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WUSA Weekly Notebook - September 13 Edition
Posted: Wed September 13, 2000 at 4:33 p.m. EDT The following are some of the media questions posed to WUSA Acting Commissioner Tony DiCicco during a Media Conference Call on Sept 12. A complete transcript of the call is expected to be posted on the WUSA's website at www.wusaleague.com this afternoon. First there was an opening statement by Tony DiCicco. "The Olympic spirit is alive and well in Sydney. It is every bit as vibrant as Atlanta in 1996. I was talking with some of the players and they extremely excited and ready to go." On the opening game. "The USA-Norway rivalry is one of the biggest in soccer. The amount of emotion between these two teams eclipses all others. In 1995 Norway knocked off the USA in the semifinals and in 1996 the USA returned the favor on the way to the Gold Medal. In 1999 it was the same thing, as the USA defeated Norway on the way to the World Cup." Q. What type of role do you have with the WUSA? A. A lot of my job is on the technical side. I am setting up the combines, working on the draft and keeping an eye on trades. I am trying to keep a balance of power for the league and ensure there are eight great teams in the League next year. It really is exciting being a part of all this and having a league unfold where there was not one before. Q. Which team do you think may be a surprise? A. That is a very good question. I think Sweden is an up-and-coming team and when they beat Norway 2-1 last month I was not surprised. The last couple of years I coached I began to notice them and felt they were getting better. Also, the host team has traditionally played well and so Australia may be able to pull off a surprise. Q. What do you think of the field conditions for the USA-Norway game? A. It concerns me a bit because Brazil and Sweden play right before that game and the field is freshly sodded. If the field is in bad condition it will favor Norway because they play a more direct game than the US. Q. What will the loss of Michelle Akers mean to the US. A. I felt that Michelle, not too belittle any other player, was the greatest women soccer player to be on the field. So, some adjustments will have to be made. Q. Could a majority of the players competing in the Olympics play in the WUSA next year? A. Under the guidelines we can only have four foreign players on each roster and I am very much in support of that rule. We want the league to help develop the younger US talent. The best way to do that is for them to play in a league where the games are comparable to a World Cup level and the WUSA will provide that. Q. Who will the top contenders be for the Gold Medal? A. I think the USA, China and Norway will end up in the final game. I think FIFA made a mistake by placing them in the same bracket. Especially when we had a tournament just last year (World Cup) that seeded everyone. Closing statement by Tony DiCicco. "I think Mia Hamm is ready to play her best in a world event. She has never scored more than two goals in any of the big tournaments but I think being in Australia and away from some of the media scrutiny (that she faced in the 1999 World Cup and the 1996 Olympics) will help. I also see an added maturity in her that will help." Follow the WUSA Olympians - All of the games in this year's Olympics are being televised via tape-delay back to the United States. Following is a tentative television schedule for the U.S. Women's National Team's games. Since the games are on tape-delay, the times listed are both eastern and pacific times. Seventeen of the 18 USA players will play in the WUSA next year along with a number of foreign Olympians. Sept. 14 -- Women: USA vs. Norway (MSNBC) 6:30-9 p.m. Sept. 17 -- Women: USA vs. China (MSNBC) 9-11:30 a.m. Sept. 20 -- Women: USA vs. Nigeria (MSNBC) 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sept. 24 -- Women: Semifinal (NBC) 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Women: Semifinal (CNBC) 4-9 p.m. Sept. 28 -- Women: Final (MSNBC) 10 a.m.-5 p.m. (All times ET/PT)© 2003 SportsTicker Enterprises, LP
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