Foudy Probably Will Play in Final

Chances are, Julie Foudy will be playing Thursday night when the United States faces Brazil in the gold medal game in women’s soccer.

Foudy, who injured her right foot during Monday night’s 2-1 overtime victory over Germany in the semifinals, was still on crutches Tuesday, but X-rays showed no bones had been broken when she was stepped on by German forward Isabel Bachor.

The U.S. captain was sidelined for a couple of minutes, then came back into the game, but she was unable to continue.

“I thought maybe if I gave it five minutes and ran around it might be one of those you can run off, but I clearly was not going to help the team,” she said.

“They think it’s the bones across the middle of the foot. The tendons and ligaments around those got strained because I was planted. But we have magicians, we call them the miracle workers, so if I can do it, I’ll do it. If not, there are plenty of other people to step in and do well.”

The Olympic final will be the last competitive match for Foudy and teammates Joy Fawcett and Mia Hamm.

“She’s going to do whatever she can with the trainers,” midfielder Kristine Lilly said. “She’s a fighter, and I know that she’ll do whatever she can to get on that field for us.”

“I don’t want to be hobbling around out there,” Foudy told Associated Press in Athens on Tuesday. “I just want to contribute. If I can do that, I’ll definitely be on the field.”

-- Grahame L. Jones