DiCicco Announces 20-Player U.S. Roster for Match vs. Mexico as "NIKE Road to Pasadena" Begins at the Rose Bowl
CHICAGO (Tuesday, March 23, 1999) - The U.S. Women's National Team will play its first-ever match at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., against Mexico on Sunday, March 28, a venue the Americans hope to return to on July 10, 1999, for the Women's World Cup Final.
March 23, 1999
The USA-Mexico match, which kicks off at 2 p.m. PT and will be broadcast live on ESPN, is part of a unique doubleheader that will also feature the Los Angeles Galaxy against the Dallas Burn at 5 p.m. PT. U.S. Head Coach Tony DiCicco will bring a 20-woman squad to Los Angeles as he continues to make decisions on his roster for the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup. For tickets, call the LA Galaxy at 310/445-1260.
"Starting with the 'Nike Road to Pasadena' there will be less and less players brought into the mix as we try to pare down to our final Women's World Cup roster of 20 players and train that team," said DiCicco. "These games are key to us fine tuning and preparing for the biggest challenge that this team has ever faced. I can tell you there is a lot of excitement from the U.S. players and staff as we get within 90 days of the Women's World Cup Opening Game at Giants Stadium."
The USA roster features three players with Southern California connections in forward Shannon MacMillan (Escondido, Calif.), midfielder Julie Foudy (Mission Viejo, Calif.) and defender Joy Fawcett (Huntington Beach, Calif.). All three won Olympic gold medals with the U.S. team in 1996.
The USA is coming off a second-place finish at the 1999 Algarve Cup in Portugal, an eight-team international tournament that saw the Americans defeat defending Women's World Cup champions Norway in group play, 2-1, before falling in the championship game to China by the same score. The USA is 6-1-1 on the year after tying Sweden at the Algarve Cup.
The U.S. team arrives in Los Angeles on Friday, March 26, and will practice at Occidental College at 4:30 p.m. The USA will also train on Saturday, March 27, from 1:00-2:30 p.m. at the Rose Bowl, followed by the Mexican National Team at 3 p.m. That will be the only practice for the Mexicans in Los Angeles.
After the match on March 28, the USA will take part in a Women's World Cup promotion at the Rose Bowl on Monday and then depart to the ARCO Olympic Training Center in San Diego for two days of training on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The USA and Mexico have met three times in their history with the Americans posting convincing wins each time. A new and improved Mexican team will face the USA on Sunday however, bolstered by numerous Mexican-American players and new talent that helped the Tricolores defeat Argentina in a two-game playoff to earn the final berth to the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup.
U.S. forward Mia Hamm enters Sunday's game with 104 career international goals, just four shy of breaking the world scoring record for men or women, held by the long-retired Elisabetta Vignotto of Italy. Hamm currently sits third on the all-time list, also behind another Italian legend, Carolina Morace, who has 105 career goals. U.S. midfielder Michelle Akers is fourth with 100 career goals.
USA vs. Mexico March 28, 1999 -- Rose Bowl -- Pasadena, Calif. -- 2 p.m. PT | ||||||||
| No. | Player | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | DOB | Hometown | College | Caps/Goals |
| 1 | Scurry, Briana | GK | 5-8 | 145 | 9/7/71 | Dayton, Minn. | UMass | 83 |
| 2 | Fair, Lorrie | D | 5-3 | 125 | 8/5/78 | Los Altos, Ca. | UNC | 41/1 |
| 3 | Pearce, Christie | D | 5-6 | 140 | 6/24/75 | Pt Pleasant, N.J. | Monmouth | 42/2 |
| 4 | Overbeck, Carla | D | 5-7 | 125 | 5/9/69 | Chapel Hill, N.C. | UNC | 135/7 |
| 5 | Roberts, Tiffany | M | 5-4 | 125 | 5/05/77 | San Ramon, Ca. | UNC | 67/6 |
| 6 | Chastain, Brandi | M | 5-7 | 130 | 7/21/68 | San Jose, Ca. | Santa Clara | 86/18 |
| 7 | Whalen, Sara | D | 5-5 | 130 | 4/28/76 | Greenlawn, N.Y. | UConn | 29/1 |
| 8 | MacMillan, Shannon | F | 5-5 | 130 | 10/7/74 | Escondido, Ca. | Portland | 70/16 |
| 9 | Hamm, Mia | F | 5-5 | 125 | 3/17/72 | Chapel Hill, N.C. | UNC | 164/104 |
| 10 | Akers, Michelle | M | 5-10 | 150 | 2/1/66 | Orlando, Fla. | UCF | 132/100 |
| 11 | Foudy, Julie | M | 5-6 | 130 | 1/23/71 | MV, Ca. | Stanford | 145/28 |
| 12 | Parlow, Cindy | F | 5-11 | 145 | 5/08/78 | Memphis, Tenn. | UNC | 46/18 |
| 13 | Lilly, Kristine | F | 5-4 | 130 | 7/22/71 | Wilton, Conn. | UNC | 170/67 |
| 14 | Fawcett, Joy | D | 5-5 | 130 | 2/8/68 | Hunt. Beach, Ca. | California | 133/18 |
| 16 | Milbrett, Tiffeny | F | 5-2 | 125 | 10/23/72 | Portland, Ore. | Portland | 109/51 |
| 17 | French, Michelle | D | 5-4 | 135 | 1/27/77 | Kent, Wash. | Portland | 3/0 |
| 20 | Sobrero, Kate | D | 5-9 | 140 | 8/23/76 | Bloomfield Hills, Mich. | UND | 18/0 |
| 22 | Fotopoulos, Danielle | F | 5-11 | 165 | 3/24/76 | Altamonte Sprgs, Fla. | Florida | 15/5 |
| 24 | Ducar, Tracy | G | 5-7 | 130 | 6/18/73 | N. Andover, Mass. | UNC | 22 |
| 25 | Wagner, Aly | M | 5-5 | 120 | 8/10/80 | San Jose, Ca. | Santa Clara | 3/0 |
| General Manager | Brian Fleming | Lake Mary, Fla. |
| Head Coach | Tony DiCicco | Wethersfield, Conn. |
| Asst. Coach | Lauren Gregg | Charlottesville, Va. |
| Team Administrator | Melissa Pilgrim | Lake Mary, Fla. |
| Trainer | Sue Hammond | Lake Mary, Fla. |
| Equipment Manager | Dainis Kalnins | Des Moines, Iowa |
| Massage Therapist | Clint Wynn | Gainesville, Fla. |
| Press Officer | Aaron Heifetz | West Los Angeles, Calif. |
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| Friday, March 26 | |
| 4:30 p.m. | USA Practice at Occidental College |
| Saturday, March 27 | |
| 1:00 p.m. | USA Practice at the Rose Bowl |
| 3:00 p.m. | Mexico Practice at the Rose Bowl |
| Sunday, March 28 | |
| 2:00 p.m. | USA vs. Mexico |
| Monday, March 29 | |
| 10:00 a.m. | USA Practice at TBD |
| 1:30 p.m. | Women's World Cup Promotional Event at the Rose Bowl |
| Tuesday, March 30 | |
| 11:00 a.m. | USA Practice at ARCO Olympic Training Center in San Diego |
| Wednesday, March 31 | |
| 2:00 p.m. | USA Scrimmage at ARCO Olympic Training Center in San Diego |
| 4:00 p.m. | USA Scrimmage at ARCO Olympic Training Center in San Diego |
