Photo by Bernd Feil/ISIphotos.com
Three wins, eight goals, none conceded and plenty to build off across three levels of U.S. Soccer.
It's safe to say that Feb. 29, 2012, went about as well as it could have if you're a U.S. Soccer player or fan.
The U.S. men's national team took a big step forward under Jurgen Klinsmann's direction, withstanding late pressure to notching the most important result of the new era with a 1-0 victory over Italy, the first-ever win for the United States over the Azzurri. That result came on the heels of the U.S. women opening their quest for a ninth Algarve Cup with a 5-0 thrashing of Denmark, in which Alex Morgan continued to state her case to be a fixture in the starting lineup with two more goals.
The Under-23 men's national team capped off the day with a dominating performance in a 2-0 victory over Mexico in a pre-Olympic qualifying friendly featuring the top two U-23 sides in the region. With momentum and confidence building as all three teams approach an important stretch of matches — be it Olympic qualifying, World Cup qualifying or the Olympics — Wednesday can be looked back on as a key reference point going forward.
Videos of postgame reaction from players and coaches speaking after the triumphs of the men's senior team, U-23 men's team and women's team are after the jump:
USMNT POSTGAME REACTION
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpoU5BNJXCE]
U.S. U-23 POSTGAME REACTION
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55ZGyrWC9M0]
USWNT POSTGAME REACTION
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxECqtumNrQ]