August 9, 2012
FINANCIAL INCENTIVE
U.S. women to get $1.5M if they win the gold

LONDON -- While their pride and talent will determine whether the U.S. women earn their third consecutive Olympic gold medal and fourth overall, there is a financial motivation as well.

The Americans stand to earn $1.5 million if they defeat Japan in Thursday's gold medal-match at Wembley Stadium. U.S. Soccer would pay the lump sum to the team, which could divide it among the players any way they want. That could include not only the 18 players on the Olympic roster, but to the trainers and other members of the group.

The players also stand to receive $25,000 each from the U.S. Olympic Committee if they win a gold, $15,000 for a silver.

U.S. striker Abby Wambach is the first woman to score in five successive Olympic matches at the same tournament as she enters the final with five goals. She can become the first player to tally in six matches in a row if she finds the back of the net against Japan.

The only man to score five games at an Olympics was Yugoslavia's Milan Galic at the 1960 Summer Games in Rome. There were only a maximum of five games per team in that competition.