U.S. Women Fully Loaded for Showdown with Norway on February 6; Two Women's World Cup Champions Clash in Ft. Lauderdale
CHICAGO (Saturday, January 29, 2000) - U.S. Women's National Team Head Coach April Heinrichs has called in 35 players, including 17 members of the 1999 Women's World Cup championship team, to her first training camp at the helm of the world's premier women's soccer power. The USA will begin t
Jan. 29, 2000
Tickets are priced at $20 (VIP), $16 (sideline), $12 (end zone) and can be purchased by calling the Miami Fusion at 1-888/FUSION4 or 954/473-0927. The USA-Norway game will be followed at 4:30 p.m. by the annual Umbro Select Women's College All-Star Match, featuring the top seniors from the 1999 season. The USA's Mia Hamm and Brandi Chastain will serve as assistant coaches for the East and West teams, respectively.
The match between the only two countries ever to win a Women's World Cup will mark the 2000 domestic debut for the reigning World Cup and Olympic champions, who face a team that holds the distinction of being the only country to own a winning record against them. Norway is also one of just three teams (China and Germany being the others) to defeat the U.S. on home soil during the 1990s. In the most recent meeting between the two teams, the USA defeated the 1995 Women's World Cup champions, 2-1, at the Algarve Cup in Portugal last March, but are 10-11-1 all-time against the Scandinavians.
The match may also mark the final international appearance for Michelle Akers in Florida. The former University of Central Florida All-American and Orlando resident will retire from international soccer after the Olympics. She returns to the field where she scored her 100th career goal in a 6-0 victory over Portugal on Jan. 30, 1999, during the USA's last visit to Lockhart.
In an ironic twist, Heinrichs will coach her first full international match against the team she played in her final international appearance, captaining the USA to the 1991 Women's World Cup title with a 2-1 victory over Norway. Norway finished fourth at the 1999 Women's World Cup, its lowest placement ever in a world championship following a second-place at the 1991 Women's World Cup, a first-place in 1995 and a bronze medal at the 1996 Olympics.
In addition to the 35 players called in by Heinrichs for the national team camp, the U.S. Under-18 Women's National Team will conduct an 18-player camp, with two of those players (Aylssa Ramsey and Anne Morrell) training with the national team pool, but playing matches with the U-18s. The USA will play exhibitions against the Under-18s and the West College All-Stars. In addition to its tussle with the full national team, the Under-18 women will play matches against the East College All-Stars and two Under-19 Regional Teams also in town for a USYSA Inter-Regional Tournament.
Following are the rosters and game schedules for the U.S. Women's National Teams in Florida:
| Date | Teams | Venue | Time (ET) |
| Wed. 2/2 | USA vs. USA U-18s | Nova Southeastern | 3:30 p.m. |
| Fri. 2/4 | USA vs. West College All-Stars | Nova Southeastern | 4:00 p.m. |
| Fri. 2/4 | U-18s vs. East College All-Stars | Nova Southeastern | 4:00 p.m. |
| Sat. 2/5 | U-18s vs. Region III U-19s | Florida Atlantic | 10:30 a.m. |
| Sat. 2/5 | U-18s vs. Region I U-19s | Florida Atlantic | 7:00 p.m. |
| Sun. 2/6 | USA vs. Norway | Lockhart Stadium | 2:00 p.m. |
| Wed. 2/9 | USA vs. Norway (Closed Door) | Florida Atlantic | 2:00 p.m. |
| United States Women's National Team | |||||||
| Player Pool Roster * Ft. Lauderdale, Florida | |||||||
| Player | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | DOB | Hometown | College | Caps/Goals |
| Akers, Michelle | M | 5-10 | 150 | 2/1/66 | Oviedo, Fla. | Central Florida | 146/104 |
| Beene, Lakeysia | GK | 5-8 | 135 | 3/9/78 | Gold River, Ca. | Notre Dame | 3/0 |
| Bush, Susan | F | 5-4 | 120 | 11/10/80 | Houston, Tex. | North Carolina | 6/1 |
| Chastain, Brandi | D | 5-7 | 135 | 7/21/68 | San Jose, Ca. | Santa Clara | 106/21 |
| Clemens, Mandy | F | 5-5 | 125 | 9/3/78 | San Diego, Ca. | Santa Clara | 4/0 |
| Cramer, Aleisha | M | 5-10 | 130 | 7/29/82 | Lakewood, Co. | Colorado Rush | 5/0 |
| Fair, Lorrie | D | 5-3 | 130 | 8/5/78 | Los Altos, Ca. | North Carolina | 52/1 |
