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NBC
Olympic Soccer TV broadcast schedule
*
indicates NBC will have soccer coverage of match during regular
Olympic coverage (All broadcast times are subject to change)
First Round
September
14 USA vs. Norway
MSNBC 3:30 a.m.Local Time_ Delay 6:30-9 p.m.ET.
17 USA vs. China
MSNBC 3:30 a.m.LT. _ 9-11:30 a.m.ET
20 USA vs. Nigeria
MSNBC 3:30 a.m. LT._10 a.m.-5 p.m.*ET
Semi-finals
September 24
NBC 3:30 a.m.Local Time _10 a.m.-6 p.m.*ET.
CNBC 3:30 a.m. Local Time _4-9 p.m.*ET
Final
September 28
MSNBC 6 a.m. 10 a.m.-5 p.m.*
NBCOlympics.com
)
More
news from the U.S. Team down under
Friday, Sept. 22, 2000
USA Moves to Canberra for semi-final
After spending 16
wonderful and highly productive (although often chilly) days in Melbourne,
the U.S. women traveled to Canberra yesterday to prepare for their Olympic
semifinal match against Brazil on Sunday, Sept. 24 at Bruce Stadium. The
Americans left their home away from home, the Melbourne Hilton on the
Park, at midday and boarded the short one-hour flight to Canberra, arriving
in the early afternoon. After enduring some stomach-turning turbulence
during the descent (which caused one passenger to lose her lunch), the
Americans touched down with a hard thump in the city where they spent
one of the coldest weeks of their lives preparing for the opening match
of the inaugural Pacific Cup at the end of last May. The U.S. women endured
sub-freezing temperatures, and three significant snowfalls, while conducting
training in full sweats, hats and gloves. The U.S. players stayed in a
hotel "lodge" where the doors opened to the outside, making frostbite
a possibility during each trip to the meal room or the training room.
The sleeping rooms were so cold that the American players had to stuff
towels at the bottoms of the doors to keep the chill out. Needless to
say, the U.S. players were pleased (and relieved) to arrive in Australia's
capital territory under on a sparkling day that featured blue skies and
warm sunshine. The USA was also pleased to see that the team hotel, like
in Melbourne, was located next to a beautiful green park. The USA was
scheduled to train in the afternoon upon arrival in Canberra, but with
the team still feeling the effects of a physical game with Nigeria, U.S.
head coach April Heinrichs opted to lead the team through a short swimming
pool workout instead. The U.S. players were also happy to find a Mexican
restaurant close by the hotel, getting a taste of home with some quality
guacamole dip as well as chips and salsa.
Go.. Jenny.... Go...
Following the USA's
3-1 victory over Nigeria on Wednesday, the U.S. players and families attended
a post-game reception the U.S. Consulate in Melbourne. During the party,
the women's 4 x 200 meter freestyle relay was contested on television
as the U.S. players gathered around to cheer on their swimming teammates
Samantha Arsenault, Diana Munz, Lindsay Benko and Jenny Thomspon. With
Thompson swimming the anchor leg, a room full of screaming, stomping and
clapping soccer players erupted as Thompson touched the wall first, less
than a second ahead of the Australians, sparking a raucous celebration
as joyous as any post-goal dog pile. Go USA.
Backing the boysŠ
The entire U.S. Women's
National Team attended the U.S. men's historic victory over Kuwait at
the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sept. 19, enduring some cold weather and
heavy showers to cheer on their counterparts. After much sunflower seed
chomping, "USA" chanting and several groans prompted by U.S. near misses,
the American women were treated to goals by Danny Califf and Chris Albright,
allowing them to return to the hotel for a team meeting knowing that the
boys had the match in hand. The U.S. women missed a late goal from Kuwait
and a clincher from young Landon Donovan, but several of the players were
in the lobby of the team hotel to greet the only American men's team ever
to advance to the second round of the Olympics, meaning that the UNITED
STATES OF AMERICA was the only country in the Olympic soccer competition
to have both the men's and women's teams win their group.
I will have two fillingsŠ
Upon arrival at the
team hotel in Canberra, the U.S. players were pleased to find an extremely
comfortable player lounge with a large television, perfect for one of
the USA's main pastimes during the Olympics, watching movies. After an
evening screening of "Waking Ned Devine," the U.S. players, led by co-captain
Julie Foudy, decided if any of them ever won the lottery, that they would
share the money with all their teammates. There was no word if the team
press officer would be included in the winnings.
Foudy makes U.S. Team an offer they can't refuseŠ
With a large chunk
of time to kill today, and no training on the 23rd, at the behest of Julie
Foudy, the U.S. players scheduled a screening of Francis Ford Coppola's
two-hour 42-minute mafia classic, "The Godfather." Some players actually
did refuse the offer and spent a couple hours enjoying the sunshine by
the pool, reading, playing backgammon and listening to music. The USA's
only college student, Danielle Slaton, spent the time studying as classes
at Santa Clara University started this week.
USA bids bittersweet farewell to China
The USA arrived in
Canberra to find China still at the hotel. Eliminated by Norway the night
before, a sullen Chinese team boarded the team bus as they left a world
championship tournament before the semi-final stage for the first time
since the 1991 Women's World Cup, ironically held in China. Intertwined
in women's soccer history, the USA and China share a mutual respect for
each other that crosses over vastly different cultures and languages,
making it all the more unique. Like the U.S. team, China has several of
the world's greatest players who were participating in what was probably
their last world championship tournament. That unspoken respect, and it
must be unspoken as very few of the Chinese players speak even a little
English and no U.S. players speak a word of Mandarin, was always evident
even as the teams went to war over the past decade. Legendary Chinese
goalkeeper and long-time U.S. nemesis Gao Hong, who did not even start
playing soccer until late into her teens, but went onto to play so many
spectacular games for her country. She was in goal for the 1996 Olympic
Final and historic 1999 Women's World Cup Final, and played perhaps one
of the finest games of her career against the USA on Sept. 17 in the first
round. The U.S. team was leaving for its afternoon pool workout as China
boarded its bus, when Gao spotted U.S. forward Tiffeny Milbrett, who scored
the winning goal against her in the 1996 Olympic Final. Gao got off the
bus and came towards Milbrett. The two players hugged, then China headed
back to Bejing and Milbrett headed to the pool.
Said Milbrett
"I didn't know China
was going to be here today. When their bus was almost ready to depart,
I was standing outside waving, and I made eye contact with Gao. She actually
made her way out of the bus and came up and gave me a hug. It was just
so hard. Looking into her eyes, she was fighting back tears. It made me
really emotional. I was tearing up - I'm tearing up now. For me, sporting
aspect aside, I feel really bad for them, because they are truly an incredible
team and a team that was capable of winning the gold medal."
Earlier in the afternoon,
as several members of the U.S. staff left the meal area, Gao, who was
sitting quietly eating lunch with a teammate, rose to shake the hand of
U.S. head coach April Heinrichs, saying but five words of English: "Good
luck USA, good luck."
Need a goalkeeperŠCome to the USA
Before the Olympics
started, U.S. goalkeeper coach David Vanole held a brief training session
for four field players to determine an emergency goalkeeper if the situation
should present itself during the tournament. Mia Hamm, Cindy Parlow, Shannon
MacMillan and Nikki Serlenga all pulled on goalie gloves and took some
shots and crosses. All four enjoyed rolling around in the goalmouth but
each showed a hidden talent between the pipes. The 5-foot 11 Parlow showed
the soft hands which made her a post-player of note on the basketball
court in Memphis, Tenn. before giving up hoops for soccer while Hamm showed
the athletic ability that was on display with Michael Jordan during her
famous commercial. Serlenga and MacMillan both showed extraordinary technique
for field players, stretching to snag several shots and crosses.
Gift from the kit man
Before the first game
of the Olympics, as the U.S. players came into the team equipment room
to pick up their game jerseys, they found that U.S. Women's National Team
equipment manager Dainis Kalnins had placed five roses on each of the
uniforms -- one yellow, one green, one red, one black and one blue --
to signify the colors of the Olympic rings. No word on if Kalnins spray-painted
the black and green roses himself.
Injury report
While several players
had scrapes and bruises from the Nigeria game, all players are healthy
and available for the USA's Olympic semifinal match against Brazil on
Sunday, Sept. 24. Tiffeny Milbrett, the victim of a cleat to the chest
from Nigerian goalkeeper Anne Chiejine, luckily deflected the blow with
her arm, but suffered cuts and contusions on her right wrist, and several
swollen fingers, none of which will effect her status for Sunday night's
match. Milbrett admitted experiencing pain the likes of which she has
rarely felt, but rose off the turf to finish the game.
