Heinrichs Announces Roster for Last Match of Historic Year; U.S. Captain Carla Overbeck Will Play Her Last Match vs. Japan

CHICAGO (Thursday, December 7, 2000) - U.S. legend Carla Overbeck, who captained the U.S. National Team in four world championships during the last decade -- including an Olympic Gold Medal in 1996 and a Women's World Cup title in 1999 -- will play the final international game of her career wh

CHICAGO (Thursday, December 7, 2000) - U.S. legend Carla Overbeck, who captained the U.S. National Team in four world championships during the last decade -- including an Olympic Gold Medal in 1996 and a Women's World Cup title in 1999 -- will play the final international game of her career when the USA faces Japan on Dec. 17, 2000 at Bank One Ballpark in Phoenix, Arizona. Kickoff is 3 p.m. MT and the game will be televised live on ESPN2.

Joining Overbeck on the roster will be 13 members of the 2000 U.S. Olympic Team, including Mia Hamm, the world's all-time leading scorer with 127 career goals. The U.S. roster will also feature the world's most capped player in Kristine Lilly, currently at 223 games played, as well as midfielder Julie Foudy, forward Tiffeny Milbrett and defenders Kate Sobrero and Brandi Chastain.

The match will be the first in the state of Arizona for the U.S. Women since January 20th and 23rd, 1995, when the Americans played Australia in two matches at the Cave Creek Complex, wining the first 5-0 and the second 4-1. The match against Japan, which concludes the three-game "Glory Tour" celebrating the success of the U.S. women in 2000, will be the 42nd and final game of the busiest year in Women's National Team history. The USA shattered the record for most matches in a year, which was set in 1999 at 29 games, and with the onset of the Women's United Soccer Association, will likely never play that many games in a year again.

Four players from the 2000 Olympic Team will not make the trip as goalkeeper Briana Scurry has family commitments, defender Danielle Slaton is soon to undergo minor knee surgery, forward Cindy Parlow is due to undergo foot surgery to release pressure on a nerve and defender Joy Fawcett is pregnant with her third child, due sometime next June. Fawcett plans to continue playing internationally as well as for her WUSA club, the San Diego Spirit, perhaps joining the team in time for the end of the inaugural season.

U.S. head coach April Heinrichs has added goalkeeper Hope Solo and midfielder Mary-Frances Monroe to the roster. She will likely add another one or two players prior to the match. Solo was perhaps the top goalkeeper in the country last season as a sophomore at the University of Washington while Monroe, a junior, is certainly one of the most dynamic midfielders in college soccer for the University of Connecticut. Both were members of the 2000 U.S. Under-21 Nordic Cup championship team that defeated Germany, 1-0, last summer.

United States Women's National Team Roster USA vs. Japan Bank One Ballpark - Phoenix, Arizona December 17, 2000 - 3 p.m. MT
No.	Name	Pos.	Ht.	Wt.	Birthdate	Hometown	College	Club	Caps/Goals
2	Fair, Lorrie	M	5-3	130	8/5/78	Los Altos, Calif.	North Carolina	Philadelphia	83/7
3	Pearce, Christie	D	5-6	140	6/24/75	Point Pleasant, N.J.	Monmouth	New York	85/4
4	Overbeck, Carla	D	5-7	125	5/9/68	Chapel Hill, N.C.	North Carolina	North Carolina	166/7
5	Serlenga, Nikki	M	5-7	130	6/20/78	San Diego, Calif.	Santa Clara	Atlanta	25/6
6	Chastain, Brandi	D	5-7	135	7/21/68	San Jose, Calif.	Santa Clara	Bay Area	138/24
7	Whalen, Sara	M	5-5	130	4/28/76	Greenlawn, N.Y.	UConn	New York	64/7
8	MacMillan, Shannon	M	5-5	135	10/7/74	Escondido, Calif.	Portland	San Diego	122/34
9	Hamm, Mia	F	5-5	130	3/17/72	Chapel Hill, N.C.	North Carolina	Washington, D.C.	214/127
10	French, Michelle	D	5-4	135	1/27/77	Kent, Wash.	Portland	Washington, D.C.	9/0
11	Foudy, Julie	M	5-6	130	1/23/71	Mission Viejo, Calif.	Stanford	San Diego	197/38
13	Lilly, Kristine	M	5-4	125	7/22/71	Wilton, Conn.	North Carolina	Boston	223/86
14	Monroe, Mary-Frances	M	5-1		2/7/80	Tariffvlle, Conn.	UConn	--	2/0
15	Sobrero, Kate	D	5-7	135	8/23/76	Bloomfield Hills, Mich.	Notre Dame	Boston	61/0
16	Milbrett, Tiffeny	F	5-2	130	10/23/72	Portland, Ore.	Portland	New York	162/83
18	Mullinix, Siri	GK	5-8	145	5/22/78	Greensboro, N.C.	North Carolina	Washington, D.C.	28/0
24	Solo, Hope	GK	5-9		7/30/81	Richland, Wash.	Washington	--	2/0