Gearing up

U.S. prepares to meet Brazil in July 4 semifinal

Click here for more on this story

Posted: Saturday July 03, 1999 11:23 AM

Mia Hamm and the U.S. national soccer team will hope to revearse the results of the U.S. Brazil match of five years ago. AP

STANFORD, California (AP) -- Five years to the day since the U.S. national soccer team sought to make World Cup history against Brazil, it will do so again.

With just the slightest difference: gender.

Oh, and maybe one other: The Americans are favored.

On Sunday, the U.S. women play their semifinal match at Stanford Stadium against the Brazilians. At the same site in the 1994 men's tournament, Brazil edged the United States 1-0. It went on to win its fourth world championship.

The American women remember that game well.

"Going back to 1994, well, as some of you know I am a huge soccer fanatic," defender Brandi Chastain said Friday after most of the U.S. squad was given the day off, "so I did a lot of traveling that summer to all the games in California. Today I had a flashback as the bus was driving in on the Embarcadero of me driving to the USA-Brazil match in 1994 with a big American flag draped on my car. And I was thinking how exciting it is to have people driving that same route to come see us play in such a similar and important game."

The '94 game was considered the most significant in U.S. soccer history. This match has the makings of such import, too.

"The U.S. men did very well in that game, almost falling back into a bunker-style defense," midfielder Julie Foudy recalled. "I remember it was hot. I remember the enthusiasm of the crowd and that it was just packed on July 4 and very patriotic.

"We are hoping for that same kind of atmosphere, and I'm very confident we will achieve the same thing."

Except they expect to win. Of course, so does Brazil, which blew a 3-0 lead to Nigeria before advancing on Sissi's overtime free kick goal.

"The Americans are very well trained and prepared for this championship," said Sissi, who leads the tournament with seven goals. "We are the stage that whatever the results, we can old our heads high and be proud of our results and the push for women's football in Brazil.

"But yes, of course, we will approach the game with the Americans to win, and with confidence we can win."

While the 1994 men's match was a mere blip on the soccer screen for Brazil, it showed just how worked up Americans can get about what millions still consider "a foreign sport." Organizers are hopeful for another sellout at Stanford, and believe a crowd of 30,000 is possible for the other semifinal, between Norway and China at Foxboro, Massachusetts.

 

Related information
Stories
U.S. quote sheet: 'Sunday's game is for everything' U.S. faces Brazil July 4 at Stanford -- again U.S. quarterfinal win seen in 1.67 million homes U.S. rallies to beat Germany 3-2 in quarterfinal thriller
Multimedia
Click here for the latest audio and video
Search our site	Watch CNN/SI 24 hours a day
	Sports Illustrated and CNN have combined to form a 24 hour sports news and information channel. To receive CNN/SI at your home call your cable operator or DirecTV.