U.S. team in right frame of mind

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Posted: Tuesday April 20, 1999 02:28 PM

Julie Foudy says the U.S. team expects to win the World Cup. Al Tielemans

U.S. midfielder Julie Foudy spoke with CNN/SI anchor Mark McKay about the upcoming Women's World Cup.

Mark McKay: Julie, give me the state of mind of the U.S. team two months away from the start of the World Cup.

Julie Foudy: Our state of mind is really good. We've pretty much for the last four months been living in Orlando, Fla., training fulltime, been working on our fitness base and our golf game and doing a lot of the big things. And now in the next few months we focus in on the details.

So we'll be honing in on some of the weaknesses we've had with finishing and some of the weaknesses we've had defensively and the little things that are going to make a difference come June 19.

McKay: The U.S. team, as you mention, has been struggling just a bit. Are you a bit vulnerable now, with the World starting to catch up with you guys?

Foudy: Yes, and I think that's a good thing. I think we're in a unique situation in the United States where girls have a tremendous opportunity to play soccer at all ages. And in the past, a lot of other countries around the world haven't had those same opportunities for girls and women. And so what you're finding as the popularity of women's soccer grows is that a lot of other countries are getting much more sophisticated with their women's teams, and they're getting a lot more funding.

A great example is Brazil and their success in the 1996 Olympics. That's a great thing because what it does is it just makes the sport for women that much more competitive -- and it's not like you just have one or two teams that are constantly successful, you have a handful. And you're going to see at the World Cup a good 10 to 15 teams vying for that trophy.

McKay: Is there any added pressure on the U.S. team being the host of the Women's World Cup?

Foudy: I think that pressure is mostly internal. Our team always goes into any big event expecting to come out the winner, whether it's an Olympic final or a World Cup tournament. For us, it's something we expect. So everyone's been asking, "Isn't there a lot of external pressure?" and I don't think so. We look at it as a great opportunity to showcase this sport.

McKay: You're one of only a handful of players who won the first Women's World Cup and the first Olympic women's soccer gold. What would it mean for you to win this World Cup on home soil?

Foudy: It would be unbelievable. You grow up as a kid watching World Cups and watching Olympics -- to have both of those, the first Women's World Cup title and then the first Olympic gold medal is a tremendous honor. And now to have the opportunity to do it on home soil... when I first got on this team, way, way, way back, we never even dreamed of having a World Cup on our own soil. And now to see it finally coming into fruition is so exciting. It's going to be a great opportunity for us to show not just our family and friends but the rest of the world what this team is about. It's a great honor.

 

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