U.S. women’s national team notes from Columbus, Ohio USA vs. CANADA November 11, 2000 Columbus Crew Stadium 4 p.m. ET – LIVE ON ESPN2 USA ARRIVES IN CHILLY COLUMBUS The U.S. women’s national team, or at least part of the team, arrived in Columbus, Ohio, on Thursday night. The USA’s Northeast contingent of Sara Whalen, Kate Sobrero, Christie Pearce, Saskia Webber and Kristine Lilly could not get out of Newark airport that night, so they returned to their homes and took an early Friday morning flight, planning to make the 11 a.m. training (moved from 10 a.m. to accommodate the late arrivals). That flight was also delayed, causing the five players to miss what was a spirited training session in near-freezing temperatures on a slippery field at the Columbus Crew Training Center in Obetz, Ohio. U.S. coach April Heinrichs conducted her practice, the first one since the day before the Olympic gold medal game, with 12 players as the USA ran through its one and only training before facing Canada tomorrow at Columbus Crew Stadium. After the fast-paced training finished with some crossing and finishing, the players signed autographs for about 50 hearty fans who had braved the icy winds to get their favorite players’ signatures, while a half dozen players retreated to the warmth of the Crew locker room for media interviews. A BUSY FRIDAY With league meetings for the general managers of the Women’s United Soccer Association (WUSA) taking place in Columbus, the USA players had a busy day of introductions to team and league staff, meetings themselves with the GMs, interviews with media, team meetings, and for Brandi Chastain, a clinic at a local middle school for Allstate. In addition, Chastain, Shannon MacMillan and Sara Whalen took a half hour during the evening to speak with the four Ohio girl’s high school teams who will play for state championships tomorrow before and after the USA-Canada match at Crew Stadium. In between, the U.S. players somehow fit in breakfast, lunch and dinner, and for several of the USA’s twentysomethings, as well as Joy Fawcett, her husband and two daughters, the requisite trip to the mall. Seven U.S. players did interviews for an upcoming series to air on Fox Sports Net titled tentatively “Beyond the Game” which will chronicle the success of the U.S. women over the past decade. Five more players and Heinrichs did sound bites for the ESPN broadcast tomorrow. BACK ON GRASS The U.S. Women’s National Team returns to the field for the first time since the heartbreaking, 3-2, loss to Norway in the Olympic gold medal game on Sept. 28. The three-game “Glory Tour” will take the USA to three cities and three time zones across the United States in celebration of an historic and glorious year for women’s soccer. Coming off the watershed 1999 campaign in which the U.S. women and their World Cup victory was the top sports story of the year, the “Girls of Summer” entered 2000 with a celebrity and recognition never before afforded to American soccer players, men or women. The U.S. women won six tournaments in 2000, losing only the Olympic tournament. OVERBECK TO PLAY FINAL THREE MATCHES FOR USA The three “Glory Tour” games will be the final three national team matches for Carla Overbeck, one of the legends of the U.S. women’s national team. Overbeck, who captained the USA to the 1996 Olympic gold medal and the 1999 Women’s World Cup title, was also a starter on the ’91 Women’s World Cup championship team and the ’95 Women’s World Cup team. She has played 165 times for the USA, despite taking a year off to have a son after the ’96 Olympics. Until becoming a reserve for the Olympics, Overbeck played every minute of the 1991, 1995 and 1999 Women’s World Cups as well as the 1996 Olympics. ABSENT Two members of the 2000 Olympic Team will miss the Canada match. Defender Danielle Slaton, the only collegian on the Olympic roster is playing the end of her season with Santa Clara University while goalkeeper Briana Scurry had family commitments. One or both may join to the team for the final two games of the “Glory Tour.” Goalkeeper Saskia Webber, the back-up on the 1999 Women’s World Cup championship team, was a late call-in to replace Scurry. Webber last played for the USA on Feb. 6, 2000, in a 3-2 loss to Norway in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.