Spirit Places Three Players on U.S. Roster

Published on January 2, 2003 under Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA)
San Diego Spirit News Release


SAN DIEGO - San Diego Spirit players Joy Fawcett, Shannon MacMillan and Jaime Pagliarulo have been named to the 26-player U.S. Women's National Team roster that will begin training in San Diego on Jan. 9 in preparation of the USA vs. Japan match on Jan. 12 at Torero Stadium at 1 p.m. PT. This will be the first event of the year for the U.S. women on the road to the 2003 Women's World Cup in China. Following the game against Japan, Heinrichs will chose a roster to travel to China to participate in the Four Nations Tournament in three Chinese cities as the USA gains some valuable experience in what will be its last trip to China before the Women's World Cup.

Release Summary

Ø Tickets for the match are available at Ticketmaster outlets or on-line at ussoccer.com.

Ø U.S. Women will play first-ever full international match at Torero Stadium on January 12 vs. Japan

Ø 20 WUSA players and six non-professionals are competing for spots on two rosters.

Tickets for USA vs. Japan match ranging in price from $20 to $35 are on sale now at all Southern California Ticketmaster outlets (including Robinson's-May and Wherehouse Music), by phone at 619-220-8497 and on-line at www.ussoccer.com. All $40 and $45 seats are sold out. Additionally, less than 50 VIP field-level seats, which are autographed by Fawcett, MacMillan, Pagliarulo, Julie Foudy and U.S. head coach April Heinrichs, where ticket holders get to keep their chair, are still available at $150. The match will be the first of approximately 12 games the USA will play before the 2003 Women's World Cup, which runs from September 23-October 11.

The U.S. team will arrive in San Diego on Jan. 9, face Japan three days later, train for three more days and then depart for the Far East on Jan. 16. The USA, Norway, Germany and Women's World Cup host China will clash in a series of three doubleheaders in three Chinese cities, spread over three provinces in the southwest region of the country. The Four Nations Tournament begins on Jan. 23 in Yiwu, as China faces Germany and the USA takes on Norway. The teams will move to Women's World Cup venue Wuhan for the Jan. 26 matches that feature Germany vs. Norway and the USA vs. China. The blockbuster tournament will finish on Jan. 29 in Shanghai, site of the 2003 Women's World Cup Final, as the USA takes on Germany and China faces Norway. All the matches will be broadcast on TV nationally within China.

Fawcett, a WUSA All-Star who at 34 led the USA in minutes played in 2002, has 203 caps in her career. MacMillan had a high scoring year in 2002 with USA, leading the team with 17 goals and moved into sixth place on the U.S. all-time scoring list. Pagliarulo has just three caps, the most recent of which was earned against China in Panyu in 2001. Spirit and U.S. captain Julie Foudy will not participate in this event as she is taking the month of January off to rest before jumping into the 2003 WUSA season and a busy national team schedule.

The roster includes 20 WUSA professionals, five college players and one high school player, all looking to get, or keep, themselves in the running for a spot on the 2003 Women's World Cup Team. The 26 players span several generations of U.S. women, with nine players having 80 or more caps and 15 with 33 or less caps (including nine players in single digits) and only one player with a cap number between the two groups.

Heinrichs called in all three blades of the Under-19 version of the "Triple-Edged Sword," in North Carolina freshman Lindsay Tarpley, Texas sophomore Kelly Wilson and high school senior Heather O'Reilly, the trio of forwards who led the U.S. U-19 National Team to the first ever FIFA world championship for youth women last September, combining for 19 goals with 13 assists in the six matches.

Heinrichs also named Aly Wagner, the 2002 M.A.C. Hermann Trophy winner for Santa Clara University, and her midfield partner for the Broncos, Devvyn Hawkins. Both were All-Americans during their senior season this fall. Defender Cat Reddick, a First-Team All-American as a junior at North Carolina and one of the most experienced of the youngsters with 25 caps, including 11 starts in 2002, rounds out the non-professionals.

The roster includes 10 players who were members of the 1999 Women's World Cup Team and are looking for a return trip next September in China: Brandi Chastain (San Jose CyberRays), Lorrie Fair (Philadelphia Charge), Joy Fawcett (San Diego Spirit), Shannon MacMillan (San Diego Spirit), Tiffeny Milbrett (New York Power), Cindy Parlow (Beat), Christie Pearce (New York Power), Tiffany Roberts (Carolina Courage), Briana Scurry (Atlanta Beat) and Kate Sobrero (Boston Breakers). Veterans Mia Hamm and Kristine Lilly are also taking January off to rest and prepare for the WUSA season.

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