Little known fact
U.S. defender Michelle
French, who made the Olympic Team after the retirement of Michelle Akers,
found out that she had been promoted to the roster from the alternate
list via a cell phone call from April Heinrichs that she took in the parking
lot of a Thai restaurant in Portland, Ore.
Stat of note
With her goal against
Norway in the opening match of the Olympics, U.S. midfielder Julie Foudy
passed her coach April Heinrichs on the U.S. all-time scoring list with
38 goals to Heinrich's 37. It only took Foudy 146 more games than Heinrichs
to accomplish the feat.
Quote of the week
Verbatim conversation
between U.S. midfielder Kristine Lilly and teammate Julie Foudy after
watching "Waking Ned Devine" in which a man wins $5,000,000 in the lottery
and shares it with his Irish village:
Foudy (caught up
in the emotion of the movie as the credits rolled): "Hey, if the team
ever wins the lottery, we should all split the money!"
Lilly (laughing): "Maybe YOU would...."
Foudy in her best Godfather Don Corleone accent: "Okay, we're going to
the mattressŠ"
Lilly, who was born in New York City, in her best Michael Corleone accent:
"Hey Foudy, it's just business, it's not personal."
Staff break
With a free morning,
several members of the staff and defender Lorrie fair took a short trip
to the Canberra National Aquarium and Wildlife Park. The staff fed free-range
Emus, and saw numerous Australia native animals, including Wallabies,
Wombats, Kookaburras, Koala Bears and Kangaroos, re igniting a debate
that started during the USA's last trip to Australia in June as to whether
U.S. Women's National Team goalkeeper coach David Vanole could defeat
a Kangaroo in a boxing match as he so claims. The consensus among the
staff was that while 210-pound Vanole could probably take an Eastern Gray
Kangaroo on pure punching power, that he doesn't have the quickness, stamina
or technique to go the distance with a larger and more aggressive Red
Kangaroo and would likely suffer a TKO no later than the sixth round.
U.S. Olympic Team Training Schedule
Following is the USA's
training schedule in Canberra in preparation for the Olympic semifinal.
Should the USA advance to the gold medal game, the training times and
sites for the days following will be made available as soon as they are
finalized.
Friday, Sept. 22
5:00 p.m. Training at Greenway Oval
Sunday, Sept. 24
5:30 p.m. USA vs. Brazil - Bruce Stadium
REWIND
Quotes from the U.S. head coach April Heinrichs and Players
April Heinrichs
On the difficulty of playing Nigeria
"The style that they
play can be unsettling to anybody... From the bench, it seemed like we
had time and space to possess the ball better, but none of us on the bench
are under the pressure of having our legs ripped off at any moment. That
pressure is real and it's unnerving to play against that."
On Brazil
"With their technical
ability, their speed all over the field and their individual defending
ability, Brazil is a very difficult team for us to play against. I can
tell you that our team has the utmost respect for Brazil."
On the growth of Nigerian soccer
"My assumption is
that with very little funding that Nigeria has accelerated in their growth.
I can only imagine that if their Federation put the same support that
we get from our Federation, that they could be one of the most frightening
teams. With a little funding and organization and a lot of opportunities
to play, they could be an amazing team."
On China's elimination from the Olympics
"China is an awesome
team and I am standing on the shore watching their plane take off and
giving them a little wave thanking God it's them getting on the plane
and not us."
On USA'S defense against Nigeria
"Our defense, they
put their bodies on the line. They stepped up and made tackles, they headed
the ball, slide through tackles and did everything they absolutely could
tonight. But give Nigeria their due, they are a good team and they scored
one goal against three of the best teams in the world."
Tiffeny Milbrett
Talking about her collision with the Nigerian goalkeeper
"It was a great ball
from Mac (Shannon MacMillan) that sent me through. It was bouncing and
I saw the goalkeeper coming out. I thought I could get a toe on it and
just get it over her or by her. But as I was getting my toe up, all of
a sudden I saw her cleats coming. All I could do was brace myself for
the impact. I put my right arm across my chest and it got the impact from
her cleats. My arm just went numb. (The marks on her arm) are from her
karate chop cleats. It's not broken, it's just a massive impact bruise.
When you've been playing the game this long and get a hit like that, it
was fairly traumatic, I'd have to say.
On the USA'S first round
"The toll that these
three games have taken has been incredible. You can always say that you
are preparing yourselves for Olympics matches, but there is no way you
can completely prepare because they are so intense and you have all the
nerves that you don't have in friendly matches so that drains you that
much more.
On Brazil
"All three games with
Brazil this year have been very intense. Definitely the Gold Cup was very
intense. That's the best I've seen Brazil play. They really poured it
on. I remember having to be very alert and at the top of your game mentally.
They possess the ball well and have a good team shape. It's really a battle
playing them."
More news from the U.S. in Ozydom Tuesday
September 19, 2000
USA
focused for final group match against Nigeria
While the 1-1 draw against China put the USA in good position to advance
to the semifinals, the consensus emotion among the U.S. players was one
of disappointment for letting a win slip away. Still, the experienced
U.S. team quickly put that disappointment behind them and began focusing
on the final group match against the always-dangerous Nigerians. The U.S.
women trained on Monday, Sept. 18, at Olympic park in a light afternoon
session that featured soccer tennis, finishing drills and a few set-plays.
U.S. head coach April Heinrichs gave her team the day off today (outside
of the standard player-coach individual meetings) as most of the players
took time to catch up with family members, while re-energizing for the
match tomorrow against the Africans, knowing a win guarantees advancement.
Backing the boysŠ(won by the USA 3-1)
The entire U.S. Women's National Team will attend the men's match tonight
between the USA and Kuwait at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, with the U.S.
needing a win to advance. The U.S. men's team arrived at the team hotel
on Sept. 17th, grabbed a quick meal and went to watch the USA's clash
with China. The U.S. women were happy to see some American athletes, as
outside of the Opening Ceremonies, they have had no contact with other
members of the U.S. Olympic Team here in Melbourne. While there is no
doubt a generation gap between the older U.S. women's players and the
U-23 men's team, many members of both teams know each other from the soccer
scene in the United States, and the teams have mingled in the game room,
with midfielder Nikki Serlenga and goalkeeper Brad Friedel forming a particularly
lethal combination at the fussball table. U.S. men's head coach Clive
Charles had a reunion of sorts with U.S. players Tiffeny Milbrett, Shannon
MacMillan and Michelle French, all of whom played for Charles at the University
of Portland. Brandi Chastain spent some time getting all members of both
the men's and women's Olympics teams to sign an Olympic poster. Kate Sobrero
was seen on the car race video game challenging a U.S. men's player as
a gallery of his teammates looked on. Shannon MacMillan played a mean
game of pinball with team men's captain Brian Dunseth.
Chatting with the stars
Two U.S. players did
Internet chat sessions on consecutive days as forward Tiffeny Milbrett
chatted with fans on www.Olympics.com on Monday, Sept. 18, and midfielder
Lorrie Fair got online with www.NBCOlympics.com on Tuesday, Sept. 19.
The players touched on subjects such as the retirement of Michelle Akers,
the talents of the Chinese, their experiences so far in Australia and
the challenge ahead to win gold.
FIrst daughter stops byŠ
Chelsea Clinton and
the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Donna Shalala, a long-time
fan of the U.S. women's team, both stopped by the locker room after the
match against China. The U.S. players had spent some quality time with
Chelsea as special guests of First Lady Hillary Clinton during their ride
on Air Force 3 from Washington, D.C. to Cape Canaveral to watch the shuttle
launch after the Women's World Cup. The always-charming first daughter
shared smiles and hugs with the U.S. players, especially team co captain
Julie Foudy, who graduated from Stanford University where Chelsea is currently
matriculating. The U.S. players burned through several roles of film taking
pictures with Chelsea. Secretary Shalala, one of the main proponents of
the SmokeFree Kids program that numerous U.S. players have been involved
with for several years, was a fan of the U.S. team long before it burst
into the national spotlight after winning the '99 WWC.
Where's the red, white and blue?
Echoing a sentiment
often heard inside the United States by fans of other countries, the U.S.
players have been getting a taste of the nationalistic television coverage
here in Australia and have been a bit disappointed with not being able
to follow their U.S. Olympic teammates on TV. That however, has not stopped
them from watching hours of Olympic coverage, which according to a few
players, has included a bit too much equestrian and cycling.
