A touch of the Irish

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Within hours of the U.S. women’s Olympic soccer team advancing to the medal round Friday, U.S. Soccer was sending out a press release touting a three match post-Olympics tour.

According to the federation, Coach Pia Sundhage’s squad -- clutching gold, silver, bronze or nothing at all -- will play Sept. 13 in Philadelphia, Sept. 17 in East Rutherford, N.J., and Sept. 20 in Chicago.

All three games will be against Ireland, and exactly what purpose they will serve, other than to recoup some of the money spent on getting the team to China, is highly debatable.

After the Beijing Olympics, the next meaningful game for the U.S. women won’t come until 2010 or 2011, when qualifying takes place for the 2011 Women’s World Cup in Germany.

--Grahame L. Jones

United States’ defender Heather Mitts, right, and Canada’s midfielder Brittany Timko, left, battle for the ball during a women’s quarterfinal soccer match at the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Shanghai, Friday, Aug. 15, 2008. AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko