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Abby Wambach and the US Women's National Team return to Blackbaud Stadium, Sunday October 23
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9/13/2005 2:01:31 PM
USA WILL MEET MEXICO IN CHARLESTON, S.C. ON OCT. 23
Charleston, SC. The U.S. Women's National Soccer Team will face CONCACAF success story Mexico on Sunday, Oct. 23, at Blackbaud Stadium in Charleston, S.C. with kickoff set for 1 p.m. ET. Tickets for the USA-Mexico game range in price from $18 to $38 and go on sale starting Thursday (September 15) at 10 a.m. ET on-line at ussoccer.com, at all South Carolina Ticketmaster outlets (including Publix), at the Blackbaud Stadium Box Office (Monday – Friday; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.) and by phone (843-554-6060). Groups of 15 or more can call U.S. Soccer at 312-528-1290 or obtain a group order form at ussoccer.com.
The U.S. women are undefeated under new head coach Greg Ryan, going 7-0-0 in 2005 and have yet to surrender a goal this year. The USA’s eight-game streak of shutouts stretches back to the final game of 2004, a 5-0 win over Mexico at the HDC, and now stands at 748 total minutes (which includes the final 28 minutes of the previous match against Denmark). Three goalkeepers have shared those minutes, with Briana Scurry, Nicole Barnhart and Hope Solo all seeing time in the U.S. nets during the streak. Solo has five shutouts this year while Barnhart has picked up the other two.
While the U.S. roster will not announced until early October, it should include many veteran players, including team captain Kristine Lilly, who likely will be going for her 299th career cap in the match, and star strikers Abby Wambach and Tiffeny Milbrett, who is currently in Sweden playing out the season with Sunnana SK. In addition, the roster should feature numerous U.S. stalwarts, including midfielder Shannon Boxx, and central defenders Cat Reddick and Kate Markgraf, who have all played major roles in the USA’s streak of shutout soccer. The USA’s leading scorer this year is forward Christie Welsh, who has seven goals, and had scored in every match this year until failing to find the net against Iceland in the USA’s most recent game. Forward Danielle Fotopoulos has put up two straight two-goal games in wins over Ukraine and Iceland.
It will be the USA's first visit to South Carolina since February of 2003 and first visit to the southern part of the United States since July of 2004. Both of the USA's previous matches in South Carolina have been played at Blackbaud Stadium. The USA and Mexico previously met at the quaint facility, home of the United Soccer Leagues First Division’s Charleston Battery, with the USA coming out with a rain-drenched 7-0 win at the beginning of 2002. The USA also defeated Iceland there in February of 2003 on a first-minute goal from Mia Hamm.
The USA has played Mexico 11 times since 2000, the year after Mexico made history by qualifying for the 1999 Women's World Cup to become the first Spanish-speaking country to qualify for the biggest tournament in women’s soccer.
The Mexican women shocked the world, and Canada even more, by defeating the Maple Leafs in qualifying for the 2004 Olympics to earn a post in their second women’s world championship. Mexico even advanced out of group play in Greece, but fell to a powerful Brazilian team in the quarterfinals.
Mexican head coach Leo Cuellar, himself a former Mexican National Team player and captain, has led the Mexican women to unprecedented heights in the last six years, using a quality mix of Mexico-born and U.S.-based players to form a team that has risen to 25th in the FIFA Women’s World Rankings, a remarkable feat considering the Mexican Women's National Team was almost non-existent prior to 1998.
Mexico played its best game ever against the USA in Olympic qualifying in Costa Rica in March of 2004, going up 2-0 early on the Americans before the U.S. team stormed back for a 3-2 victory.
The USA last faced Mexico in the farewell match for legends Julie Foudy, Mia Hamm and Joy Fawcett, on Dec. 8, 2004, during the 5-0 win that started the shutout streak. Prior to that game, Mexico had played the USA close in the five previous matches, although the USA has won all 15 games between the two teams.
The game will be broadcast live on ESPN2 and Telemundo, and comes just one week after the team returns to action on Oct. 16 with a match against Australia at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. (live on ESPN2 at 3 p.m. PT).
For ticket information log on to ussoccer.com
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Don't let an injury hurt your game
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Official Yoga Teacher of the Battery ~
Sign up for Yoga
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Official Dentist of the Charleston Battery
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