Marlborough Set for 2010 World Cup Qualifying

Nebraska forward Morgan Marlborough and the U.S. Under-20 Women's National Team begin their quest for the 2010 FIFA World Cup on Thursday afternoon in Guatemala City. The United States is looking to defend its title in the CONCACAF Women's Under-20 Championship, an eight-team tournament that will send three nations to Germany for the 2010 World Cup.

The Americans open play Thursday, Jan. 21 at 4:30 p.m. CST against Jamaica, before facing Trinidad & Tobago (Saturday, Jan. 23, 4:30 p.m. CST) and Mexico (Monday, Jan. 25, 4:30 p.m. CST). All of the matches will be streamed live on www.concacaf.com.

Marlborough gained a spot on the national team through training camp in Florida earlier this month. She started 19 games for the Huskers in 2009, racking up awards and honors nearly unmatched in school history. Her immediate impact not only guided the Huskers to an 11-5-4 record, but also prepared the NU freshman for the international stage.

"It helped me more than I ever thought," Marlborough said. "If I would've tried to do this out of high school, I would not have been as successful. Coach Walker's practices are so intense. He enforces good work ethic and everything, so the way he has us practice definitely helped me make this team."

The group winners in the CONCACAF Women's Under-20 Championship will play the runners-up from the opposite group on January 28, with the championship and third-place matches set for Saturday, Jan. 30. The Group A field consists of Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba and Guatemala.

Under the direction of head coach Jillian Ellis, Marlborough was selected to the 20-player roster after the week-long training camp. She returned to Florida last Friday and has been traveling and practicing with the U.S. team in Guatemala since Sunday.

"It's just a great experience to be a part of this," Marlborough said. "I'll be able to get different viewpoints from other minds on how to improve my game, so I think it would definitely help me become a better player. Overall, I'm just really excited to have this great opportunity."

2010 CONCACAF U-20 Women's Championship Qualifying Tournament
Thursday, Jan. 21-USA vs. Jamaica, 4:30 p.m. CST (Fox Soccer Channel)
Saturday, Jan. 23-USA vs. Trinidad & Tobago, 4:30 p.m. CST (www.concacaf.com)
Monday, Jan. 25-USA vs. Mexico, 4:30 p.m. CST (www.concacaf.com)
Thursday, Jan. 28-Semifinals (Fox Soccer Channel)
Saturday, Jan. 30-Championship (Fox Soccer Channel)

Group A:Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba and Guatemala
Group B: USA, Mexico, Trinidad & Tobago and Jamaica

Fox Soccer Channel
Time Warner Cable-236 (in Lincoln)
Cox Cable-228 (in Omaha)
DirecTV-619
Dish Network-149, 877