US 2, Denmark 0

The U.S. Women’s National Team got an early goal from captain Kristine Lilly and a second-half blast from midfielder Carli Lloyd on the way to a dominating 2-0 victory over Denmark to win the championship of the 2007 Algarve Cup.

The tournament marked a breakout performance for Lloyd, who came into the competition having scored just once in her previous 24 international appearances. Lloyd is the third U.S. player to score in all four Algarve Cup games, joining Shannon MacMillan (2002) and Christie Welsh (2005), and walked away with the tournament’s Top Scorer and MVP awards.
The U.S. defense of right back Heather Mitts, center backs Christie Rampone and Whitehill, and left back Stephanie Lopez, never let the Danish attack get going. Mitts in particular had an excellent match shutting down talented winger Joanna Rasmussen. The tired Danes were reduced to sending long balls over the top for much of the match, often leaving powerful center forward Maiken Pape running by herself, and she had no chance against the organized U.S. backline.