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POSTED: 2:07 pm MDT June 23,
2008
UPDATED: 2:36 pm MDT June 23,
2008
CHICAGO -- Goalkeeper Hope Solo was among 18 players picked Monday for the U.S. Olympic women's soccer roster.Briana Scurry, who took over from Solo for last year's World Cup semifinal loss to Brazil, was left off the roster by coach Pia Sundhage. Nicole Barnhart will be Solo's Olympic backup.The Beijing Games will mark the first time Scurry hasn't been on the U.S. roster for a major international event since the 1991 FIFA Women's World Cup. The veteran goalkeeper started for the United State at the 1995, 1999 and 2003 FIFA Women's World Cups and won gold medals at the 1996 and 2004 Olympics. Half the U.S. roster was part of the gold medal-winning U.S. team at the 2004 Athens Olympics. Defenders Christie Rampone and Kate Markgraf, the co-captains, will be in their third Olympics. Also returning from the 2004 team are defender Heather Mitts; midfielders Shannon Boxx, Angela Hucles, Heather O'Reilly, Lindsay Tarpley and Aly Wagner; and forward Abby Wambach. Midfielder Tobin Heath, who turned 20 last month, is the youngest player."There are many players that have a lot of experience and are very competitive in practice," said Sundhage. "They really show up for every training and want to perform every time they are on the field. It's good to see them train at a level that is close to the game. For all the coaches, we want to make practices as game-like as possible, and I never had to get on them or yell at them to work hard. They push themselves in a very nice way and that is why it is difficult to pick a team."The U.S. will open Olympic play on Aug. 6 against Norway in Qinhuangdao, China. The Americans will then face Japan on Aug. 9, also in Qinhuangdao, before finishing Group G play against New Zealand on Aug. 12 in Shenyang.
Previous Stories:
- May 1, 2008: Q&A With Soccer's Hope Solo
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