Rob Coulter Tustin, Calif.. I am so disgusted with the women’s national team situation, and the selection of April Heinrichs over Lauren Gregg as coach just nauseates me. Granted Heinrichs was captain in the ’91 Cup, but she only has 40 something caps and I don’t think she has recent international experience. Julie Foudy, Michelle Akers, Carla Overbeck and Kristine Lilly all probably would make better coaches and all certainly have far more international experience. Of course, they are the “problem” aren’t they? What does SA think of the choice of Heinrichs? Mike Woitalla: Rob, letÆs start with your cap comparison. Heinrichs launched her U.S. playing career in an era when the team was lucky to play 10 games a year. In 1989, while Heinrichs was a key U.S. player, the team played one only game. Compare that to the last few years when the team played about 25 games annually. By the time the national team started playing once every couple weeks on average, Heinrichs, with a world title in hand and having scored 38 goals in 47 games in six years, retired to embark on a decade-long college head coaching career. She also served as assistant coach of the national team and was a part of its 1996 gold medal win. And she has been the U.S. U-16 head coach. (Plenty of recent international experience in my book.) Comparing caps, you see, doesnÆt indicate who would be a better coach. As far as comparing Heinrichs to Lauren Gregg? ThatÆs a call that those who are very close to the team and to the two candidates are best suited to make. GreggÆs work as assistant coach has been widely praised. I would speculate that Heinrichs got the nod because the bosses believed her to be a more commanding personality. You may have a good argument that Gregg would have been a better choice, but HeinrichsÆ credentials are easily good enough that the decision could hardly be considered controversial enough to yield the ôdisgustö you feel. Promoting an assistant coach to head coach often seems like a logical move, but it is not always the best one. There are examples in the past — and I am not saying this is the Gregg situation — where longtime assistant coaches have a difficult time making the adjustment to the head coach job because the dynamic of a head coach-player relationship is much different than the assistant coach-player relationship. As for the vague comment you make about the veterans being the ôproblemö? I can only say that promoting a current player to head coach would be a foolish decision, whether or not they are boycotting. (On a final note, Rob. You asked what SA thinks. However, the above response is my personal view and not necessarily shared by my SA colleagues.) (If you have a question for a Soccer America Magazine editor, click “Q&A with SA Editors” in the left column of the home page under “Interactive.”)