GAME RESULTS

U.S. "Junior" National Team beat Italy National Team 4-1 on Long Island, New York

Game report
All of the Italian danger came from striker Rita Guarino, who made sure U.S. goalkeeper Jenni Branam was awake with a quick shot in the 4th minute that was easily saved, and threatened the U.S. net throughout the game. Italy put on some early pressure as Branam fumbled a cross in the 13th minute, but no one was there to take advantage. The U.S. back line of Pearce, Nandi Pryce and captain Michelle French, did a fine job of nullifying Patrizia "The Scorpion" Panico, the leading scorer in the Italian Women's Serie A this past season.

After the early game nerves wore off, the U.S. team, starting four 19-year-olds, two 17-year olds, one 18-year old and one 20-year old, took over. In the 15th minute, Wagner found Welsh in the penalty box with short thread, but Welsh's shot was deflected for a corner kick. Soon after, Wagner chipped a free-kick over the Italian wall to Monroe. She beat the goalkeeper with her stabbed volley, but Marchio slid to clear it away.

The U.S. finally broke through in the 24th minute as Monroe stole the ball from an Italian defender inside the penalty box, pushed past a defender and passed to the charging Wagner, who shotinto the left corner for her fifth international goal. Wagner almost struck again three minutes later as her 25-yard dipping volley almost caught Italian goalkeeper Piattoli napping. U.S. goalkeeper Branam played a solid game in coming off her line to collect through balls as well as launching her usual 60-yard clearances, but she dropped another cross in the 40th minute when she tried to make a catch in busy goal mouth traffic. Guarino pounced on the bouncing ball but volleyed over the crossbar.

Italy tied the match just two minutes into the second half when Guarino and Branam came together to challenge a through ball at the top of the penalty box. Guarino got the better of the tackle as the ball popped free behind Branam, and she slotted it home into the empty net to tie the score.

The lead and the momentum was short lived as Cramer passed to Whalen in the left side of the penalty box who Whalen beat a defender and drove into the roof of the net from 15 yards giving USA the lead.

The Americans ran at Italy and put the game away with two goals in the last 15 minutes. Bush scored off a cross from French.

Quotes

Head Coach April Heinrichs
"I was very pleased for this team and with the great result for the young players. We had excellent possession and really created enough chances to score five or six goals. At times, we showed our naivetŽ, which can come back to hurt us, but the players will grow more sophisticated with more experience. It is difficult and frustrating for young players when they come into the national team environment, but I tell them that their development comes with the youth teams, and I think we saw some of that success tonight."

"Local" Sara Whalen
"This is really a break for a lot us. But to get the chance to come out and play in my hometown was awesome. The crowd was great and everyone played so well. I'm glad we could put on a good show for the fans."

Christie Welsh
"April has invested in the future and she is giving us young players a chance of a lifetime. It's our job to take advantage of that opportunity and I think everyone did tonight. We scored some great goals."

The majority of the U.S. squad will play for the Under-21 National Team at the Nordic Cup this summer in Germany.

U.S. National Team draws 0-0 against the defensive wall set up by Iceland

Game report
The USA first real chance of the game came as Jonsdottir knocked the ball off her own cross bar while attempting to clear a Hamm cross. In the 25th minute, Chastain skied to head a Hamm corner kick at net, but the ball was batted up in the air and then grabbed by Helgadottir. In the 27th minute, Helgadottir came up big again, making a kick save of a Welsh volley. The USA had a chance in the 33rd minute but Helgadottir knocked down Milbrett's shot with a sliding save. Milbrett peppered the Iceland net with eight shots during the match.

The USA attacked relentlessly in the second half but Chastain shot wide in the 53rd minute and Milbrett's chip from 23 yards in the 59th skimmed over the bar. In the 66th minute Milbrett's shot from eight yards out was pushed over the top. In the 76th minute, Joy Fawcett crossd to Milbrett but her header went straight to the keeper. In the 79th minute, Hamm shot wide left and Helgadottir denied Chastain on a last gasp effort.

Quotes

U.S. Head Coach Heinrichs
"Their goalkeeper made every save in the book, high, low, crosses, breakaways," said Heinrichs. "She was terrific, but not just their goalkeeper, every player really came out and played with pride on the Iceland team. The result today was 50 percent about Iceland's effort and 50 percent about that game of soccer that can be generous on some days and stingy on other days."

Chastain
"Iceland is not in the Olympics, but today was their Olympic Games. Sometimes you play a game and do all the right things and one player has a spectacular game and that was their goalkeeper tonight," added Chastain. "She made remarkable saves that she didn't make on Wednesday. That was the difference in this game. We played a good game and a lot of things we worked in practice this week came through on the field, but the end result wasn't a goal, and you have to score to win."

Residency Camp Begins April 17 in San Diego; Nike U.S. Women's Cup Kicks Off in Portland on May 5th.

