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Group of death U.S. men, women face different expectations Down Under
NEW YORK (AP) -- Mia, Brandi, Tiffeny, Michelle -- nearly all the familiar faces are back. The post-World Cup letdown never hit, and the U.S. women's soccer team goes to Australia for what has been described as an encore, a last hurrah or even a springboard to the new women's pro league that starts in April. "For some, it's the end of their international career," said forward Tiffeny Milbrett, who scored the winning goal in the gold medal game at the Atlanta Games four years ago. "I would love to send those guys out with a bang." Certainly, this will be the first time the average American Olympic fan has paid more than token attention to soccer. The United States has never advanced out of the first round of the men's tournament, and the women's debut four years ago provided just the first taste of the phenomenon that the team would become. Since then, peaking with the moment that Brandi Chastain hit the final penalty kick to beat China in the World Cup final a year ago, the American women have been one long success story. In that sense, the Sydney Games will provide another kind of test: Will the love affair continue even if they lose? "It is the single most difficult and challenging draw FIFA soccer has ever put out to a team that was ranked No. 1 in the world," U.S. coach April Heinrichs said when asked about the Olympic schedule. "It's really going to stretch the American team. Norway and China are two of the best three teams in the world. We have the most difficult bracket. It's going to be like the semifinals immediately. There's no warm-up in the Olympics." While the U.S. team is one of the gold medal favorites, it could just as easily be finished after two games. The Americans open against longtime nemesis Norway in Melbourne on Sept. 14; next comes China three days later. The United States has lost four games this year, three to Norway and one to China. Two losses would doom the Americans' chances to make the semifinals, while a split in those first two games would probably be enough to advance if they beat Nigeria in their third and final group game Sept. 20. "We love it," Heinrichs said. "Every time something or somebody says that this team can't do it, they prove them wrong, and we hope that trend continues." The Americans are playing an unprecedented schedule to prepare for the Sydney Games, with 33 games since the beginning of the year, including trips to Australia, Portugal, Germany and Norway. They have won all six tournaments they've entered, although there's usually been a mitigating factor. They lost to China in the Australia Cup in May, but won the event after the Chinese were stunned by Canada. A rematch in the Gold Cup was avoided when China, without injured playmaker Sun Wen, lost to Brazil in the semifinals. The U.S. women beat Norway and tied China last month in Germany, then traveled north and went 0-1-1 in a two-game series against the Norwegians. "It was a simulated Olympic experience for us," Heinrichs said. "When we hit Germany, we were pretty tired and then to go on to Norway was pretty difficult. There is a part of us that still talks about Norway, and we like that Norway brings the best out of us just like we bring the best of them." The travel grind and the weeks spent at national training camps initially led many veterans to consider retirement after the Olympics. The feelings changed with the formation of the new league, the WUSA, which will allow more stable family lives. "We won't have residencies for three months," captain Carla Overbeck said. "It's going to make life a lot easier." Overbeck and Michelle Akers are the only two players who now say they will be done with international soccer after Sydney. Overbeck, 32, is recovering from knee surgery in May, and Akers, 34, recently had shoulder surgery to add to a medical history that includes at least a dozen knee operations and chronic fatigue syndrome. "We have fun out here. You don't want it to end," said Overbeck, who has 163 U.S. appearances. "There are so many great players coming up. It's time they started to take over." One of those up-and-coming stars is 22-year-old Siri Mullinix, who replaced Briana Scurry at the No. 1 goalkeeper while Scurry dealt with a shin injury. Mullinix has already tied Scurry's record of 12 shutouts in a year. But that's the only major change for the team that won the World Cup. Heinrichs auditioned many young players early in the year, yet only three -- Mullinix, Nikki Serlenga and Danielle Slaton -- made the Olympic team. Of the 18 players on the Sydney roster, 15 were on the World Cup squad, and 11 were on the Atlanta Olympic team. Such familiarity could lead to complacency, especially with a team that has experienced so much success. But there has been no drop-off, no slump, since the euphoric high of a year ago. The players give two reasons for this. One is Heinrichs, the no-nonsense coach who replaced beloved leader Tony DiCicco. DiCicco quit last year for family reasons after compiling a 103-8-8 record over six years. "New coaching staff, new blood, new drills, newfound sense of freedom and love of the game again," Milbrett said. The second reason is a sense from the players that they need to justify their winter boycott. Underpaid in comparison with the men and in proportion to the success they've brought the sport, the women essentially went on strike for several weeks. They won their fight for more money and now want to make sure they're seen as earning it. "We sat out and we demanded," Milbrett said. "And if we couldn't back it up, you bet people would see right through it. We are professionals and it's our job now. And if you go soft, guess where you're going -- you're headed home." Meanwhile, on the men's side the U.S. men have an easier first round with games against the Czech Republic, Cameroon and Kuwait. Unlike the women, players have to be under age 23, with three exemptions. For the U.S. team, coach Clive Charles chose defender Jeff Agoos of D.C. United, midfielder Chris Armas of the Chicago Fire and midfielder Frankie Hejduk of Bayer Leverkusen in Germany as his three older players. Armas suffered a knee injury playing for the full national team in a World Cup qualifier Aug. 16, and his Olympic status is questionable. In the past, the age restriction would have meant a roster consisting mostly of college players on the U.S. team, but a wave of young talent leaving universities early for MLS means Charles can field a team of nearly all professionals, such as forwards Ben Olsen of D.C. United and Josh Wolff of Chicago. "Our focus is to get to the second round," Wolff said. "And we feel that we have the capability to do that." Nigeria was the surprise gold medalist in 1996, coming back to defeat a talent-laden Brazilian squad in a thrilling semifinal and beating Argentina in the final. The Nigerians this year have encountered difficulty securing the services of its foreign-based, over-23 stars.
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