The U.S. women’s national team will travel to Japan in May to play the Japanese women’s national team in three matches, all preliminary games to the Kirin Cup, a men’s national team tournament featuring 1998 World Cup participants Japan and Paraguay, as well as the Czech Republic. Japan was one of the first teams to qualify for the 1999 Women’s World Cup, earning one of three Asian berths by finishing third at the Asian Cup in China last December. The U.S. women are 7-0-0 lifetime against Japan, including matches at both the 1991 and 1995 Women’s World Cups, winning 3-0 in a first round game in China in ’91 and 4-0 in the quarterfinals in Sweden in ’95. The U.S. women open the tour on May 17 at National Stadium in Tokyo, followed by the Japan vs. Paraguay men’s game. The USA will then travel to Kobe, where it will play on May 21 in Memorial Stadium, followed by the Paraguay vs. Czech Republic match. The U.S. concludes the three-game series on May 24 at International Stadium in Yokohama, followed by Japan vs. Czech Republic. “This will give us a great look at one of our major Asian challengers,” said U.S. head coach Tony DiCicco. “Japan is one of the most improved teams since the 1991 World Cup and the games will be an opportunity to get our best team together as we continue our evolution in preparing for the World Cup in ’99.” If U.S. midfielder Kristine Lilly plays in all national team games until then, the first and second games in Japan will see her tie and break the all-time world record, men or women, for international soccer appearances. Lilly currently has 146 caps, and is six short of breaking Norwegian Heidi Stoere’s world record of 151. Following the Japan tour, the U.S. women will head for Washington, D.C. in preparation for their May 30 clash with New Zealand at RFK Stadium. The New Zealand match will be part of a doubleheader with the men’s national team, which meets Scotland in it’s final World Cup ’98 tuneup.