Olympic moments
The lack of American
athletes on TV has left the U.S. players with a dearth of favorite Olympic
moments, but there have been highlights.
Said Shannon MacMillan:
"My favorite moment so far was when Cathy Freeman stood in the middle
of the pool of water and lit the Olympic flame. It gave me chills."
Said Lorrie Fair:
"Those trap shooters are talented, but I can't watch 25 rounds of it.
The most fun was sitting and watching all the athletes march into the
Olympic Stadium at the Opening Ceremonies as we were one of the last to
go in."
Said U.S. asst.
Coach David Vanole: "I've been editing some much darn game video tape,
I haven't had time to watch any of the events."
Said Nikki Serlenga:
"My highlights were taking pictures with Marion Jones and (Kentucky basketball
coach) Tubby Smith at the Opening Ceremonies. They were both so nice."
Whale watching
in Melbourne
Lorrie Fair, Kate Sobrero and their families decided to spend part of
Tuesday afternoon at the local IMAX Theatre taking in the movie "Whales."
Unfortunately, the film, which did not even have any narration, did not
live up to expectations. Said Fair: "All whales really do is swim, breach
(break the surface), blow air out of their blow holes, eat, mate and get
attacked. Well, because the movie was rated "G" we didn't get to see any
of the good stuff - eating, mating or getting attacked by giant squids,
sharks or maybe some other whales. So it was basically an hour of whales
swimming and breaching, swimming, breaching, blowing some air and some
more swimming. It was nice to look at for a few minutes, but then I nodded
off a couple times. We're looking forward to seeing "Africa."
An island of stars
and stripes in a sea of red
The parents, friends and families of the U.S. team found themselves smack
in the middle of a vast sea of Chinese fans in the third deck of the Melbourne
Cricket Ground during the game against China. Even with the most electronically-advanced
voice amplification equipment, the group of about 70 fans would have had
no chance of drowning out the fanatic, flag-waving Chinese, who came out
by the thousands to support their women's soccer team.
Injury report
All players are healthy and available for the USA's match against Nigeria
on Wednesday, Sept. 20.
Little known fact
Both Julie Foudy (Stanford) and Joy Fawcett (UC Berkeley) did not receive
any scholarship money when they committed to attend those colleges. Fawcett
had to pay money out of her own pocket for road trips with the Golden
Bears.
Quote of the week
U.S. substitute midfielder Nikki Serlenga was startled to find out that
one of the most famous members of the U.S. Olympic Team knew her name:
Nikki Serlenga to U.S. sprinter Marion Jones at the Opening Ceremonies:
"Marion, is it all right if I take a picture with you? I play on the soccer
teamŠ"
Marion Jones: "Yeah, Serlenga. I know who you are. We cheer for you when
you go into the game."
U.S. Olympic Team training schedule
If the U.S. Olympic Women's Soccer Team advances first in its group, the
Americans will go to Canberra for the semifinal. If the USA takes second,
it will travel to Sydney for the semifinal. While the Americans will know
the order of finish in the other group by tonight, the results of the
Wednesday games will determine the schedule for the next four days. The
training times and sites for the days following will be made available
as soon as they are finalized.
Rewind - some quotes from the U.S. players and coaches
U.S. Head Coach April Heinrichs
On her team's focus
for Nigeria
"No chance this
team thinks a draw will be enough. This team is going to go after Nigeria.
In our opinion, this is now like the quarterfinals of the Olympics, so
we're going to go after Nigeria with all we've got."
On her substituting
Cindy Parlow for Brandi Chastain against China
"You can't pack
it in against China or you will get abused seriously. Our thinking was
that Cindy Parlow is a marvelous player with some great qualities and
you could see that in her 25 minutes she had two great chances for herself
and some for her teammates. Getting Cindy in there is like getting another
starter on the field and it allowed us to put pressure on China with three
up top."
Kristine Lilly
On keeping her eye on the big picture after a frustrating tie with China
"We got a point and we have to remember that."
Mia Hamm
On the USA's focus on Nigeria and nothing beyond
"If we can get three points against Nigeria, we'll ensure ourselves of
advancement so that's our focus right now. We can't even begin to look
past Nigeria, and if we do, we're going to struggle.
Nikki Serlenga
After the China match
"We're disappointed. We have this saying on our team: wholesome discontent.
We're not really satisfied with anything, but that's what makes us such
a good team. I mean, 1-1 in not a terrible result against this team. But
we expect better from ourselves. People are a little frustrated."
On Sun Wen and her
goal
"I had heard about her free-kick expertise, but I'd never seen in first-hand.
We were warming up behind the goal when it happened, so I had a perfect
view of it. It was unreal. Siri couldn't have done anything more. She
put it within a inch of the crossbar and an inch of the post. It was unreal."
Lots more of those notes from the U.S. down under
September 16, 2000
U.S. Women return from opening ceremonies with rave reviews
With images of a tremendous
opening game victory still fresh in their minds, the U.S. Olympic Women's
Soccer team awoke on the morning of Friday, September 15th., had a light
breakfast, and then embarked on a short jog and stretch in the park next
to the team hotel. The squad departed for Opening Ceremonies in Sydney
at about 10:45 a.m., marched in front of more than 100,000 people at Olympic
Stadium, then spent the night at the Olympic Village. The team caught
a late morning flight on September 16th out of Sydney back to Melbourne
and arrived at the team hotel about 2:45 p.m. The team ate lunch, and
several players did interviews with the media before getting a free afternoon
to relax.
"Can I take a picture with youŠ?"
The U.S. team thoroughly
enjoyed their experience at the Opening Ceremonies, the march and the
spectacular torch lighting, but mostly mixing with the other athletes
on the U.S. Olympic Team, while waiting for the buses from the Olympic
Village to the staging area as well as inside the SuperDome before the
athlete's march began. The women's soccer players were in high demand
for photographs with the other athletes, and U.S. players Julie Foudy
and Mia Hamm traded hats with several Uruguayan athletes after the Olympic
flame had been lit. Said Foudy: "My teammates were jealous. They thought
I worked some kind of deal with the Uruguayans, but he came up to me.
He wanted my hat." The U.S. team bonded with tennis players Lindsay Davenport
and Monica Seles while waiting for the buses and also chatted with men's
tennis players Alex O'Brien, Todd Martin and Michael Chang. The U.S. soccer
players also had a reunion of sorts with the women's basketball team and
softball teams, all of which won gold medals in Atlanta in 1996, and entered
the stadium singing with the women's hoopsters. Foudy chatted with fellow
Stanford alumni Jenny Thompson as well as her U.S. Swimming teammate Dana
Torres. While waiting to march into Olympic Stadium, U.S. co-captains
Carla Overbeck and Julie Foudy took pictures with the small delegation
of athletes from Vietnam, who entered the stadium right in front of the
United States. U.S. defender Michelle French got her picture take with
several members of the men's basketball Dream Team, including Jason Kidd,
Vince Carter, Alan Houston and Steve Smith, but admitted being too shy
to ask Kevin Garnett, even though he walked by her twice. Lorrie Fair
and Cindy Parlow spent some time chatting with fellow North Carolina Tar
Heel Vince Carter. Parlow and Carter took three semesters of Swahili together
at UNC. Several players got the chance to hang with Australian flag bearer
and Aussie legend Andrew Gaze, as the teams were gathered on the field
of Olympic Stadium. Lorrie Fair and Nikki Serlenga got their picture taken
with Australia tennis heartthrob Patrick Rafter. The only mishap of an
otherwise spectacular evening for the U.S. women's soccer players occurred
when Mia Hamm dropped her camcorder in some "water," rendering the camera
unusable for the opening ceremonies.
More than 50,000 fans expected at "the G" for USA-CHINA clash
Yet more evidence
of the impact that the 1999 Women's World Cup Final had on women's soccer
around the world is the crowd that is expected for the USA-China clash
at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Highlighted as one of the marquee matches
of the Olympic women's tournament, tickets for the doubleheader featuring
USA-China and the Spain-Chile men's match are selling at a rate equal
to the men's semifinal that will be held at the MCG. With the sun (finally)
shining brightly on Melbourne, the crowd may reach as many as 70,000 and
should surely break the 60,000 mark, making it one of the top-10 largest
crowds to watch the U.S. women in their history. A crowd of more than
65,000 will be the largest ever to watch the American women outside of
the United States, breaking the mark set on Nov. 30, 1991, at the Women's
World Cup Final in Guangzhou, China.
On your marksŠ.
