U.S. Women's National Team

2003 Women's World Cup

The 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup is upon us! Due to the SARS outbreak in China, the venue has been changed, and the World Cup has returned to the USA. This gives us here in America a unique opportunity to attend another World Cup in person, and see the finest women's soccer in the world.

Use the following links to get all the info you need to follow the US and all the other teams in this years World Cup:

• FIFA

• Official FIFA Women's World Cup Website

• US Soccer

Women's World Cup TV Schedule

US Women's National Team 2003 World Cup Roster

As the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup approaches, the U.S. Women's National Team has been busy preparing for it. While the team played in 41 matches in 2000, the 2001 schedule of games was drastically cut back due to the start up of the WUSA and the tragic events of September 11, 2001. The National Team played only 10 matches in 2001, the fewest games in ten years. Due to the WUSA schedule the core group of veterans played in only three of ten games, which resulted in coach April Heinrichs getting an opportunity to evaluate a group of young stars as they gained valuable international experience. In the ten games played in 2001, the team was 3-5-2, which is only the third losing record in team history. The important thing to remember is not the record, but that the team was competing with many players who had not played at this level of competition before, and gained not only valuable international experience but also gained the respect of soccer fans around the world with the quality of play exhibited, as well as the depth of our National Team player pool. These younger less experienced players will need this experience to be successful in the future as it is likely that the core group of veteran players like Brandi Chastain, Mia Hamm, Kristine Lilly, Julie Foudy, and Joy Fawcett will be playing in their final World Cup in 2003. By the way these five players played in the first World's Cup in 1991, and our hats off to them all for giving the country such a long run of world class caliber soccer. They are truly Soccer Divas! A total of 44 different players saw international action in 2001, and fourteen of the players earned their first caps (international game experience).

The Women's National Team is scheduled to play all over the world in 2002, including the 2002 Nike U.S. Women's Cup, which will take them to several U.S. cities - hopefully one near you. If you get a chance to see them play in person we urge you to do so as it is an experience you'll not soon forget. In 2002, the team is scheduled to play in tournaments in Portugal and China. We are looking forward to the National Team's season as it promises to again be a mixture of veterans and newer players gaining the World's respect, as some of the best players in the world while preparing to defend our World Cup Championship in 2003.

The Women's National Team Roster (as of April 2002)