CHICAGO, Ill. --- U.S. head coach Greg Ryan has called in 28 players, including current Portland Pilots Stephanie Lopez, Angie Woznuk and Megan Rapinoe and former Pilot standout Tiffeny Millbrett, to the U.S. Women’s National Team which will begin its 2006 schedule in China for the highly competitive Four Nations Tournament from Jan. 18-22. The tournament features four of the world’s top ten teams according the latest FIFA Women’s World Rankings. The USA is currently second, Norway is third, France is fifth and host China is ninth. A week of training at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., from Jan. 3-9, will precede the trip to the Far East.
Portland’s director of soccer Bill Irwin will coach the goalkeepers, while Pilot athletic trainer Todd Daniels is the team’s medical trainer.
The roster is chock full of youth as Ryan continues to give young players a chance to make an impact on the National Team. Twelve of the 28 players are 23 years old or younger, including all three current Pilots.
Lopez, Woznuk and Rapinoe were all members of the U.S. team that took third at the 2004 FIFA U-19 Women’s World Championship in Thailand. Both Woznuk and Rapinoe scored in the 3-0 victory over Brazil in the third place match. Lopez, who is age-eligible for the 2006 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Championship, has one senior team cap, earned at the Algarve Cup last year. Wozuk also has one cap, earned against Iceland at The Home Depot Center last July. This will be Rapinoe’s first call-up to the senior team. Like Woznuk, she scored three times for the USA in Thailand.
With a goal in the United States’ 7-0 win against Ukraine at Merlo Field last July, Milbrett became just the sixth player to score 100 international career goals, joining fellow Americans Mia Hamm (156), Michelle Akers (105) and Kristine Lilly (104).
The trip marks the fifth time the USA has traveled to China in January for the Four Nations tournament, also participating in 1998, 2002, 2003 and 2004. Three times the USA has won the tournament, which always features four of the strongest teams in the world, taking top honors in 1998, 2003 and 2004. The tournament in 1998 marked the first time the U.S. women had returned to China since winning the 1991 FIFA Women’s World Cup. When the Americans touch down in southeastern China, it will be the sixth time in the last nine years they will have traveled to China, which includes a trip in 2001 that featured two exhibitions against the Steel Roses.
The USA will open the tournament on Jan. 18 against long-time rival Norway before facing France on Jan. 20 during the second match day. The USA will finish the tournament on Jan. 22 with one of the world’s toughest international women’s matches, facing China on their home soil. All the U.S. games will kick off at 4 p.m. local / 3 a.m. ET.
China will also host the 2007 FIFA Women’s World Cup from Sept. 23-Oct. 13, 2007.
Roster by Position:
GOALKEEPERS (4): Nicole Barnhart, Jenni Branam, Briana Scurry, Hope Solo.
DEFENDERS (8): Lori Chalupny, Kendall Fletcher, Tina Frimpong, Amy LePeilbet, Stephanie Lopez, Heather Mitts, Jill Oakes, Christie Rampone.
MIDFIELDERS (9): Shannon Boxx, Carli Lloyd, Kristine Lilly, Marci Miller, Leslie Osborne, Lindsay Tarpley, Stacey Tullock, Aly Wagner, Angie Woznuk.
FORWARDS (7): Danielle Fotopoulos, Tiffeny Milbrett, Heather O’Reilly, Megan Rapinoe, India Trotter, Abby Wambach, Christie Welsh.
