Rachel Buehler

Buehler is a rugged central defender known for her toughness, work rate and competitiveness. She is a stalwart for the Americans and one of the team leaders. She made her debut with the senior national team against China on March 5, 2008, but didn't get her first goal until the CONCACAF qualifying tournament for the London Games. Buehler netted three in that tournament, which saw the U.S. cruise through qualifying, outscoring opponents 38-0 in five games. She made limited on-field contributions to the squad that took its second consecutive gold at the Beijing Games, playing in just two matches. However, she's since inherited a more prominent role, helping the U.S. to the final of last summer's World Cup, where it lost to Japan on penalty kicks. In the quarterfinals of that tournament, Buehler earned a red card that led to a penalty kick and goal before the team rallied to beat Brazil on PKs.