The following are quotes from the U.S. media conference June 23 in Chicago with U.S. coach Tony DiCicco and players Mia Hamm, Tiffeny Milbrett and Carla Overbeck. Note: Starting U.S. defender Kate Sobrero twisted her right ankle in practice today. X-rays were negative. She has a Grade I ankle sprain and is day-to-day. U.S. team doctor Mark Adams will make a determination on her status for tomorrow’s game against Nigeria after seeing how she responds to treatment. She has not been ruled out of the games.
Tony DiCicco
On Possible Options To Replace Kate Sobrero: “We have a lot of other options with Sara Whalen, Christie Pearce, Lorrie Fair or anyone else on this team. We have good depth at that position. Kate has been playing great and we hope that it is not a serious injury but it would have been a miracle to go the entire tournament with the same lineup so we have been mentally prepared for an event like this. Regardless, I have not made a decision yet.”
On Christie Pearce: “Christie has been playing solid for us. She has learned the outside and inside defensive positions well and is one of our best athletes on the team and definitely one of the fastest. She has a great long service out of the back and she can be a good option for us in this situation.”
On Kate Sobrero Injury: “There was no contact. She just went up to head the ball and came down on her ankle wrong in today’s scrimmage.”
On Sara Whalen: “Sara is also one of our fastest players and is one of the fastest players I have ever seen coming forward with the ball. We would be able to use her speed against a team like Nigeria.”
On the Match Against Nigeria Tomorrow Night: “Clearly a big game for both teams and will be hotly contested. If we get three points we are in the second round and we qualify for the Olympics and I know that is how Nigeria is looking at it as well. Nigeria has improved technically over the years and they have better soccer players than they have ever had before. They have improved tremendously since 1995 and that is great for the game. Nigeria is a soccer country with a lot of tradition and the women are gaining recognition as well.”
On Nigeria’s Speed: “It’s not like we haven’t played against teams with speed before. Denmark had two very fast players, but the difference with Nigeria is they have speed all over the field. We are prepared to deal with it. We need to be very organized on defense to help contain them, but it is a two way street because they have to deal with containing us as well.”
On the Sellout Crowd Tomorrow in Chicago: “It will be very moving for us as it was at the opener at Giants Stadium. These crowds have been very impressive to us. Having a sold out crowd in a great soccer city like Chicago is going to help us. This event is really catching on in the mainstream of America.”
On David Letterman’s Recent Support for the USA Squad: “Dave has picked up a strong interest in the team and the team has picked up strong interest in Dave. He has been having a lot of fun with the tournament and the team and it sounds like they want to do some more with us during the event, but as much as I would like to meet David Letterman we still have to stay very focused on winning games.”
Mia Hamm
On What The Team Needs To Do Against Nigeria To Have Success: “We need to possess the ball well tomorrow night. We need to pick our times, and not rush anything. We have to have a very strong game as a team.”
Tiffeny Milbrett
On The Game Against Nigeria: “You are going to see a different team on the field for the U.S. on Thursday. It is so important for us to get the first match out of the way after months and months of anticipation. We just needed to get it out of our systems and in the first game we let our nerves get the better of us in the first half.”
On Nigeria: “They play a lot like their men’s team, they are very clever with the ball and we’ve learned from watching them that we have to stay organized as a team and absorb their attack. We can’t let them get numbers on us when they attack.”
Carla Overbeck
On Nigeria’s Mercy Akide: “Mercy has great skills and is very good on the ball and she is helped greatly by her teammates making great runs off the ball as well. She is very strong in the air and scrappy. We just need to play our game.”
On Nigeria: “Nigeria is a very good soccer country and their team is very athletic and fast. Their speed up top makes them very dangerous.”
On Kate Sobrero Injury: “I do not know what Tony is planning. We have lots of options and a number of systems that we can play. I do know that whoever is called upon will come in and do a fantastic job.”
