The U.S. women’s national team has taken a step backwards on its road to Atlanta.

Nine starters from the 1995 Women’s World Championship team — Michelle Akers, Joy Fawcett, Julie Foudy, Carin Gabarra, Mia Hamm, Kristine Lilly, Carla Overbeck, Briana Scurry and Tisha Venturini — will not participate in the U.S. camp set for Dec. 6-14 at the ARCO Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif., because they have not accepted contracts offered them by U.S. Soccer.

The nine were under contract this past year and were offered new contracts that would have made them full-time national team players through September 1996. Among the issues in dispute are the players’ Olympic performance bonuses and compensation during this past fall when the team was not in camp.

One player said that U.S. Soccer offered the players $250,000 if they win the gold medal at the first women’s Olympic soccer tournament next summer but nothing if they don’t win the gold besides the $2,500 they would get for making the team. Players without college coaching jobs are also unhappy that they were not paid during the fall. Plans for a fall training camp in Florida for these players were scrapped.

“I am deeply disappointed that many of our veteran players have opted not to renew their contracts,” said U.S. Soccer secretary general Hank Steinbrecher in a prepared statement. “We made good faith offers to continue to make our players the highest-compensated women’s national soccer team players in the world. While U.S. Soccer considers the details of our individual contract proposals proprietary, I can say that no soccer federation in the world provides the level of commitment — in terms of money, marketing and administrative support — to its women’s program as we do. That includes our efforts to bid to host the 1999 Women’s World Cup.”

Of the 11 starters in Sweden, only Linda Hamilton, who’s retired, and Tiffany Roberts, who must take her finals at North Carolina, are not on that list. Roberts’ UNC teammates, Staci Wilson and Debbie Keller, N.C. State’s Thori Staples and Notre Dame’s Holly Manthei and Kate Sobrero would also have been brought in, but they likewise had final exams.

Stuck in the middle is coach Tony DiCicco. One person familiar with DiCicco’s situation says U.S. Soccer is putting pressure on him to get his players in line. “I’m surprised,” said DiCicco of the contract squabble. “I understood there was a problem but I was hoping it was going to be resolved.

“We have a long time before the Olympics. Obviously I would like to have those players in camp to mesh with these young players… But we’re going to put together a competitive team for the Olympics.”

by Soccer America associate editor Dean Caparaz