Sept. 8, 2001

Three former Notre Dame women’s soccer players-defenders Kate Sobrero (’98) and Kelly Lindsey (’01) and goalkeeper LaKeysia Beene (’00)-have been named to the 18-player United States team that will compete in the upcoming 2001 Nike U.S. Women’s Cup-a four-team tournament that promises to bring six world class matches to three Midwest venues.

Sobrero, Lindsey and Beene emerged from a four-day training camp, after which the list of 24 invitees was trimmed to the current 18-player roster. The U.S. will play three games vs. some of the world’s top teams, with each of the games to be shown live on ESPN or ESPN2.

Notre Dame and North Carolina were the only schools with more than two former or current players on the final 18-player roster.

The U.S. will face Germany on Sunday, Sept. 9, at Chicago’s Soldier Field, with the game to be shown live on ESPN at noon CT. The Americans then will tangle with Japan on Tuesday, Sept. 11, at Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio (9:00 p.m. ET, live on ESPN2) before facing world power China on Sunday, Sept. 16, at Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium (noon CT, live on ESPN).

Sobrero has appeared in 66 games with the U.S. Women’s National Team and was a starter on the 1999 World Cup championship team. Beene and Lindsey-who recently helped the Bay Area CyberRays win the inaugural title of the Women’s United Soccer Association-both spent time in the U.S. under–21 program, with Beene also playing on several u-21 Nordic Cup teams. Both also played on a young U.S. team that won the Australia Cup tournament in January of 2000.

Some of the more noteworthy veterans of the women’s national team on the current 18-player roster include forwards Tiffeny Milbrett, Mia Hamm and Cindy Parlow, midfielders Shannon MacMillan, Julie Foudy and Kristine Lilly, and defenders Sobrero, Brandi Chastain and Joy Fawcett.

Beene and former George Mason four-time All-American Jaime Pagliarulo comprise the U.S. goaltending tandem for the Nike Cup (Pagliarulo played with the WUSA’s San Diego Spirit).

In addition to Sobrero and Lindsey, the other five players listed as defenders on the roster include Chastain, Fawcett, Heather Mitts (Florida) and current UNC players Jena Kluegel and Cat Reddick.

The match against China marks the first meeting between the teams on American soil since the historic Women’s World Cup Final on July 10, 1999.

The Americans will face three talented teams, as all three nations bring rosters stocked with their top players. Germany is coming off its glorious victory at the 2001 European Women’s Championships. The Germans hosted the event and delighted their country with a 1-0 victory over Sweden on a “golden goal” by Claudia Muller. While Philadelphia Charge captain Doris Fitschen has retired from international competition, Germany brings a roster stocked with veterans, including some extremely talented attacking personalities in Muller, Birgit Prinz, Martina Muller, Sandra Smisek and Renate Lingor. Germany’s long-time first-choice goalkeeper Silke Rottenberg should be in the nets for her country.

China also brings a roster stocked with some of the world’s best players. All six Chinese players in the WUSA have been called for the event: Fan Yunjie and Wen Lirong of the San Diego Spirit, Goa Hong of the New York Power, Sun Wen of the Atlanta Beat, Bai Jie of the Washington Freedom and Liu Ailing of the Philadelphia Charge. While Japan’s only superstar is Homare Sawa of the Beat, they will bring eight of the 11 starters who tied the USA 1-1 on Dec. 17, 2000, in Phoenix, Arizona-including Sawa, who the scored the goal in that match.

United States Women’s Soccer National Team 18-Player Roster
2001 Nike U.S. Women’s Cup (Chicago, Columbus & Kansas City, Sept. 9 ,11 and 16)