Perhaps the most famous
female U.S. Olympian, Marion Jones, visited the U.S. women at the MCG
following the victory over Norway. Jones and her husband, C.J. Hunter,
posed for seemingly hundreds of photos with the soccer players, as both
Marion and the U.S. players wished each other the best in their quests
for gold. A former Tar Heel herself, Jones posed with the North Carolina
women's soccer alumni, as well as for team and individual photos, as flash
bulbs popped for several minutes.
China arrives in Melbourne
After a convincing
3-1 victory over Nigeria in Canberra in their first game of the Olympics,
China arrived in Melbourne on Friday to prepare for yet another historic
class with the USA. Two goals from 1999 Women's World Cup MVP Sun Wen
proved she had recovered from a serious knee injury and is ready to lead
some of the world's greatest players against the USA, including midfielder
Liu Ailing, flank midfielder Zhao Lihong, defender Fan Yunjie and goalkeeper
Goa Hong. Amazingly, China started the exact same 11 players against Nigeria
that started against the USA in the 1999 Women's World Cup Final. If U.S.
head coach April Heinrichs goes with the same lineup that started against
Norway, the USA will be fielding seven players who started the Women's
World Cup Final.
Injury report
Outside of a few
bangs and bruises that always result from any USA-Norway match, all players
are healthy and available for the USA's match against China on Sunday,
Sept. 17.
Quote of the week
At the opening ceremonies,
Brandi Chastain spoke with USA Baseball Manager and Los Angeles Dodgers
legend Tommy Lasorda:
Chastain: "When is your first game?"
Lasorda: "In a few days, but my boys have a weight problem."
Chastain: (Confused) "A weight problem?"
Lasorda: (roaring with laughter). "Yeah, they can't wait to play!!"
Quotes from
U.S. head coach April Heinrichs today before the USA-China Match:
On China:
"China is a team that
is remarkably skilled on an individual basis. Collectively, they are well
organized defensively, and I'm guessing they may start the same lineup
as they did last summer at the Women's World Cup. And that's one of their
strengthsŠthat they have the same players."
On Chinese star Sun Wen, who played against the USA in the Pacific
Cup but missed the match in Germany due to injury
"Without Sun Wen,
they tend to play a little bit longer balls, a little more direct. With
her, they play more possession more to feet and allow her to be a personality
player for them."
U.S. co-captain Julie Foudy
On mixing with the other American athletes prior to departing for Opening
Ceremonies
"There is a period when we were all waiting for the buses in the village
and all the Americans were walking around in the street. In '96, it was
like 'who's that? Who's that?" but this year it was like a reunion. We
got to know so many more of the athletes after the Olympics, so it was
great to see everyone again. The swimmers, the basketball players, the
softball players, everyone."
On the cost-benefit of attending the Opening Ceremonies
"Being the United States, we are one of the last to enter the stadium,
so we sat there waiting in the SuperDome for three hours. One of the things
that we talked about as a team was that if we were going to go, we made
an oath that we had to be professional about resting and sitting down.
There's a tendency to want to wander around and meet people, but the team
was real good in making sure we were off our feet. It wasn't so bad at
all and I think we gained so much emotionally by being involved. There
is such a great sense of camaraderie and that's what I love about the
Olympics. You are walking together and cheering each other on. There's
nothing like it. I'm so glad we went."
On getting a taste of the Olympic atmosphere in Sydney
"Here in Melbourne, we're not around any other Americans athletes. But
in Sydney, everyone was coming up to us and telling us they watched the
Norway game and giving us congratulations. It was a great feeling."
On China's motivation for this match after losing in the '96 Olympic
Final and '99 Women's World Cup Final
"There's a lot of motivation for the them for sure. You can see it even
more this year after World Cup. They probably had a few lectures on the
physical side of the game, which we traditionally have dominated. They
are just a different team now, physically. They are scrapping and fighting
for balls and playing more of a Norwegian combative style. They will be
very motivated, like ourselves, so it will be a great battle."`
U.S.
Olympic Team. More notes from Down Under Wednesday Sept. 13, 2000
Olympic soccer set to begin under blue skies
The U.S. women's
team were in the stands to watch part of the nightcap of the doubleheader
at the Melbourne Cricket Ground as the host Olyroos took on Italy in front
of 93,000 fans. The USA had the day off from training today after conducting
light, but intense sessions the past two days. They worked on fine-tuning
some set plays, some finishing and some functional training, but all are
anxious to play someone other than their teammates. Yesterday's training
at the Anderson Oval at the Port Melbourne Soccer Club was the first at
which the plays could discard their sweats and beanies as the temperature
climbed into the low 60s, perhaps a preview of the clear and crisp day
to follow.
Hotel Cineplex
With the cold weather, and an emphasis on rest and relaxation over shopping
and sightseeing, the U.S. players have watched many, many movies on the
VCR in the player's lounge over the past week. Some of the favorite selections:
Gladiator, Seven, American Pie, Usual Suspects, Face Off, Arlington Road,
Three Kings, Life is Beautiful, American History X, Matrix and The American
President. Some reviews:
On American History
X:
"A disturbing topic, but very well acted."
Brandi Chastain - Defender, U.S. Women's Olympic Soccer Team
On Arlington Road:
"UnpredictableŠeerieŠa roller-coaster ride."
Mia Hamm - Forward, U.S. Women's Olympic Soccer Team
On Gladiator:
"IntenseŠGreat fight scenes."
Carla Overbeck - Defender, U.S. Women's Olympic Soccer Team
Friends and family
arrive
The family and friends of the U.S. Olympic Women's Soccer Team players
arrived in Melbourne on Tuesday and Wednesday, an 80-strong contingent
sure to make their share of noise in the mammoth MCG. Many of the players
spent several hours in the afternoon with their families strolling the
streets of Melbourne or sitting and chatting in the hotel lobby.
Pearces' Make it through customs
The parents of U.S. defender Christie Pearce, making their first trip
outside the United States, arrived in Australia without visas on Monday,
unaware that they needed them to gain admission into Australia. After
some confusion at the airport, the Pearce's were granted electronic visas
and their airline was fined $15,000, five grand each for her mom, dad
and brother, for letting them board the plane in Newark, N.J. without
visas.
Swami Brandi
Many of the U.S. players have been doing daily yoga sessions to videotapes
that Brandi Chastain brought to Australia at the request of Kate Sobrero.
During the last 20-minutes sessions, at which as many as half the team
and a few staff members have taken part, the U.S. players work on stretching,
relaxation and breathing techniques.
MJ at the MCG
Perhaps the most famous female U.S. Olympian, Marion Jones, is in Melbourne
preparing for her assault on five gold medals when the track and field
competition begins next week, and may take in the U.S. women's game vs.
Norway on Thursday. There is no truth to the rumor that the Americans
would suit up Marion and try to flight a few long balls over the top of
the Norwegian defense for her to run on to.
U.S. Women on
the Today Show
U.S. players Brandi Chastain, Mia Hamm, Julie Foudy, Kristine Lilly and
Carla Overbeck will appear on the Today Show on Wednesday morning in the
United States at around 8:35 a.m., speaking with Katie Couric in Sydney
via satellite. Numerous U.S. players also taped Video Postcards for their
friends and family back home that won't make it Down Under, which will
be aired during the next two weeks on the Today Show.
Norway arrives
The Norwegian Women's National Team checked into the "Olympic Football
Hotel" here on Monday, the last of the eight who will open their tournament
at the MCG on Wednesday and Thursday. Already here were the Australian,
Italian, Moroccan and Chilean men's teams, as well as the Brazilian and
Swedish women's teams.
"THE G"
On the U.S. players got their first look at the inside of the famed Melbourne
Cricket Ground on Tuesday as they were given a guide tour of the facilities.
The players walked the pitch, took photos and then departed for training
at another ground. The U.S. was scheduled for a short training at the
MCG, but the rains forced organizers to cancel all trainings. The sun
and wind has been a boon for the field maintenance crews, who hope the
good weather will dry out the pitch in preparation for the games tonight.
The MCG was built for the 1956 Olympic Games, but since has been expanded
and remodeled considerably. With the soccer field set on a field big enough
for an Aussie Rules match, the space surrounding the field is massive,
meaning ball boys and girls must get on their horses, while the dimensions
will be as large as any field for a FIFA competition.
U.S. Women to
attend opening ceremonies
The U.S. women will fly from Melbourne to Sydney on the morning of Sept.
15, after facing Norway the night before, to march in the Opening Ceremonies
for the 2000 Olympics Games. The team may train in the morning before
leaving for Sydney and will return to Melbourne on the morning of the
16th, possibly training in the afternoon, then faces China on Sept. 17
at the MCG.
