Teen Star on Gold Cup Soccer Squad

There were a few surprises Wednesday when U.S. women’s national team Coach April Heinrichs named her 18-player roster for this month’s CONCACAF Women’s Gold Cup, which also serves as the qualifying tournament for the 2003 FIFA Women’s World Cup in China.

The biggest surprise was the inclusion of Heather O’Reilly, a 17-year-old high school senior from East Brunswick, N.J., and one of the stars on the U.S. team that won the inaugural FIFA Under-19 Women’s World Championship in Canada this summer. For the most part, though, the roster has a veteran look and includes five of the players who were on the world championship-winning teams of 1991 and 1999 as well as the 1996 Olympic gold medal team: Brandi Chastain, Joy Fawcett, Julie Foudy, Mia Hamm and Kristine Lilly.

Also on the roster are Lorrie Fair, Angela Hucles, Shannon MacMillan, Tiffeny Milbrett, Cindy Parlow, Siri Mullinix, Cat Reddick, Tiffany Roberts, Briana Scurry, Danielle Slaton, Kate Sobrero and Aly Wagner.

The Oct. 27-Nov. 9 Gold Cup will be played in Pasadena, Fullerton, Seattle and Victoria, Canada. The U.S. plays Mexico, Trinidad and Tobago and Panama in the first round.