WSW USA National Team News

November 22, 2002

Reigning World Champion U.S. U-19 Team Head Coach scouting young players for 2004

U.S. U-19 Head Coach Tracey Leone will be in Boca Raton, Florida from November 23-30 evaluating U-15, U-15, U-16 and U-17 Regional teams at the ODP Inter-Regional Tournament. Also taking part will be the new U.S. U-17 National Team and the Scotland U-17 National Team. Regional teams will play three games.

Head Coach Leone will use the tournament to help her choose a pool of players to form the group that will defend their title at the next FIFA World U-19 Championship in 2004.

The site for the next U-19 FIFA World Championship has not been chosen. Belarus, Thailand and India have already expressed interest.

Heather O²Reilly, Kerri Hanks, Angela Woznuk, Rachel Buehler and goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris born in 1985 (cutoff date for the next U-19 World Championship team) made the 2002 squad, and are eligible to play in the next World Championship.

Head Coach Tracey Leone comments

I am really looking forward to another beginning. We are fortunate that former U-16 National Team Coach Steve Swanson has trained many of these players for two years, so they are coming in with national team experience. I have followed these age groups for the last several years and there are many talented and exciting players. I am sure there will be many new players on the horizon as well. This is just the first look in an ever-changing pool. We are very fortunate to have those five players as a wonderful foundation for the next team. That is obviously a very talented group to start with. We had numerous 1985¹s in our training camps over the last two years and the vertical integration we have achieved with our youth women¹s national teams has been remarkable.

This is a great opportunity for all of these young women to get a chance to work their way into the picture for the U-19 team, but also to make the U-16 and U-17 national teams. U.S. Soccer has done a tremendous job of creating opportunities for these girls to compete against the best players in the country and the world. It is a great time for these players. There is opportunity all over the place. At this event, I shall speak to the players about the last World Cup and the next World Cup. Everyone at this event will have the chance to compete for a place on a World Cup roster.