Injury report
All players are healthy and available for the USA's opening match against
Norway on Sept. 14.
Bush replaces Pryce as alternate
Defender Nandi Pryce, one of the USA's four alternates, fractured her
left tibia last week in a match against Vanderbilt while playing in just
her fifth game for UCLA as a freshman. Pryce underwent surgery to insert
a steel rod in her leg and will miss the season, but is expected back
in action in about six months. U.S. head coach April Heinrichs named forward
Susan Bush, currently a sophomore at North Carolina, to take her place
on the alternate list. Bush played in seven games in 2000 for the USA,
scoring three goals with five assists. She was also a member of the U.S.
Under-21 team that won the Nordic Cup last summer.
Quote of the
week
U.S. Brandi Chastain after being asked if she was going to take anything
off during the Olympics:
"No, actually, we're all hoping to put something on (a gold medal) when
this thing is over."
Selected quotes
from the conference call with Tiffeny Milbrett and Shannon MacMillan
Milbrett on goalkeeper Siri Mullinix:
"She came in not expecting to play a lot as Briana seemingly had the #1
spot locked up, but she got injured, and Siri came on strong. She gave
the best she had and definitely earned the #1 spot. She's commanding back
there. She has a calming effect on the team, wants to take charge of the
defensive third, is a leader back there and organizes well for us."
MacMillan on the
keys to the Norway match:
"We want to score early and often, so we're going to come out in our aggressive
style try to make Norway adjust to us."
Milbrett on the
keys to the Norway match:
"Finishing is everything. Siri and the defense can be back there stopping
goals, but the midfielders and forwards have to put the ball in the net.
But I think good things are happening, especially at the last Brazil game.
We scored a lot of great goals."
MacMillan on the
Olympics perhaps being the last tournament for the U.S. veterans:
"That's added a little more pressure on us, knowing that it may be the
last time we get to play with some of the founding members of this team.
So for me, I want to put my heart and soul on line for them and enjoy
what may be our last tournament with them and help them finish their legacy
with a gold medal."
MacMillan on the
USA preparation that included 33 matches this year:
"Right now, our main focus is on Norway. We haven't thought about whether
or not we should be tired. We believe what we've done up to this point
and we're prepared and ready. All we're looking forward to is the Norway.
It's the Olympics and we're all pumped up and ready to go. Training has
been awesome since we've been here and its been very relaxed. Everyone
looks refreshed and ready to go to it. Once that Olympic hype hits, they'll
be no stopping us."
Milbrett on the
Olympics being on foreign soil:
"The 1996 Olympics was the most incredible experience to have it our own
country. In '99, it was pressure galore to have the World Cup in the States.
But having the Olympics in Australia is kind of relaxing, it's going to
allow us to focus on our game and what we need to do to win each game.
We don't have not worry about selling tickets and putting people in the
stands."
MacMillan on the
expectations for the team in the United States:
"Everyone wants to see us come back with the gold medal, but the expectations
of the people on the outside are never higher than the ones we place on
ourselves. We want to continue to play awesome soccer to get people excited
about our sport. Nothing beats pulling on your country's jersey and I
can guarantee our expectations are higher than anyone's and hopefully
we can follow through on that, play our best soccer, and make everyone
proud."
MacMillan on the
USA and Norway styles:
"Norway likes to play really direct. They pressure us and play a lot of
long balls down our throats. When it comes to the USA, we are also a high
pressure team, but we also like to keep the ball on the ground more, especially
with shorter people out there like Tiffeny. But for the most part, it's
going to be a great battle. We're going to try to nullify their long ball
game and make them play our type of soccer. It's going to be very exciting
for us because Norway is a team that respects us, but is not afraid of
us, so they come out after us. We like that challenge and are very excited."
U.S.
Olympic Team alternate Nandi Pryce undergoes surgery to repair fractured
left tibia
UCLA freshman defender Nandi Pryce (Casselberry, FL/Lake
Howell HS), an alternate on the 2000 U.S. Olympic Team, underwent surgery
Friday night to repair a fractured left tibia following an injury she
suffered that afternoon in a game against Vanderbilt at the 2000 USC Fila
Challenge.
Pryce, regarded
by many as the top recruit in the nation as a high school senior last
season, suffered her injury in the first half of UCLA's 2-0 victory over
the Commodores. She was taken immediately to the UCLA Medical Center in
Santa Monica where x-rays confirmed the fracture.
"I heard it crack
and I instantly knew it was broken, especially after I realized I couldn1t
move it," said Pryce on Monday. "It was a ticking time bomb because of
the stress fracture and I1m just fortunate it happened now because I can
still receive a medical redshirt."
The injury came
exactly one week after she broke her nose in UCLA1s 6-1 win over Georgia
in Gainesville, Fla. on Sept. 1. Prior to the injury, Pryce played in
all five games for the Bruins, recording one assist.
More
news from the U.S. Team down under Sunday September, 10
Here comes the
sun...no, there it goes
The clouds
parted in Melbourne today and the U.S. players took advantage of the brief
respite from inclement weather, and a day off from training, to venture
out of the team hotel, many for the first time (outside of team practice
and a night of basketball - see below) since landing in Australia on Sept.
6. The clouds and winds returned in the afternoon, but brief appearance
of the sun gave hope for the rest of the week. Several Americans spent
time on the close-by Bridge Street, perusing the hundreds of shops that
line the multi-cultural thoroughfare, while others headed to the Melbourne
Central Mall for several hours of shopping - the window and credit card
types - snacking and sightseeing. Several players took in matinee films
while other opted for the rest and relaxation of an afternoon of movies,
board games and snacks on the USA's floor of the team hotel. U.S. co-captain
Julie Foudy was heard to complain about her "stressful" day which included
sleeping in until 9:45 a.m., a light breakfast, a one-hour visit to the
team's massage therapists, a lengthy e mail session, a 40-minute floatation
session at the hotel spa in the sensory depravation tank, a lunch of pizza,
an afternoon viewing of "Gladiator" on the hotel's movie system, a nap,
dinner at the team meal, and then an evening viewing of Roberto Benigni's
"Life is Beautiful" before collapsing, exhausted, into her hotel bed.
Girlsof summer
meet the Women's Dream team
On Saturday night,
all 18 players took the short trip over to Rod Laver Arena, site of the
Australia Open, to take in a rare basketball doubleheader featuring the
U.S. men's and women's Dream Teams against their Australia counterparts.
Following the women's game, a landslide victory for the USA over the Opals
(as the Aussie are called), the U.S. team visited the locker room to wish
the basketball team well in their Olympic tournament. The soccer players
and hoops players spent a raucous 10 minutes of high-fives, well-wishes,
impromptu dancing and singing, as well as a flash-bulb popping group photo
session. The basketball players serenaded U.S. goalkeeper Briana Scurry
with several choruses of "Blocked that Kick! Blocked That Kick!" in deference
to her historic penalty kick save at the 1999 Women's World Cup Final,
while several players acknowledged Brandi Chastain by whipping off their
USA Basketball jerseys and waving them over their heads. U.S. head coach
April Heinrichs met USA Basketball head coach Nel Fortner for the first
time, and each wished each other well on their journeys to repeat the
success of 1996. U.S. guard Dawn Staley echoed those sentiments, shouting
"Šjust like in '96, baby!" and then high-fived all the U.S. players
within arms-length. The soccer players may attend a men's dream team practice
on Tuesday. The U.S. soccer players have several ties to the Dream Team
as Chastain did a commercial with Kevin Garnett (What's up with the shirt?)
and also is friends with San Francisco Bay Area legend Jason Kidd. Midfielder
Sara Whalen went to the University of Connecticut with the Milwaukee Bucks
star Ray Allen.
Global Village
The USA's hotel in
Melbourne is serving as home all of the soccer teams playing at the Melbourne
Cricket Ground. Already housing the Australian, Italian and Moroccan men's
teams, as well as the Brazilian women's team, the Swedish women and the
Chilean men arrived this weekend. Sweden is coming off a surprise exhibition
win over Norway, 2-1, on the Australian Gold Coast several days ago. It
was the Swede's first win over Norway in five years. The Australian Olyroos,
who will play one of the biggest matches in their history against Italy
on Sept. 13 in front of 93,000 at the MCG, feature Leeds United star Mark
Viduka. Other star sightings in the hotel lobby include Inter Milan forward
and one of the world's best marksman, Ivan "Bang Bang" Zamorano of Chile.
