U.S. Has No Luck in Draw
As the draw for the Women’s World Cup unfolded Thursday at the Home Depot Center, an uneasy Mia Hamm leaned over and whispered to Julie Foudy.
Hamm, who will be playing in her final World Cup, did not like what she was seeing and mentioned to her teammate about how tough a group the U.S. -- defending World Cup champion and the top-ranked team in the world -- was being placed in for the four-group, 16-nation tournament.
“It’s a tough draw,” Hamm said later about Group A, where the U.S. was seeded first in what many were referring to as the “Group of Death.” “But to be the best you’ve got to play the best. We understand that.
“It’s going to be a fight the entire way. You have to go with the mind-set that that’s the group you’re going to get.”
In group play, the U.S. will play Sweden, ranked fifth in the world, at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 21, Nigeria at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Sept. 25 and North Korea at Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio, on Sept. 28.
Should the United States finish in the top two of its group, it would advance to the quarterfinals in Foxboro, Mass., on Oct. 1.
The semifinals are scheduled for Oct. 5 in Portland, Ore., with the title match scheduled for Oct. 12 at the Home Depot Center. The third-place game, between the two semifinal losers, is scheduled for Oct. 11, also in Carson.
Group D -- China, Ghana, Australia and Russia -- will play its opening-round matches at the Home Depot Center.
On Sept. 21, China will play Ghana and Australia will play Russia. Four days later, China will meet Australia and Ghana will face Russia.
The group then moves to PGE Park in Portland, Ore., for two matches Sept. 28.
Having to play six matches in six cities in order to successfully defend its World Cup title makes the United States’ chore all the more arduous, even if it is playing host to the quadrennial tournament for a second consecutive time. The tournament was moved from China this spring due to the SARS outbreak.
Besides, Foudy said, parity has entered women’s soccer.
“It’s difficult because you look around and they’re all good teams,” she said. “Before, you could look around and say, ‘Oh, that’s an easy game. That’s an easy game.’ Now, it’s not that way. I think that’s a good thing for soccer.
“All the groups are tough.”
Group B, considered the second hardest, comprises Norway, France, Brazil and South Korea and plays matches in Philadelphia, Washington and Foxboro.
Group C, made up of Germany, Canada, Japan and Argentina, will play the majority of its matches in Columbus with a game each in Washington and Foxboro.
