FIFA Women’s World Cup 2007: Four Days Away

U.S. Team Stars Kristine Lilly, Abby Wambach and Hope Solo Begin Competition
Tuesday on ESPN2; All 32 Matches Available on ESPN360.com

With the kick-off of the FIFA Women’s World Cup in China less than four days

away, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN360.com analyst Julie Foudy, former captain of the U.S. Women’s National Team and soccer hall-of-famer, offers some insight on key storylines for the world’s most prestigious women’s team sports event.

Julie Foudy on what to look for as the three-week tournament unfolds:

• “One of my favorite players is Brazilian midfielder Marta Vieira da Silva, the 2006 FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year.  She stands a class apart from the other players.  I’d watch to see how well she’ll do and how much she can dominate in this tournament.”

• “North Korea (Korea DPR) is a mystery.  They won the U-20 FIFA Women’s World Cup and are ranked No. 5 in FIFA ranking for women’s national teams.  The North Korean team is very technical, disciplined. How far has the team come?  We’ll find out when they face the U.S. team Tuesday (Sept. 11).”

• “How will the U.S. Team react to adversity?  This team has yet to lose a match since we (Foudy, Mia Hamm and Fawcett) retired.  They have actually never been down in any match and 12 players on the roster are making their World Cup debuts in China.  The No. 1-ranked U.S. team is in the toughest group ever in Women’s World Cup history – joined by No. 3 Sweden, No. 5 North Korea and perennial African champions, Nigeria.  How the U.S. Team reacts to the adversity they’ll face in the first round will be a major storyline in this tournament.”  

• “The making of soccer legend, Kristine Lilly.  Going into her fifth Women’s World Cup (1991, ’95, ’99, 2003 and ’07) at 36, Kristine is still competing at the highest level in the sport.”

ESPN360.com

ESPN360.com, the premiere broadband service from ESPN, will offer live online coverage of all 32 matches of the tournament, including all U.S. matches, as well as the semifinals, third-place and title matches.   ESPN360.com is available free to consumers nationwide in more than 15 million homes that receive their high-speed Internet service from among more than 20 affiliated providers.  For more information, visit www.espn360.com.

FIFA Women's World Cup on ESPN Classic

ESPN Classic will carry an extensive re-air schedule of the FIFA Women's World Cup from Beijing.  Because the matches are so early in the morning, ESPN Classic will offer matches at 5 p.m. on weekdays and at noon on weekends.

FIRST WEEK SCHEDULE OF FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP ON ESPN AND ESPN

(Subject to change)

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