The Italians have brought no overage players to the tournament, but feature
the best and brightest of the Serie A, which has delayed the start of
its season two weeks to allow the top players to compete in the Olympics.
Schooled on the
405
Several U.S. players
have taken a liking to the virtual car racing video game in the player's
lounge. U.S. defender Joy Fawcett, who commuted up and down the infamous
traffic-clogged 405 Freeway from her Orange County, Calif. home to Westwood,
Calif. every day when she was the head women's soccer coach at UCLA, took
it to an Australia player last Friday in the game which features the two
players seated side-by-side in front of huge screens as they steer race
cars through twists and turns. Fawcett crossed the finish line well ahead
of the Olyroo to the whoops and hollers of several U.S. players that were
cheering her on.
"The G"
On Tuesday, Sept.
12th, the U.S. players will get their first look at the inside of the
famed Melbourne Cricket Ground - the equivalent of the Yankee Stadium
of Australia - and the largest stadium in Australia until the Olympic
Stadium was built for the 2000 Games, when they conduct a short 45-minute
practice session on the game pitch. The USA will play all three of its
first round games at "The G" which features a massive grass surface that
usually plays host to Australia Rules Football and cricket. The capacity
will be about 90,000 for Olympic soccer and a sell-out crowd is expected
for the opening doubleheader on Sept. 13, which will feature the Sweden
vs. Brazil women's game followed by an Opening Ceremonies and then the
Australia vs. Italy match. Members of the U.S. team will attend the matches.
Average-sized crowds of 15-20,000 are expected for the USA's first and
third opening round matches against Norway (Sept. 14) and Nigeria (Sept.
20) respectively, while a large crowd that may reach 50,000 (equal to
sales so far for the men's semifinal at the MCG) is expected for the USA-China
clash on Sept. 17, a rematch of the 1999 Women's World Cup Final.
Chilly training
at Paisley, Olympic Park
The U.S. women conducted
their Friday, Sept. 8, training at the Paisley Park Soccer Complex in
the industrial western suburbs of Melbourne. The artist formerly known
as Prince did not make an appearance. The USA trained under gloomy skies
and adjacent to a refinery, which featured a huge flame burning out of
a one smokestack, giving perhaps a foreshadowing of the real Olympic Flame
that will be lit on Sept. 15 at Stadium Australia in Sydney. The Saturday,
Sept. 9, training was at Olympic Park in the shadows of the MCG. With
practice conducted on a soggy pitch from evening rain, under cloudy skies
and with a biting wind, Foudy was heard to ask, "Did soccer get moved
to the WINTER Olympics?" The USA conducted a short but intense training
session that finished with an impressive display finishing on a crossing
drill.
U.S. Women to
attend opening ceremonies
The U.S. women will
fly from Melbourne to Sydney on the morning of Sept. 15, after facing
Norway the night before, to march in the Opening Ceremonies for the 2000
Olympics Games. The team may train in the morning before leaving for Sydney
and will return to Melbourne on the morning of the 16th, possibly training
in the afternoon, then faces China on Sept. 17 at the MCG.
NBC comes to
Melbourne
The U.S. women will
spend parts of Monday with NBC Olympics as numerous players will do short
interviews for the broadcasts as well as sitting for video head shots
to be used during the games. On Wednesday, Sept. 13, several U.S. players
will tape a segement for the "Today Show" from the hotel here in Melbourne,
talking to Katie Couric in Sydney via satellite.
Injury report
All players are healthy
and available for the USA's opening match against Norway on Sept. 14.
Slaton
U.S. defender Danielle
Slaton started ballet at age five, the same age she started playing soccer.
For seven years, Slaton bounced between soccer practice and ballet class,
showing immense talent in both, and traveled to Russia at age eight to
perform with the Santa Clara Ballet Company. She gave up ballet to focus
on soccer.
Centurions?
Nine U.S. players,
a full half of the Olympic roster, have played 100 or more times for their
country. Kristine Lilly leads the way with 217 games player. Michelle
French is the least capped with nine.
Quote of the
week
U.S. midfielder Kristine
Lilly after the U.S. team's boisterous visit with the USA Women's Basketball
Dream Team just minutes after their victory over Australia:
"They're just as crazy as usŠexcept they have better voices, more
rhythm and are much taller."
U.S.
Olympic Team (Notes from Down Under) Thursday, Sept. 7, 2000
U.S. Women Touch
Down in Melbourne by Aaron Heifetz
The U.S. Olympic Women's Soccer Team arrived in Melbourne at 7:32 a.m.
on Sept. 6 after boarding a direct flight from Los Angeles International
Airport on Sept. 4. The American players took advantage of a fairly open
flight to stretch out across entire rows as most of the team slept the
majority of flight after leaving LAX at around 11 p.m. The U.S. team arrived
in Australia to chilly temperatures in the low 40s despite sunny skies.
The Americans boarded the bus under the blanket of security characteristic
of the Olympic Games, with a ratio of at least one police officer per
player seeing the USA off to the team hotel, which sits across the street
from the Melbourne Cricket Ground, site of the USA's first three matches.
Foudy Meets the
Press
Despite the early arrival, U.S. co-captain Julie Foudy met with members
of the local and national press at 1:30 p.m. in the lobby of the hotel,
answering questions from about 10 print and TV reporters for about 20
minutes. The U.S. team had it first practice in Australia on the afternoon
of Sept. 6, conducting a light training at Olympic Park in Melbourne,
a 10,000-seat stadium adjacent to the MCG that was built for the 1956
Olympic Games.
A Mini Olympic
Village
The USA's hotel in Melbourne is serving as home to all the soccer teams
playing at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, or "the G" as the stadium is
affectionately known to locals. The Australian, Italian and Moroccan men's
teams, as well as the Brazilian women's team, are all housed in the hotel.
Italy's head coach is Marco Tardelli, famous for his reaction after scoring
the third and final goal in the 1982 World Cup Final against West Germany.
Tardelli's celebration remains one of the most memorable moments of the
1982 World Cup as he took off running after his goal, fist clenched, throat
screaming, with a look, equal parts ecstasy and relief, washed across
his face.
"The G"
With the ability to hold up to 110,000 fans, the MCG hosted the Grand
Final, the equivalent of the Super Bowl for Australia Rules Football,
the week before the soccer teams arrived. The capacity will be about 90,000
for Olympic soccer and a sell-out crowd is expected for the opening doubleheader
on Sept. 13, which will feature the Sweden vs. Brazil women's game followed
by an Opening Ceremonies and then the Australia vs. Italy match. Members
of the U.S. team will attend the matches. Average-sized crowds of 15-20,000
are expected for the USA's first and third opening round matches against
Norway (Sept. 14) and Nigeria (Sept. 20) respectively, while a large crowd
that may reach 50,000 is expected for the USA-China clash on Sept. 17,
a rematch of the 1999 Women's World Cup Final.
And the Rains
CameŠ
The U.S. women conducted their second training on the morning of the 7th
at the Veneto Club in Melbourne, a spirited and intense practice that
finished up just before a storm hit, slathering Melbourne with a biting
rain. The U.S. players enjoyed a mellow afternoon of e-mail, naps, movies
and reading at the hotel. Rain is expected on and off for the next several
days.
Injury Report:
All players are healthy and available for the USA's opening match against
Norway on Sept. 14.
 FIFA
referee Sandra Hunt chosen to officiate at the Sydney Olympics 2000
Sandra Hunt, from
Bellingham, Wash., will work Group E matches (Australia, Brazil, Germany
and Sweden). She has been a FIFA referee since 1999, and was one of the
first women to referee a Major League Soccer Game.
Australia
beats China in penalty shoot out (5-4) after 0-0 game
Australia 0 - China 0 (Australia wins on pk 5-4) Friday August, 18,
2000
The Matildas' 5-4
win from the penalty spot after a scoreless ninety minutes is the first
ever Australian victory over China on Chinese soil.
The Matildas had
lost in a penalty shootout to China two months ago in Sydney during the
Pacific Cup to break a 1-1 deadlock. Australia's only previous victory
over the Chinese was a 2-1 result in Canberra to win the 1997 Tri-Nations
Series.
Australia made a
fantastic start last night and enjoyed the better of play in the opening
half hour before China started threatening leading into the break. Both
sides created chances in the fast-flowing game before a vocal crowd of
20,000.
In the energy-sapping
humidity, the Matildas started to tire in the second half but battled
hard and still looked promising on the break. With their backs to the
wall in the last fifteen minutes, Australia held out with a courageous
effort to send the game to a deciding shootout.
