Think you know your soccer trivia? Well ... try us. We’ll see how far back your knowledge of Team USA and U.S. Soccer extends. And who the heck is Jack Marshall? Even the trivia buffs in the U.S. Soccer Communications Department would be hard-pressed to tell you that one Jack Marshall received his one and only cap way back in 1926. Okay, that was pretty much impossible. They get easier.

Not many people, even in the soccer world, know too much about the Algarve Cup, but it does have an interesting and unusual history. First of all, it’s the oldest and largest non-world championship tournament of its kind, featuring eight teams or more and coming up on its 10th incarnation. Second and most surprising of all, the U.S. has won the event only once in seven tries. Considering our success in the other two biggies – the Women’s World Cup and the Olympics – it’s a bit baffling. Time to fill in some of the blanks of the tournament’s backlog with some softies from the annals of U.S. Soccer.

Questions:
Q1 (1 of 4): What country hosts the Algarve Cup?
Q2 (2 of 4): Which year did the U.S. Women’s National Team win their first and only Algarve Cup championship?
Q3 (3 of 4): Who are the defending Algarve Cup champions?
Q4 (4 of 4): Who has won the most Algarve Cups since the tournament began in 1994?

(scroll down to see the correct answers)

Answers:
A1: Portugal (among the easiest Center Circle trivia questions ever).
A2: 2000, breaking a four-year drought (1994, 1995, 1998, 1999) at the prestigious eight-team event.
A3: China, who joined Sweden as two-time tournament winners. China also won in 1999, while Sweden won in 1995 and 2001.
A4: Norway, with four titles (1994, 1996, 1997, 1998).

Table of Contents
1) Armchair Midfielder (Off-season MLS Pick-ups)
2) In Threes (w/ U-19 WNT goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris)
3) Desert Island Discs (w/ WNT midfielder Tiffany Roberts)
4) Queries and Anecdotes (w/ MNT midfielder Ben Olsen)
5) Mark That Calendar (On to the Algarve...)
6) Superstar!!! (w/ WNT, U-21 WNT forward Lindsay Tarpley)
7) FAN Point/Counterpoint (Who will save the Fire in 2003?)
8) "You Don't Know Jack (Marshall)" (Algarve Cup Trivia)

Download this issue of Center Circle (.pdf).

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