CHICAGO (October 16, 2002) -- U.S. Women's National Team head coach April
Heinrichs has named the 18 players who will attempt to qualify the United
States for the 2003 Women's World Cup in China. The USA's regional
qualification tournament is being played as the eight-team 2002 CONCACAF
Women's Gold Cup, taking place from Oct. 27-Nov. 9, 2002, at four venues on
the west coast of the United States and Canada. All 16 matches of the
tournament will be televised live on Fox Sports World.
The USA, which has been placed in Group 1 along with Mexico, Trinidad &
Tobago and Panama, needs to advance to the championship game on Nov. 9 at the
Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., to earn one of two automatic berths afforded
to the CONCACAF region for the 4th FIFA Women's World Cup, taking place from
Sept. 24-Oct. 11, 2003 at four venues in western China.
The U.S. women have not played a Women's World Cup qualification match
since Aug. 21, 1994, when the Americans downed Canada, 6-0, to win the
CONCACAF qualifying tournament in Montreal. The USA had earned its berth to
the 1995 Women's World Cup in Sweden with an 11-1 thrashing of T & T in the
semifinals. Of the 18 players named to this roster, seven played on that
1994 team: Briana Scurry, Joy Fawcett, Tiffany Roberts, Julie Foudy, Kristine
Lilly, Mia Hamm and Tiffeny Milbrett.
When the USA kicks off against Mexico, it will end a stretch of more than
eight years and 182 matches between qualification games, and the roster will
be representative of several generations of U.S. players.
Of the USA's most experienced veterans (Lilly, Fawcett, Hamm and Foudy
also played in qualification for the 1991 Women's World Cup), several are
closing in on some unique career milestones. With her goal against Italy at
the Nike U.S. Women's Cup on Oct. 6, Lilly tied Michelle Akers for second on
the USA's all-time scoring list with 247 points (89 goals and 69 assists) and
with her next point will trail only Hamm in U.S. history.
Both Lilly and Milbrett (with 88) are chasing 100 careers goals with the
U.S. women, a milestone that would put them in the most exclusive club in
international soccer as just four players have previously reached that mark.
Fawcett is just two caps away from 200, a number she would reach should she
play in both the Mexico and T & T games, with the 200th coming in Fullerton,
Calif., just a short distance up the freeway from her hometown of Huntington
Beach, Calif. Fawcett, who took time off from the national team in three
separate blocks to have three daughters, would become just the fourth player
to play 200 times for her country, joining teammates Lilly, Hamm and Foudy.
The naming of Scurry and Roberts to the roster represents a comeback of sorts
for both players. Roberts, who as a 17-year-old played in the 1994 CONCACAF
Qualification Tournament, was a member of the 1995 and 1999 Women's World Cup
teams, but did not play for the national team for more than two years before
starting against Norway on July 21 of this year during her stellar season for
the WUSA champion Carolina Courage.
Scurry was the USA's starter in both the 1995 and 1999 Women's World
Cups. Her splendid goalkeeping throughout USA '99 and her historic save in
the penalty kick shootout in the championship game against China helped the
U.S. to the title. Following the 1999 Women's World Cup, Scurry fell out of
favor due to a lack of fitness and injuries, and did not play for the USA for
almost a two-year span, playing on Aug. 20, 2000, and returning last July 21
against Norway. She is by far the most-capped goalkeeper in U.S. history
with 107 appearances. Siri Mullinix, the 2000 Olympic starter who has also
overcome injuries to re-earn an important roster spot, joins Scurry on the
roster and is the second most capped 'keeper with 33 games.
Forward Cindy Parlow, who has scored 52 international goals, is just one
goal away from tying Carin Gabarra for fifth on the all-time list. Parlow,
who took over Gabarra's number 12 jersey for the USA, and was the youngest
U.S. player to ever reach 100 caps, has 111 appearances for the USA while
Gabarra retired with 117.
The least-capped player on the roster is midfielder Angela Hucles, whose
solid play in six matches this year earned her a spot. Heinrichs also choose
two college players in Cat Reddick and Aly Wagner and one high school senior
in Heather O'Reilly. Reddick, a junior at the University of North Carolina,
has 20 games for the USA since debuting in July of 2000. Wagner, a senior at
Santa Clara and a prime candidate for the college player of the year, has 27
caps and experience in the USA's residency camps for both the 1999 Women's
World Cup and 2000 Olympics.
