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The Tiffeny Milbrett column -- May 2000
In the months to come I hope to bring news and insight into the National Team as we prepare for the second Olympic women's soccer tournament fromSeptember 14-28, 2000. The team will travel Down Under to Australia and defend the gold medal it won in Atlanta in 1996.
If you would like to ask a question about me, soccer or my career, please click here http://www.aboutsoccer.com/tiffeed.htm As you can imagine I cannot answer every question, but I will do my best to answer as many as I can through this column.
Here I am in action for the US National TeamThe new U.S. Women's National Team Head Coach, April Heinrichs has named the 30 players that will start training for the Olympics. Fortunately I have been chosen as one of them. We started residency camp on April 17th for about five weeks of training, but only 18 players will be chosen for the 2000 Olympic roster.
I would like to take this opportunity to send best wishes for a speedy recovery to my team mate Michelle Akers. You may have heard she recently underwent successful surgery to repair damage from a dislocation to her right shoulder suffered after colliding with a goalkeeper during a training match. We look forward to her joining us at camp as soon as she can. Good luck Mich!
A shot of me with good friend, Michelle Akers. She's the one with all the hair, that's why her nickname is "Mufasa". This was taken in Boston before the National Team played N. Korea.The residency camp roster features 15 players from the 1999 Women's World Cup Championship team. Some newer faces to keep an eye on include 17-year-old Nandi Pryce who made her debut with the USA at the Australia Cup in January, and former Under-21 captain Michelle French, who was a part of the Women's World Cup residency camp last year. Look for 19-year-old left-sided defender Danielle Slaton, who proved a solid option at outside fullback by playing well in all four Algarve Cup matches.
Others include the left-footed Jena Kluegel, who made her debut in February against Norway, midfielder Aly Wagner, one of the most experienced of the young players with 11 caps, a member of the Women's World Cupresidency camp and one of the final cuts from the 1999 Women's World Cup Team.
Three other 17-year-olds in residency camp are Aleisha Cramer, and Sara Randolph and Veronica Zepeda. Veronica, a highly skilled attacking midfielder, scored her first ever goal during the Australia Cup in January. At striker, 17-year-old Alyssa Ramsey, 18-year old Christy Welsh and 19 year Susan Bush (the youngest of the 1999 Women's World Cup residency camp players and now a veteran amongst the youth), will vie for minutes on a U.S. forward line that has been one of the world's most potent for years.
Siri Mullinix, a member of the Women's World Cup residency camp who had a stellar match in helping the USA to the Algarve Cup title earlier this month will be joined by a pair of powerful young goalkeepers in Jen Branam and Hope Solo, both veterans of the USA's youth national teams.
That's a lot of tough competition for me. Meghan Bourne of Hollidaysburg, PA asked if playing on the U.S. Women's Team is worth all the time and hard work put into soccer throughout my life. Hey, I feel lucky to call the National Team, my job! I get to play the sport I love for a living, day in and day out. If that's not worth all the time and hard work (not to mention the Olympic Gold Medal, and the World Cup Championship) then I don't know what is.
I'm going to have fun on the field or on the sidelines. Have I been eating licorice?Shannon Ruecker, of San Diego, California, wanted to know when I first fell in love with soccer. I started playing when I was 5, and fell in love right away. My Mom played before me, and I would go to her practices and matches to watch from the sidelines. I just couldn't wait until I was on a team of my own. Once I was, it was pure bliss!
My Mom, Elsie, back in her playing days.
I used to watch her play when I was 5 in Portland
