrence Jackson of Media, Pa., has been selected to play for the 2011 U.S. Men's National Team in football in the fourth International Federation of American Football (IFAF) Senior World Championship July 8-16 in Austria. USA Football assembles America's national teams in the sport for international competition. Jackson is one of 39 players named to Team USA, led by former Northwest Missouri State University head coach and three-time NCAA Division II national champion Mel Tjeerdsma.

The divide in basketball talent between the United States and other countries continues to narrow. Witness the recently completed World Games: Argentina beat Team USA in the seeding round; Yugoslavia (the champions) KO'd the Americans in the medal round, and Spain humiliated the Yanks for the 5th-place spot. The three losses suffered by Team USA were the first - after 59 consecutive victories - in international competition since NBA players were permitted to participate in 1992.

ELMA, N.Y. - U.S. women's national soccer team midfielder Carli Lloyd has been cleared to play for the Western New York Flash after missing the last two months recovering from a broken left shoulder. The Flash said that the former Delran High star is scheduled to join the National Women's Soccer League team for practice Friday. She has been out since hurting her shoulder in Team USA's 3-0 win over Iceland in the Algarve Cup on March 6. Lloyd was assigned to the Flash in January, shortly after the league was established.

FOR THE FIRST time in three seasons, a new name was engraved on the Bobby Clarke Trophy last night. Leading scorer Jake Voracek beat out captain Claude Giroux, a two-time defending winner, for the team's Most Valuable Player award - as voted on by a panel of sports writers and broadcasters. Giroux said he was happy to see his linemate win the award. "It's good to see him doing good," Giroux said. "It's great. He came out strong this year. He's definitely playing a step above last year.

ADAM JONES doubled in the tying and go-ahead runs in the eighth inning, Eric Hosmer had a three-run double in the ninth and the United States beat Canada, 9-4, Sunday in Phoenix to advance to the second round of the World Baseball Classic. Down to their last several outs, the Team USA trailed 3-2 after seven innings before breaking loose. Team USA and Italy advanced in Group D while Canada and Mexico were eliminated. Jones and Hosmer both had a rough week at the plate but came through with the United States on the brink of what would have been a humbling loss.

Jimmy Rollins is a member of Team USA again. The Phillies shortstop has agreed to play in his second World Baseball Classic, which means he will be away from the team's Clearwater, Fla., training site for most of spring training. Rollins will be the Phillies' lone representative on Team USA, which announced its provisional roster Thursday. He is also the only shortstop on the roster. When Rollins played for Team USA in 2009, he split time with the New York Yankees' Derek Jeter.

LONDON - One more for the gold, and seemingly nothing that can prevent it. This U.S. men's Olympic basketball team might not slow down until it's standing at the center of the medals platform again. Kevin Durant scored 19 points, LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony added 18 apiece, and the U.S. team powered its way back to the gold-medal game by beating Argentina, 109-83, on Friday night. "Anything less than this would have been unsatisfying for us," Anthony said. "We believe that we could get here, and we're here now. We got one game left.

WHAT WERE they thinking? Is the U.S. Olympic Committee, and conspirator Ralph Lauren, so clueless of American consciousness that they didn't know producing USOC-authorized gear in China would be a gut-punch to most Americans? When it was learned the "Made in China" label would be found in the Team USA apparel in the opening and closing ceremonies, it even awakened the dwarfs in Congress, creating a rare bipartisan moment when zany opposites such as Nancy Pelosi and John Boehner would blast away at the same target.

Dancers were performing during breaks in the action. Dunks were greeted with "MVP!" chants. Mascots, merchandise giveaways, and hot dog stands had the feel of an NBA arena, not the U.S. Olympic men's team's workout. Of course this was no game. As Allen Iverson would say: We talkin' about practice. The U.S. Olympic basketball team went through an open practice for military personnel and families at the D.C. Armory that felt more like Midnight Madness on a college campus than a team getting ready to defend gold.

LAS VEGAS — Here in a city where gambling is a way of life and there are few sure things, it was a safe bet that Andre Iguodala got a good night's sleep Saturday. The 76ers' swingman had tossed and turned 24 hours earlier, partly from anxiety over whether he would make the U.S. Olympic roster and partly because he ate something before going to bed Friday that didn't agree with him. But then came word Saturday from the USA Basketball brass that he had indeed secured one of the final three spots and he could start planning for London.

The look on Carli Lloyd's face said it all: disbelief; heartbreak; fatigue. Back home, Lloyd's friends and family were feeling the exact same things while watching. "The game is cruel," said James Galanis, Lloyd's longtime trainer, friend, and head coach of the Atlanta Beat. "You can dominate possession. You can dominate the stats, and then you make a couple of split-second errors, and you let the opponent in. " "They are a great team, and they really deserved to win, but I guess that is the way the ball bounces," said Patti Wilson, Lloyd's aunt.