U.S. beats an overmatched Iceland squad 8-0 with hattrick by Welsh

Game report

The two teams played an even match with no real chances until Wagner releasedParlow on a breakaway in the 23rd minute, but the U.S. forward touched her shot just outside the right post from 16 yards out. Milbrett replaced Parlow in the 31st minute and added an immediate spark to the U.S. attack, setting up two goals for Welsh in the last eight minutes of the first half. In the 37th minute, Milbrett penetrated through the Iceland defense and passed to Welsh, whose hard shot was blocked by a defender, but the ball rolled past wrong-footed goalkeeper Helgadottir into the goal.

In the 43rd minute, Milbrett received a pass off a short corner kick and crossed to Welsh, who redirected the ball into the net from six yards. Helgadottir saved a Welsh header in the 34th minute and tpunched a Kluegel shot away for a corner kick in the 36th.

The USA could have been down a goal in the 35th minute when former University of North Carolina Tar Heel star Ogmundsdottir got behind the U.S. defense and lifted ball over goalkeeper Hope Solo, but the ball bounced wide. The USA picked up where it left off in the second half and at the 53 minute mark Wagner hit a 30-yard shot into the upper right corner.. One minute later Pearce picked off a pass on the run and ran through the Iceland defense driving the ball under Helgadottir. Milbrett set up Welsh for her first career hat trick in the 69th minute, with a short through ball. Hamm and Lilly entered the game in the 70th minute and one minute later, Lilly's hard cross was pushed by the diving keeper straight to Hamm, who slammed it into the net from eight yards. Lillyone herself in the 77th minute hitting a long cross from an extremely sharp angle into the goal for her 83rd career goal. Pearce finished the scoring as she added her second goal in the 84th minutefrom a Slaton cross.

Post game quotes:

U.S. Head Coach April Heinrichs
"I'm very pleased with style with which they played and they really stepped up their competitiveness after halftime," said Heinrichs, whose team scored six second half goals. "Tentativeness and indecision will not help you in terms of confidence. If you want to get confidence and comfortable out there representing the U.S. Women's National Team, then compete. And I think that was the biggest difference in the second half. I told a few players at halftime that I don't care if you make mistakes, I want to know if you will compete for us for 90 minutes. And I think we learned a few things today."

Player Christy Welsh
"There are a lot of great young players out here and we all know that we have to try to improve every game," said Welsh. "In soccer, some days you are on and some days you can't pay for a goal. I just got really good service from Tiffeny today and was able to finish my chances."

Player Mia Hamm
"We still have a lot to prove," said Hamm. "Just because we've won Olympics and World Cups doesn't mean that we don't challenge ourselves every day. We feel that we have another level that we can reach and with all these young players there, is no doubt that we will get there."

USA trounces Brazil 6-0

Game report

A young and relatively inexperienced Brazilian squad were never really in in this game against an U.S. Team that was quicker, more organized and showing better soccer savvy. The absence of veteran players such as Prethina left big holes in the Brazilian play.

The best save of the match (and the only true scoring chance for Brazil) was made made by Webber, who started because Scurry was injured at practice, in the second half.

With Lilly seemingly involved in every play and goal, Milbrett being her usual brilliant, mercurial self, and Parlow showing the international presence that confirms the belief by many that she will be the same type of dominant force in women's soccer that Akers is at present, this match became another clinic presented by the reigning World Champions.

Other

The win gave Head Coach Tony DiCicco his 100th international victory, and ties a record for victories in a year for the USA, currently standing at 22-2-2 in 1999. 17-year-old Aleisha Cramer of Lakewood, Colo., played the final 24 minutes, to the delight of the hometown crowd .

The U.S. team takes three days off before traveling to Columbus, Ohio, where they will kick off the four-team, six-game NIKE U.S. Women's Cup '99 against South Korea in front of a sell-out crowd at Columbus Crew Stadium next Sunday, October 3 at 3:30 p.m. ET. The USA will finish the tourney against Brazil on Sunday, October 10, at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium in a match that will be televised live on espn2 at 1:00 p.m. ET

Quote

Head coach DiCicco:
"The 100th win was very special," said DiCicco, who got a Gatorade shower from the team at the end of the match and is the first coach in U.S. Soccer history to win 100 games. "It wasn't just a milestone for me, but for the U.S. Soccer Federation, the players and my family who have been with me and supported me through it all." and will likely decide the tournament champion.

U.S. Team returns to international soccer to beat a courageous Ireland team 5-0 in Boston

Quotes

Tony CiCicco
"I give a lot of credit to Ireland for playing an entertaining match," said U.S. Head Coach Tony DiCicco, who won his 99th match at the helm of the U.S. women. "I'm proud of our team, because while we might not have had as much to leave on the field as we did in the World Cup, everything we had, we gave. It showed the pride these players have and their professionalism every time they step on the field."

Comments

The U.S. was without the service of midfielder Michelle Akers, who is taking some time off before rejoining
team in January, while starting goalkeeper Briana Scurry had an appearance the she could not reschedule. Defender Lorrie Fair, who has begun her senior season at the University of North Carolina, was the third member of the World Cup Team not available for the match. DiCicco expects to have every member of his Women's World Cup team on the roster for the next game, except for Akers and Fair.

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