| Fawcett, Joy | D | 5-5 | 130 | 2/8/68 | Huntington Beach, Ca. | California | 153/21 |
| French, Michelle | D | 5-4 | 135 | 1/27/77 | Kent, Wash. | Portland | 6/0 |
| Foudy, Julie | M | 5-6 | 130 | 1/23/71 | Mission Viejo, Ca. | Stanford | 166/32 |
| Hamm, Mia | F | 5-5 | 130 | 3/17/72 | Chapel Hill, N.C. | North Carolina | 183/114 |
| Kester, Sherrill | F | 5-3 | 120 | 3/7/78 | High Point, N.C. | Duke | 3/3 |
| Kluegal, Jena | M | 5-3 | 125 | 11/2/79 | Mahtomedi, Minn. | North Carolina | 0/0 |
| Lilly, Kristine | M | 5-4 | 125 | 7/22/71 | Wilton, Conn. | North Carolina | 191/81 |
| MacMillan, Shannon | F | 5-5 | 135 | 10/7/74 | Escondido, Ca. | Portland | 89/22 |
| Milbrett, Tiffeny | F | 5-2 | 125 | 10/23/72 | Portland, Ore. | Portland | 129/68 |
| Morrell, Anne | F | 5-3 | 135 | 9/24/82 | Plymouth, MI | Michigan Hawks | 0/0 |
| Mullinix, Siri | GK | 5-8 | 145 | 5/22/78 | Greensboro, N.C. | North Carolina | 1/0 |
| Orlandos, Lauren | D | 5-10 | 145 | 07/16/81 | Lake Forest, Ca. | Portland | 0/0 |
| Overbeck, Carla | D | 5-7 | 125 | 5/9/68 | Chapel Hill, N.C. | North Carolina | 155/7 |
| Parlow, Cindy | F | 5-11 | 145 | 5/08/78 | Memphis, Tenn. | North Carolina | 67/26 |
| Pearce, Christie | D | 5-6 | 140 | 6/24/75 | Point Pleasant, N.J. | Monmouth | 55/2 |
| Pryce, Nandi | D | 5-10 | 140 | 5/30/82 | Casselberry, Fla. | C.F. United | 3/0 |
| Ramsey, Alyssa | F | 5-8 | 140 | 9/21/82 | Charlotte, N.C. | Charlotte SC | 0/0 |
| Randolph, Sara | M | 5-5 | 127 | 2/27/83 | Cincinnati, Ohio | Hammer FC | 0/0 |
| Scurry, Briana | GK | 5-8 | 145 | 9/7/71 | Dayton, Minn. | UMass | 98/0 |
| Serlanga, Nikki | M | 5-7 | 130 | 6/20/78 | San Diego, Ca. | Santa Clara | 2/1 |
| Slaton, Danielle | D | 5-6 | 135 | 6/10/80 | San Jose, Ca. | Santa Clara | 4/0 |
| Sobrero, Kate | D | 5-9 | 140 | 8/23/76 | Bloomfield Hills, Mich. | Notre Dame | 33/0 |
| Venturini, Tisha | M | 5-6 | 125 | 3/3/73 | Modesto, Ca. | North Carolina | 128/43 |
| Wagner, Aly | M | 5-5 | 120 | 8/10/80 | San Jose, Ca. | Santa Clara | 9/2 |
| Webber, Saskia | GK | 5-9 | 145 | 6/13/71 | Princeton, N.J. | Rutgers | 28 |
| Welsh, Christie | F | 5-10 | 150 | 2/27/81 | Massapeaqua Park, N.Y. | Penn State | 2/1 |
| Whalen, Sara | D | 5-5 | 130 | 4/28/76 | Greenlawn, N.Y. | UConn | 42/3 |
| Zepeda, Veronica | M | 5-0 | 100 | 6/11/82 | Riverside, Ca. | Claremont Stars | 4/1 |
| United States Women's Under-18 National Team | ||||||
| Player Pool Roster * Ft. Lauderdale, Florida | ||||||
| Player | Pos. | DOB | Ht. | Wt. | Hometown | Club/School |
| Ballweg, Jessica | D | 4/11/83 | 5'5" | 126 | Metuchen, NJ | MC Dynamo/Union Catholic |
| Breger, Nicole | M | 12/30/82 | 5'6" | 135 | Sterling Heights, MI | Michigan Hawks/Bishop Foley HS |
| Clugston, Jodi | GK | 4/01/82 | 5'8" | 150 | Red Hill, PA | FC Delco/Upper Perkiomen HS |
| Gagarin, Alexandra | GK | 10/31/82 | 5'6" | 130 | Austin, TX | Challenge 81-82/LBJ High School |
| Lewis, Jennifer | M | 6/28/82 | 5'7" | 140 | Birmingham, AL | Briarwood Lightning/Briarwood Christian |
| Lindstrom, Stacey | D | 2/23/85 | 5'10" | 140 | Laguna Niguel, CA | SoCal Blues/Aliso Niguel HS |
| Lohman, Joanna | M | 6/26/82 | 5'6" | 135 | Silver Spring, MD | Bethesda Scorpions/Springbrook HS |
| Matthews, Vonda | D | 2/14/82 | 5'6" | 130 | Broken Arrow, OK | Tulsa SC/Broken Arrow HS |
| McDonald, Kelly | F | 4/13/83 | 5'7" | 130 | Littleton, CO | Colorado Rush/Chattfield HS |
| McDowell, Mary | F | 7/25/82 | 5'6" | 125 | Lakewood, CO | Colorado Rush/Wheat Ridge HS |
| Morrell, Anne | F | 9/24/82 | 5'3" | 135 | Plymouth, MI | Michigan Hawks/Plymouth Canton HS |
| Ramsey, Alyssa | F | 9/21/82 | 5'9" | 145 | Cornelius, NC | Charlotte SC/North Mecklenburg HS |
| Reddick, Catherine | D | 2/10/82 | 5'5" | 120 | Birmingham, AL | Briarwood Lightning/Briarwood Christian |
| Spilger, Natalie | D | 5/19/82 | 5'6" | 130 | El Cajon, CA | Hotspurs/Granite Hills HS |
| Swanson, Sarah | F | 2/19/82 | 5'7" | 125 | Morrison, CO | Colorado Rush/Mullen HS |
| Tomecka, Magda | D | 4/30/82 | 5'11" | 155 | Shrewsbury, MA | Fuller Hamlets/Shrewsbury HS |
| Ward, Marcella | M | 2/01/82 | 5'8" | 125 | Alamo, CA | San Ramon Crunch/Carondelet HS |
| Wosnuk, Kylee | M | 1/15/82 | 5'6" | 125 | Folsom, CA | San Ramon Crunch/Folsom HS |
