Forward Shannon MacMillan, stunningly left off the 18-player Olympic roster, has returned to the U.S. women's national soccer team's Residency in Carson, Calif., as one of four alternates for the Athens Games.

Midfielders Lorrie Fair and Tiffany Roberts also have returned to camp as alternates, and Sweden-based goalkeeper Hope Solo will join the U.S. squad in Greece as the fourth alternate.

MacMillan, a standout for the U.S. women since the 1996 Olympics, triumphantly made the roster for last year's Women's World Cup after suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament in May. She struggled to return to her pre-knee surgery form, and Heinrichs instead selected speedy teen Heather O'Reilly for the Olympic roster.

MacMillan, 29, has scored 60 goals in 171 appearances with the U.S. women, but she's seen only 19 minutes of action — in a 1-1 tie June 4 against Japan in Louisville — since Residency opened in April. She's played in 12 of 16 U.S. games this year but was a starter in only two matches after the Four Nations tournament in China in January.

Roberts, 27, a versatile midfielder whose forte is one-on-one defending, has made 107 appearances for the U.S. women but only two this year, both at the Four Nations event. She has been in camp throughout Residency but made only one game roster, for the 1-0 victory over Canada on July 3 in Nashville, in which she did not play. Heinrichs announced the Olympic roster in advance of that game.

Fair, 25, played in the 1999 Women's World Cup and 2000 Olympics but was dropped from the U.S. roster during the buildup to the Women's World Cup. She returned to the team, on a trial basis, in May and was on the roster but did not play in the win over Canada. Fair, the sideline reporter for ESPN's MLS broadcasts, has 114 caps.

Solo, who was in the U.S. camp in late May and early June, has posted seven shutouts in 12 matches with Kopparbergs/Goteborg in the Swedish Damallsvenskan. She has earned 12 caps, the most recent in 2002.

Solo, who will turn 23 on July 30, will be with the U.S. team in Greece, ready to step in should Briana Scurry or Kristin Luckenbill be injured. Olympic officials must approve all roster changes.

MacMillan, Roberts and Fair will remain in the United States and fly to Greece should they be required to replace another player on the roster.