O'Reilly, who attends East Brunswick High School in New Jersey, is by far
the youngest player on the roster, but will not be the youngest ever to play
for the USA in qualifying. That distinction belongs to Roberts, who was 17
years, 3 months and eight days old when she played her first qualifier
against Mexico on August 13, 1994. O'Reilly, born January 2, 1985, is
already several months older. O'Reilly, as part of the "new Triple-Edged
Sword," was one of the stars of the USA's 2002 FIFA Under-19 Women's World
Championship team, scoring four goals and recording seven assists as the USA
won the historic inaugural world championship.
Tickets are available through Ticketmaster at each venue. For more
information, log on to ussoccer.com.
#1 - Briana Scurry, Goalkeeper: Perhaps the most athletic goalkeeper in the
world, she is back at peak fitness and the hero of the 1999 Women's World Cup
is making a strong charge to regain the #1 spot in the U.S. net.
#2 - Lorrie Fair, Midfielder: The most recent U.S. player to hit 100 caps,
the Olympic starter has proven her value in the defensive midfield slot, but
also has the versatility to play in the back.
#3 - Angela Hucles, Midfielder: The skillful and smooth Hucles made a strong
run in the matches leading up to the Women's Gold Cup to earn a spot on the
roster. She is an example of a player who has blossomed in the WUSA to the
point of helping contribute to the national team.
#4 - Cat Reddick, Defender: A star and captain of the USA's Under-21s for the
last few years, she is posed to make her mark on the senior team. Just a
junior at UNC, she adds tremendous strength and speed to the USA's back line.
#5 - Tiffany Roberts, Midfielder: Pound-for-pound one of the toughest players
in the WUSA, she has experienced a rebirth with the national team after
helping lead the Carolina Courage to the WUSA title. A veteran of the 1995
and 1999 Women's World Cups, she has 85 career caps.
#6 - Brandi Chastain, Defender: At 34 and still going strong, the skillful
Chastain has been playing in the center of the defense, but is also valuable
on the outside, where she started in the 1996 Olympics, the 1999 Women's
World Cup and the 2000 Olympics.
#7 - Heather O'Reilly, Forward: The U-19 World Championship star possesses
world-class speed and scored her first goal for the senior team against Italy
at the Nike U.S. Women's Cup. She scored 18 goals in 18 full internationals
for the U.S. U-19s.
#8 - Shannon MacMillan, Forward: Possessing one of the hardest shots in the
world, MacMillan leads the USA in scoring this year with 13 goals, including
seven of the team's eight scores at the Algarve Cup. She is just two away
from 50 for her career.
#9 - Mia Hamm, Forward: The world's all-time leading scorer is back in top
form and has scored six goals in just five games for the USA this year,
upping her career total to 135. She was named MVP of the 2002 Nike U.S.
Women's Cup.
#10 - Aly Wagner, Midfielder: The incredibly skillful Wagner is able to
unlock defenses with her sharp vision and deft passes. Likely a top choice
in the 2003 WUSA Draft, she scored the winning goal in the 2001 NCAA
Championship Game for Santa Clara.
#11 - Julie Foudy, Midfielder: The captain has played 215 times for her
country and set up the first two goals against Italy in the clinching match
of the Nike U.S. Women's Cup. Her versatility is valuable as she has played
a number of positions in the midfield for the USA.
#12 - Cindy Parlow, Forward: The 5-foot-11 striker can dominate the penalty
box with her size and strength. She has 52 career goals for the USA and six
goals in the past five games.
#13 - Kristine Lilly, Midfielder: The world's all-time caps leader has played
an astounding 240 times for the USA and needs 11 goals to become the fifth
player in history to score 100 international goals.
#14 - Joy Fawcett, Defender: The oldest player on the U.S. roster, she is
just two caps away from 200. The highest scoring defender in U.S. history
has played centrally this year after playing flank defense for most of her
career.
#15 - Kate Sobrero, Defender: At just 26 years old, she has 79 caps and was a
starter in both the 1999 Women's World Cup and the 2000 Olympics. She has
shown her versatility by playing more outside back after playing in the
center of the defense for most of her international career.
#16 - Tiffeny Milbrett, Forward: The speedy striker rejoins the U.S. team
after not participating in the last two events while resting after a grueling
WUSA season. She needs just 12 goals to hit 100 for her career.
#17 - Danielle Slaton, Defender: The 2002 WUSA Defender of the Year and #1
pick in the 2002 WUSA Draft made an immediate impact for the Carolina Courage
and possesses world-class speed and aggressiveness.
#18 - Siri Mullinix, Goalkeeper: The 2000 Olympic starter has recovered from
shoulder surgery and had a stellar second half of the WUSA season, helping
lead the Washington Freedom to the WUSA championship game.
UNITED STATES WOMEN'S NATIONAL TEAM ROSTER
2002 CONCACAF Gold Cup
No.
Players
Pos.
Ht.
DOB
Hometown
College
Club
Caps/Goals
1
Scurry, Briana
G
5-9
09/07/71
Dayton, Minn.
UMass
Atlanta
107
2
Fair, Lorrie
M
5-3
08/05/78
Los Altos, Calif.
UNC
Philadelphia
103/7
3
Hucles, Angela
M
5-7
07/05/78
Virginia Beach, Va.
UVA
Boston
6/0
4
Reddick, Cat
D
5-5
02/10/82
Birmingham, Ala.
UNC
--
20/1
5
Roberts, Tiffany
M
5-3
05/05/77
San Ramon, Calif.
UNC
Carolina
85/6
6
Chastain, Brandi
D
5-7
07/21/68
San Jose, Calif.
Santa Clara
San Jose
153/28
7
O'Reilly, Heather
F
5-4
01/02/85
East Brunswick, N.J.
--
PDA Torpedoes
7/1
8
MacMillan, Shannon
F
5-5
10/07/74
Escondido, Calif.
Portland
San Diego
141/48
9
Hamm, Mia
F
5-5
03/17/72
Chapel Hill, N.C.
UNC
Washington
224/135
10
Wagner, Aly
M
5-5
08/10/80
San Jose, Calif.
Santa Clara
--
27/7
11
Foudy, Julie
M
5-6
01/23/71
Mission Viejo, Calif.
Stanford
San Diego
215/39
12
Parlow, Cindy
F
5-11
05/08/78
Memphis, Tenn.
UNC
Atlanta
111/52
13
Lilly, Kristine
M
5-4
07/22/71
Wilton, Conn.
UNC
Boston
240/89
14
Fawcett, Joy
D
5-6
02/08/68
Huntington Beach, Calif.
California
San Diego
198/26
15
Sobrero, Kate
D
5-7
08/23/76
Bloomfield Hills, Mich.
Notre Dame
Boston
79/0
16
Milbrett, Tiffeny
F
5-3
10/23/72
Portland, Ore.
Portland
New York
178/88
17
Slaton, Danielle
D
5-6
06/10/80
San Jose, Calif.
Santa Clara
Carolina
35/1
18
Mullinix, Siri
G
5-8
05/22/78
Greensboro, N.C.
UNC
Washington
33
Coaching Staff:
Head Coach: April Heinrichs
Asst. Coach: Bill Palladino
GK Coach: Phil Wheddon
2002 CONCACAF WOMEN'S GOLD CUP SCHEDULE
Group 1: USA, Mexico, Panama, and Trinidad & Tobago.
Group 2: Canada, Costa Rica, Jamaica and Haiti.
Date Venue Teams Kickoff (PT)/Live on FSW
Oct. 27 Rose Bowl - Pasadena, Calif. Panama vs. T&T 1:00 p.m.
Oct. 27 Rose Bowl - Pasadena, Calif. USA vs. Mexico 3:00 p.m.
Oct. 29 Titan Stadium - Fullerton, Calif. USA vs. T&T 7:00 p.m.
Oct. 29 Titan Stadium - Fullerton, Calif. Mexico vs. Panama 9:00 p.m.
Oct. 30 Centennial Stadium - Victoria, B.C. CRC vs. Jamaica 6:00 p.m.
Oct. 30 Centennial Stadium - Victoria, B.C. Canada vs. Haiti 8:00 p.m.
Nov. 1 Centennial Stadium - Victoria, B.C. Haiti vs. Costa Rica 6:00 p.m.
Nov. 1 Centennial Stadium - Victoria, B.C. Canada vs. Jamaica8:00 p.m.
Nov. 2 SAFECO Field - Seattle, Wash. Mexico vs. T&T 5:00 p.m.
Nov. 2 SAFECO Field - Seattle, Wash. USA vs. Panama 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 3 Centennial Stadium - Victoria, B.C. Jamaica vs. Haiti 12:00 p.m.
Nov. 3 Centennial Stadium - Victoria, B.C. Canada vs. CRC 2:00 p.m.
Nov. 6 SAFECO Field - Seattle, Wash.
1st in Group 2 vs. 2nd in Group 1 7:00 p.m.
Nov. 6 SAFECO Field - Seattle, Wash.
1st in Group 1 vs. 2nd in Group 2 9:30 p.m.
Nov. 9 Rose Bowl - Pasadena, Calif. Third-Place Match 4:30 p.m.
Nov. 9 Rose Bowl - Pasadena, Calif. Championship Game 7:00 p.m.
Following are the 18 players that will represent the USA in qualifying for
the 2003 Women's World Cup:
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