New U.S. Soccer Coach Already Has Full Plate

On her first day as coach of the U.S. women’s national soccer team, April Heinrichs finds herself beset by problems:

* There’s the contract dispute with U.S. Soccer that has left all 20 members of the 1999 Women’s World Cup-winning team “unemployed,” to quote Hank Steinbrecher, the federation’s secretary general.

* There’s the difficulty of finding an assistant coach or two, and whether to consider former assistants Lauren Gregg and Jay Hoffman, both of whom wanted the job that is now hers.

* There’s the worry of not living up to her predecessors, Anson Dorrance and Tony DiCicco, each of whom led the U.S. to a world championship.

* There’s the question of having to coach players she once played with and what their reaction will be.

* There’s the fact that she has less than three weeks to find and prepare a team to meet 1995 world champion and longtime U.S. nemesis Norway at Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on Feb. 6.

And in the distance loom the 2000 Sydney Olympics, which the U.S. will come into as the reigning gold medalist.

But none of those problems pose the greatest challenge to Heinrichs, who Tuesday was officially named not only coach of the national team but technical director overseeing all of the federation’s women’s teams.

“I think the biggest challenge will be whittling a player pool of about 41 people that I have on a list right now down to 16 [for the Olympics],” Heinrichs said. “So already four from the World Cup roster will not make it. That’s a huge challenge.”

Heinrichs, 35, was given a four-year contract by U.S. Soccer, meaning that it will carry through the next Women’s World Cup in 2003 but not the 2004 Athens Olympics.

Born in Littleton, Colo., and now living in Charlottesville, Va., Heinrichs has coached the U.S. Under-16 national team since 1997. She was an assistant under DiCicco and alongside Gregg on the 1995 Women’s World Cup team and the victorious 1996 Olympic team.

A three-time NCAA winner under Dorrance at North Carolina and captain of the U.S. team that Dorrance coached to the world championship in China in 1991, she retired after the 2-1 victory over Norway in the final and since then has coached at the universities of Maryland and Virginia.

“I’ve known April since she was a youth player in Colorado and I was Colorado [state soccer association] president,” Dr. Robert S. Contiguglia, U.S. Soccer’s president, said Tuesday.

“I remember watching her dribble around players and terrorizing goalkeepers. That personality and that style and that vibrancy and that charisma has carried her through to today, and we are very, very proud to have her as our national team coach.”

Seven current national team players--Michelle Akers, Brandi Chastain, Joy Fawcett, Julie Foudy, Mia Hamm, Kristine Lilly and Carla Overbeck--played alongside Heinrichs on the 1991 world championship team, but Heinrichs said her new role as their coach should pose no difficulty.

“I coached them in ’95 and I coached them in ’96 and I had what I felt was a very healthy and respectful player-coach relationship,” she said. “I’m looking forward to picking up where we left off in ’96.”

Foudy said the veterans are pleased with the choice of Heinrichs. Overbeck was on the selection committee.

“From the players’ perspective, we were happy with all the candidates that they talked to,” Foudy said. “Ultimately, we understood and were appreciative of the fact that at least they were getting our input, which was important to the team.

“I think there were a lot of good candidates and probably more than one or two who could have taken this team and done well.”

Heinrichs, Foudy said, “is an incredible leader and just a gifted motivator and a great tactician. So the team was very excited when she was given the job.”

Gregg had been the senior assistant coach for a decade and was the logical successor when DiCicco stepped down in November. However, U.S. Soccer pursued Heinrichs, who had not initially applied for the post, believing, she said, that her turn would come later.

“When Tony resigned, I was convinced that I would stay the course at Virginia and that in four or five or six years, maybe if this job opened up again, I’d have an opportunity to be the top candidate,” she said.

But U.S. Soccer wanted a clean break from the DiCicco era and Gregg lost out.

“I have not spoken to Lauren. I’m not sure it’s my place to say anything,” Heinrichs said.

”. . . I’ve known Lauren for about 12 years, maybe more. I think Lauren will be tremendously supportive. She knows what it takes and she knows how important the support is from the soccer community for a national team coach to be successful.”

The only comment Heinrichs would make about the labor dispute with the world champions, who have declined to play until a new contract is agreed upon, was that she is “hopeful that U.S. Soccer and the players come together.”

A meeting is scheduled in Los Angeles on Monday between the two sides.