Heather Garriock
and Alison Forman planted their penalty attempts for Australia before
China's third strike was missed by substitute Pan Lina. Anissa Tann-Darby
bravely struck well to score Australia's number three penalty, wiping
the memory of her saved attempt against China two months ago. Danielle
Small made it four, leaving Australia's fate in the hands of 18-year-old
Peita-Claire Hepperlin. The midfielder coolly slotted home the winning
spot kick to the raptures of the Aussie outfit.
"This would have
to go down as the national team's finest result," said National Coach
Chris Tanzey. "It was a courageous and professional performance. I'm just
so proud of the girls."
Australia
Wheeler
Salisbury
Wainwright
Alagich
Small
Wilson (Taylor 78)
McShea (Hepperlin 46)
Forman, Duus (Garriock 61)
Hughes (Tann-Darby 75)
Golebiowski (Ferguson 69) |
China
Han Wenxia
Wang Liping
Fan Yunjie
Wen Lirong
Bai Jie
Liu Ying
Shui Qingxia
Pu Wei
Liu Ailing
Sun Wen,
Jin Yan (substitutions unavailable) |
The Matildas leave
China this afternoon, arriving back in Australia tomorrow. They resume
full-time training at their base at the AIS in Canberra in final preparation
for the Olympic Games kickoff on 13 September.
China
3 Australia 0 in pre-Olympic warm up match Tuesday, August, 15th in Yangzhou,
China
China 3 - Australia 0
Yangzhou,
China Attendance approx. 8,000
Scoring
China -- Liu Ailing 30, Sun Wen 77, Jin Yan
85)
Australia
Wheeler
Salisbury
Wainwright,
Alagich
Tann-Darby (Small 40)
Wilson
McShea (Hepperlin 38)
Forman
Duus (Garriock)
Hughes
Ferguson (Golebiowski)
Match report
Overall
play was a lot more even than the three-goal difference suggests, but
Australia's lack of cutting edge up front is the one area requiring improvement.
The bumpy, narrow pitch did not suit either team but the usually slick
Chinese outfit still managed to put away their chances.
The Matildas made
a great start in the sweltering heat and humidity and more than matched
a nervous China for the opening half hour before then conceding a goal.
With the Australians backing off, midfielder Liu Ailing drilled the ball
into the far corner of goal.
The Matildas created
a few good attacks, Sacha Wainwright pushing forward and providing the
crosses, but the chances went begging.
Australia were still
fighting hard when China's 77th minute second goal all but killed off
the visitors' chances. Inside the 6-yard box surrounded by defenders,
superstar Sun Wen somehow managed to back heel the ball into goal.
Pushing up in search
of a goal, the tiring Australian defence was caught out with five minutes
remaining. Striker Jin Yan got in on the end of a ball over the top and
lobbed home for a final score of 3-0.
Best for Australia
were midfielder Amy Wilson, and defenders Wainwright and Cheryl Salisbury.
Post game quote
"No complaints with the result, although 3-nil flattered them," said National
Coach Chris Tanzey. "I didn't learn anything new about them, but a heap
about us. The tour has been very worthwhile from my point of view. I'm
looking forward to the next game."
Other
Australia travels to Shanghai today for the return match against China,
the Matildas' final international before the Olympic Games kickoff on
13 September.
Next
Match Thu 17 August Shanghai, China 7.45pm Australia v China
(China is AEST less 2 hours)
Media
Conference held after Olympic Roster announcement on Thursday August,
10, 2000
U.S. National Team Head Coach April Heinrichs
On selecting
Michelle Akers and Carla Overbeck
"Having Michelle Akers
and Carla Overbeck on this team was a decision that I made in my mind
two or three months ago because of Carla's leadership. While Carla's knee
might be at only 70 to 75 percent right now, her will and power among
these player along with her leadership makes her the glue of this team.
Every team has a glue and I thinkCarla is the glue for this team. I was
prepared to tell Carla three months ago that she would make this Olympic
team based just on her leadership alone. We all know that Michelle is
a world class player. We all know that Michelle one year ago helped this
country win one of its most impressive trophies ever. One year away from
that she is still a world class player but she struggles with her shoulder.
I think what we will see over the next couple of weeks that she will get
better and better every time she steps out onto that field."
On Michelle Akers'
role in the Olympics
"We are
getting pretty close to the Olympics. We were talking today in practice
that we are only 35 days from our first game in the Olympics. With Michelle,
it is going to be a day to day thing. We are not going to make any decisions
today or at one practice. We are going to watch her and give her opportunities
to succeed. Over time, what I have noticed and what I know about Michelle
is that she always overcomes adversity and I think she will again."
On recent USA
results against Norway and China:
"One of
the things that we understand on the coaching staff is that for us to
go to Germany seven days after the Gold Cup and then follow Germany with
games against Norway and to play that level of competition was a great
achievement. We talked about those five games as being identical to the
two weeks we would spend during the Olympics and that it was important
for us to advance after the first three games with six points and we came
away with seven points. It was a simulated Olympic experience for us.
We are pleased about that. When we hit Germany we were pretty tired and
then to go onto Norway was pretty difficult. As a coach, when you know
that your team is a little tired and fatigued you still find ways to win
and have success on the road. The key for us has been to get rest over
the last couple of weeks. There is a part of us that still talks about
Norway and we like that Norway is such a great team and brings the best
out of us just like we bring the best of them. It is going to be exciting
to open the Olympics against Norway."
On China and
Norway
"China had a very
difficult and long schedule June through July and what I think everyone
saw at the Gold Cup was a tired team. Their experience parallels ours.
Our fatigue time came in late July. I believe all three teams will be
rested and will playing their best soccer come their first game in the
Olympics."
On USA Olympic
schedule
"Single, most difficult
and challenging draw FIFA soccer has ever put out to a team that was ranked
number-one in the world. FIFA has provided us the greatest challenge and
the most hurdles and we love it. Every time something or somebody says
that this team can't do, they prove them wrong and we hope that trend
continues."
On draw procedure
"I don't really mess
around with things that I can't control. I don't spend time concerning
myself with things that I can't control."
On Danielle Slaton
and Nikki Serlenga
"All three of the
new players have been phenomenal. They came in and were some of the more
humble of the younger players. They have what we call wholesome discontent
and they want more. Danielle's first goal was to make residency and once
she got there her goal was to work to be one of the final 18. What that
demonstrates is a great focus and the ability to goal set. This is what
it requires at the national team level. It is one thing to be very, very
talented but it's another thing to know how to home that talent over time
and what you have seen is a growth in Danielle. Every time she steps out
onto the field she gets better. I coached Danielle on my first national
team and recognized after 20 minutes of her being with us that she was
going to be the captain of the U.S. Under-16 Girl's National Team. I said
to myself that if her talent continues to develop the way her leadership
is, she may someday be the national team captain. The younger players
are watching the older players all the time. The older players are prodding
the younger ones to be tougher, harder, stronger, faster, quicker and
work harder. That sort of leadership and role model advantage that wehave
on this team is going to pay dividends in the long run."
On four alternates
(Jen Branam, Michelle French, Christie Welsh, Nandi Pryce
"It was tougher to
make the decision in January and February as to who we would bring in
and who we would not. It was tougher to release Tisha Venturini back in
March and it was tougher to decide who the alternates would be then it
was to select the 18 members of the Olympic team. The 18 to me were so
obvious. We have great complement of personality players and role players.
We have a great complement of defenders, midfielders and forwards. Deciding
who the four alternates would be was one of the toughest decisions that
I have had to make. The very first thing that went into factoring who
would be our alternates was performance. Michelle French was an obvious
choice. Her work ethic is legendary. She is a fitness machine and she
also provides good versatility. Jen Branam was another obvious choice
because in camp she really pushed Siri and Scurry for a position on this
team but Jenny is young and needs experience. We don't have time to give
Jenny that experience. All the games that we have now have to be committed
to our number-one goalkeeper and some playing time for our number-two
goalkeeper. The other two slots for our alternates I really went to positions
and attitude. You can't underestimate how Christie has put the ball into
the back of the net this year. Nandi had continued to develop and she
is someone that I have had great respect for over the years. I have great
confidence that if we had an injury to the center-back position that Nandi
could step in."
On what the team
will be working on leading into the Olympics
"We will be spending
time on set pieces and executing those pieces well. We will spend time
on possession and rhythm . The final two ingredients will be on urgency
in front of the goal and we will play with great heart. We will step out
onto the field to out battle, out fight, out crawl, out run, out tackle,
out head any team that we meet."
