John Mena Chesterfield, Mo. Now that Coach Tony DiCicco has left his position as U.S. women’s head coach to spend more time with his family, what do you think the chances of Debbie Keller and others getting on squad for the Olympics? Dean Caparaz: That’s a difficult question to answer, John, without knowing who the new U.S. women’s national team coach will be. To begin with, at least two U.S. Women’s World Cup players will have to be cut if the Olympic roster is set at 18 players, as expected. Tony DiCicco brought three goalkeepers to the World Cup, but the Olympic coach will likely bring just two, one of whom will be Briana Scurry. World Cup ’99 veterans Saskia Webber and Tracy Ducar will battle with younger keepers like Siri Mullinix and LaKeysia Beene for that second spot. A field player would also have to be cut. If Lauren Gregg or Jay Hoffman gets the job, I wouldn’t expect many changes from the team that won the World Cup. If Clive Charles gets the job, there is greater room for change. Both Charles, from coaching at Portland, and Gregg, from coaching the U.S. under-21 team, are familiar with the top young talent in the United States. Aly Wagner almost made the World Cup team and is playing well in her freshman season at Santa Clara. Danielle Slaton, Wagner’s Santa Clara teammate and a U.S. U-21 star, is a major talent and should be considered as an outside back for the senior national team. If Laurie Schwoy, who is currently red shirting at North Carolina, is healthy this spring, she’s a top candidate to make the Olympic team. Defender Michelle French has played well for the U.S. U-21s over the past few years and could get a longer look from Charles than the national team ever gave her before. When French was still playing for Charles at Portland, he told me, “She’s good enough to play for her country at left back.” And he didn’t mean the U-21s. Older players who have not played with the national team for a while, such as Thori Bryan, Debbie Keller and Staci Wilson, and others, like Justi Baumgardt, Natalie Neaton, Amanda Cromwell, deserve a look but are long shots to make the U.S. Olympic team. Having said that, I don’t believe the new coach should make drastic personnel changes for the Olympics. The Games will likely be the last hurrah for most of the veteran players, most of whom are past their prime. But they should have enough playing left in them to challenge for the gold medal. Indeed, the United States should be the favorite for the gold, followed by China and Brazil. Look for the new coach to make more changes in the starting lineup than in the actual roster. During the World Cup, DiCicco was asked almost daily if Shannon MacMillan would start over Cindy Parlow at forward, which didn’t happen except in an almost meaningless North Korea game. If Charles is head coach, MacMillan, the Portland graduate and assistant coach, might get the nod in Australia. (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.”)