| | NEW YORK -- Now that the U.S. soccer team has its coach, she
wants her players.
"What I know about the players, I know they want to be on the
field and I know U.S. Soccer wants them on the field," new coach
April Heinrichs said Tuesday after being introduced as coach of the
world champion U.S. women's team.
Her first game will be a Feb. 6 exhibition against Norway at
Fort Lauderdale, Fla., but it's not clear if the women who won the
World Cup last summer will be with her. They are boycotting in a
pay dispute with the U.S. Soccer Federation.
"I know it hurts all of us," said Heinrichs, captain of the
U.S. team that won the first Women's World Cup in 1991. "I know we
all feel an urgency."
USSF executive director Hank Steinbrecher said a bargaining
session is scheduled for Monday in Los Angeles. He said the USSF
believed in parity between the money paid men and women on the U.S.
national teams, but the dispute is in the definition.
Because most of them now play with professional clubs, the U.S.
men are kept together only for short periods before games and
tournaments. The U.S. women, who do not have pro clubs or team
contracts, are together longer, costing the USSF more to house,
feed and travel.
Steinbrecher suggested that treatment of those expenses was an
issue. Also affecting talks are payments by FIFA. During the 1998
World Cup, the USSF received $800,000 per game from FIFA, and much
of that money went to the players. FIFA gave nothing to teams
during the 1999 Women's World Cup.
U.S. women claimed they were underpaid for their efforts last
summer, and got into a dispute with the USSF over a
post-championship tour.
"They were rewarded," Steinbrecher said. "Whether they were
rewarded to the amount of money they thought should be rewarded is
debatable."
With a group of college-age players, the Americans won a
four-nation exhibition tournament last week in Australia. But
Steinbrecher said fans shouldn't be misled.
"That's not a World Cup and that's not an Olympics," he said.
"Its very difficult from playing international friendlies to
playing tournament when gold medals are on the line."
Heinrichs, who turns 36 next month, was given a four-year
contract to replace Tony DiCicco, who quit last fall. An assistant
coach on the U.S. team that was eliminated in the semifinals of the
1995 Women's World Cup, she was coach of the Virginia women's team
for the past four years.
She is looking forward to FIFA starting a women's youth
tournament. The governing body is expected to vote in March to
start a Women's Under-21 Championship.
She also wants a U.S. women's league. Steinbrecher said he
expects one will start within two years and says it probably will
be financed by cable television networks.
"I think a women's professional league is around the corner,"
Heinrichs said. "It's going to happen."
U.S. player Julie Foudy was looking forward to playing under Heinrichs.
"April has been such a constant beam, source of light, for this team," Foudy said. "She is just an incredible leader, a great
motivater and a great tactician."
| |
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 April Heinrichs is named the USA Women's coach.
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April Heinrichs' Q&A period.
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