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No. 30 and counting U.S. women face Russian in preparation for Olympics
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) -- The U.S. women's soccer team played 29 matches in 1999, including the six it needed to win the World Cup. All but four were in the United States. This year, the Americans already have played 29, and Sunday's match against Russia will be No. 30. The team has won tournaments in Portugal, Australia and Germany, and the Germany trip last month was followed by a trip north of the Arctic Circle to play Norway under the midnight sun. And the Olympics -- in Australia -- are still to come. "It's been a long year so far," forward Mia Hamm said. "The last trip to Germany was long, but we had some success there, and it was important. You can't say no to a tournament with Germany, China and Norway." At least the Americans are on home soil for a little while before heading Down Under. Sunday's game is the first of a three-game "Nike Road to Glory" tour, a cross-country Olympic kickoff series that takes them to Kansas City, Mo., for a game against Canada Aug. 20 and concludes with a match against Brazil at San Jose, Calif., Sept. 1. And, as if they needed another game on the schedule, the U.S. women are playing Russia in College Park, Md., on Tuesday in a match closed to the public. The Russians didn't want to travel this far just to play one game, and American officials didn't want to try to sell fans on back-to-back games against the same opponent in the same area. "Sure, we have played a lot of games, but that's what you live for," forward Tiffeny Milbrett said. "It's what the coaches do outside of the games that burn you out." To that end, new coach April Heinrichs has followed predecessor Tony DiCicco's philosophy of giving players time off to spend with their families when possible. But that was much easier last year, when all the action was at home. "When we hit Germany, we were tired," Heinrichs said. "And then to go to Norway was difficult. The key for us has been to get rest over the last couple of weeks." The Americans are 20-4-5 this year -- they were 25-2-2 in 1999 -- but three of this year's losses have come against Norway, the U.S. team's first opponent in the Olympic tournament. While winning on this tour is important, Heinrichs wants to fine-tune for the Olympics. She chose her 18-player squad Thursday, and now wants to work on set pieces, possession and "urgency in front of the goal." "We'll approach the Russia game with the same conviction as any other game," Heinrichs said. "It'll be a chance to put a starting lineup on the field before the Olympics."
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