Her outlook for
Australia
"I look at it as
an opportunity to win a gold medal. As competitors, we want to win everything
we enter. Our approach to these games is the same as every tournament
we enter."
On whether or
not she was disappointed that there were not more younger players on the
team
"Not in the least.
After the first week some players approached me and were a little concerned
about bringing in these young players . I told them if we had more than
two-to-three younger players, we've made too much of a change. I'm so
proud of these players who've hung in there, and clawed to hang around
this team. We weeded out the ones that aren't mentally ready yet, and
we weeded out the ones that aren't physically
ready yet."
On the need to motivate Michelle Akers
"I don't
think any players with this kind of experience need a kick in the pants.
If anything we need to hold them back at times. She has been looking ahead
and dealing with the pain involved with her injuries and the stress. If
she doesn't have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, she's just like everybody else
on the street, but she chooses to be an elite
athlete."
About her approach
to the Russia game
"This is
a great game for us right now. They (Russia) really should be in the Olympics.
Russia qualified in my mind by being one of top eight teams last summer
at the Women's World Cup. We'll approach the Russia game with the same
conviction as any other game. It'll be a chance to put a starting lineup
on the field before the Olympics."
Her thoughts
on the goalkeeping situation
"I think we have phenomenal
goalkeeping. We're probably the envy of every other team in the world.
We will start Siri (Mullinix), but I have great confidence that Briana
(Scurry) will be there if needed."
On Nikki Serlenga
and her progress
"When I
saw her play in the collegiate Final Four I couldn't believe how special
she was. She has an awareness of the game that you just don't see in the
college game. She heads the ball well, and she has a bit of nasty in her.
The first few weeks we brought her in I didn't see too much in her, so
I sat with her and she told me that she wasn't much of a practice player
but more of game player. I told her she needed to step it up, and she
has. Pound for pound, she strikes the ball better than any female player
I have ever seen."
On Julie Foudy
"Julie
is such a person and a character. When I first took the job of coach I
was talking to her about leadership issues and rosters and training and
contracts and everything. She's a player that doesn't seem to need coaching.
She's embracing a new role on the team, playing behind players in a more
supporting role."
On Joy Fawcett
"Joy is
the quintessential quiet person. There's nothing loud about her. She's
the kind of player that often goes unnoticed, but is never under-appreciated.
If she were on that (Survivor) island she would be the last person voted
off."
On the prospect
of losing veterans to retirement
"When you
look forward it looks like the youth have a long way to go. Then you look
back and see how far we've come. Eventually there will be a passing of
the torch. Thank goodness that it won't be all at the same time."
On pressure felt
to win a gold medal
"There's
been pressure since the day I arrived, but none more than I put on myself."
On Nandi Pryce
"She is
a super kid and a great player. She called me about a month ago and wanted
closure. She felt like she disappointed me, but she hasn't disappointed
me, she just isn't ready yet. If she continues to work
hard her time will come."
On Christie Welsh
"Christie
found herself in great spots and her teammates were giving her great opportunities,
but at this level the game is played 90 percent of the time away from
the goal and that is the area Christie needs to work on the most. She
had dreams of being on this team but I don't think she had visions of
being on it. She knows that it just isn't her time now. She is ecstatic
about being an alternate."
On whether she
would have named Carla Overbeck to the team if she was not healthy
"If she
were not able to play she would not be on the team. I'd take her as a
coach, though."
Response
to questions put to National Team defender Carla Overbeck
On being ambassadors
of women's sports
"I think
that this team opens its arms to that. When we were growing up we didn't
have role models in our sport. We really appreciate the fans, young girls
and even the young boys that want autographs and pictures. Anything that
we can do to have a positive effect on their lives we get enjoyment out
of. You can take any person on this team and know that how they conduct
themselves in front of televison, radio or print media that they are going
to represent the team and country extremely well. After the Women's World
Cup last summer fans have realized that there are good teams out there
and that the margin of victory is slim. Obviously Americans want us to
win and a lot of Americans also expect us to win another gold medal but
it is not going to be easy. April will have us very well prepared so hopefully
we can bring back a gold."
On Nikki Serlenga's
shot
"I have
been on this team for a long time and I have never seen someone strike
the ball, whether it is rolling or bouncing towards her, as good as her.
Her shot is amazing!"
If the team will
be successful if it doesn't win gold
"I think
the reason you go to the Olympics is to win gold. As far as if we don't
win, we'll be disappointed, but the spirt of the Olympics and being part
of it is an honor. We've been successful in the past and that's what out
players and staff want to see in the Olympics."
On reacting to
different styles of goalkeeping of Mullinix and Scurry
"When Briana
made her comeback from injury, April told the players to play how they
always play. Defensive players definitely think its great because both
goalkeepers are so far off their line they're cleaning balls away. We
defenders don't have to make those 30-40 yard runs to get back for balls.
Both play different styles, but the defenders, and
the entire team, are comfortable and confident with both."
On concern about
making the team
"That was
a concern of mine after being diagnosed with Graves disease. I got that
under control and when I left San Diego I felt great. Then my knee surgery
came about and finding out my knee wouldn't be right for six months when
I only had three was hard but I was determined to make it back in time.
I just tried to stay fit. I made a pact with myself that I was going to
do everything in my power to be as fit as I could be come Australia."
On her knee injury
"In training
this morning, we had a pretty tough practice and I made it all the way
through, so I was happy about that. Each week it seems to get better and
better, so I am just going to take it one day at a time. I am still about
one month away."
Response
to question put to National Team defender Danielle Slaton
On reaction of
making the Olympic team
"Just to
play with the national team is such an honor and something I have looked
forward to when I was little. In April, when I was invited to residency
and as I progressed my expectations continued to get higher. I am just
excited to be here and have the opportunity to learn from these veteran
players."
USA heads the group
of death in draw for Sydney Olympics 2000 as three of top four seeds in
the world are drawn in the same group
Draw
| Group E |
Group F |
| Australia |
USA |
| Germany |
Norway |
| Sweden |
China |
| Brazil |
Nigeria |
Olympic Draw scheduled
for Saturday, June 3 at 11.00am (9.00pm Eastern Time Friday)
The official 2000 Olympic Draw is scheduled for Saturday (June 3) at
the Sydney Town Hall at 11 a.m. In Australia, or 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT
Friday night here in the United States.
Sydney Olympic 2000
Soccer Draw Ceremony to take place at the Sydney Town Hall at 11:00 a.m.
local time on Saturday June 3, 2000
The USA will find out who its first round opponents will be. Joining
the USA at the Olympics are host Australia, Brazil, China, Germany, Nigeria,
Norway and Sweden. The USA is scheduled to play all three of its Olympic
first-round matches in Melbourne at the Cricket Ground. Should the USA
qualify for the knockout round in the Olympics, the semifinals will be
played at the Sydney Football Stadium or Bruce Stadium in Canberra. The
bronze medal match and gold medal match will be played at the Sydney Football
Stadium.
2000 Sydney Olympic
Games soccer (football) tickets sold exceed 54,000--latest news
Ticket sales through the first public ticket offer to Olympic Games football
(soccer) played at the MCG have exceeded 54,000. This is bolstered by
a further 15,000 tickets sold through a direct mail offer to club members.
These sales have occurred 10 months before it will be known which teams
are playing in Melbourne. Melbourne is hosting seven sessions of Olympic
Games football. This includes five Ôdouble-header' preliminary sessions
(comprised of a men's and women's match), a men's quarterfinal and men's
semifinal.
Two sessions, in particular, have been popular. The Opening session on
Wednesday 13th September, 2000, which will begin with a spectacular Gala
Ceremony and the final session, the men's semifinal, on Tuesday 26th September,
2000. Currently, 150 men's teams are competing for only 16 places at the
Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. The last men's team to qualify for the right
to compete against our own Men's Olympic Team, will do so in May 2000.
With the recent completion of the highly successful Women's World Cup
in the United States in July, eight women's teams are now known to be
competing in Australia in 2000. Reigning Olympic champions USA head a
strong field and will compete against Australia's Women's Olympic Team,
along with China, Sweden, Brazil, Germany, Norway and Nigeria. The football
Draw Ceremony will take place after the last men's team qualifies in Mid
2000. A brand new pitch will be laid within days of the AFL Grand Final.
The MCG hosted one of the friendliest Olympic Games in 1956.
As promised, people who have already ordered tickets will get a first
exclusive option on remaining tickets in about a fortnight.
People who have not yet ordered tickets will get another opportunity
through a second public offer (they can pre-register their interest by
phoning 13 63 63 or log on at www.olympics.com).
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