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Playing a woman down U.S. could be without injured Sobrero against Nigeria
Posted: Wednesday June 23, 1999 09:16 PM
CHICAGO (AP) -- After weeks of hearing how incredibly deep the talent pool of the U.S. Women's World Cup team is, it might have to show it. Starting defender Kate Sobrero is questionable for Thursday's game against Nigeria at Soldier Field after spraining her right ankle Wednesday during practice. Sobrero, who has started all but one game this season, had to be carried off the field. A decision on whether she'll play will be made after more treatment Thursday. "I hope it's not as serious as to keep her out of the match," coach Tony DiCicco said. "Kate's been playing great and we hope she's able to go. If not, we've got a lot of options." Sobrero was hurt when she and Joy Fawcett went up for a ball. There was no contact, but Sobrero landed awkwardly on the bumpy field and twisted her ankle. She was unable to put any weight on the foot. "It's a bit unfortunate it happened the day before the game because there's not much time to recover, but we're completely confident in the reserves," starting forward Cindy Parlow said. While losing a starter is never ideal, DiCicco built his roster for a situation like this. In the days before he announced his World Cup roster, he tried to think of every possible problem that could arise and then come up with a contingency plan for it. Some of his final cuts came down simply to which positions had more depth. Tiffany Roberts, Christie Pearce, Lorrie Fair or Sara Whalen are the likely replacements if Sobrero can't play. Another option is a return to the 3-4-3 formation that the United States used for many years. "We have options, based on the athleticism and speed of the Nigerians, that we can use," DiCicco said. "If we need to, we'll certainly reach into our athletic players to help out." And going to the U.S. reserves isn't like looking down the bench and pointing to the gawky kid who's only one step above the water boy. This team has, for the most part, been together for years. They know each other's playing styles almost as well as they know their own. Mia Hamm, Julie Foudy and Michelle Akers weren't on the field the entire time as the United States went 15-2-1 in pre-World Cup matches. The reserves got plenty of minutes, and everyone on the roster started at least one game this season. If Sobrero can't play, they'll adjust, starting forward Tiffeny Milbrett said. "You do lose a little bit of your rhythm, but everyone's played so many times together," Milbrett said. "At any given time, I believe he [DiCicco] could take one player off and put another on and we'd be just as good." Sobrero is the the first option. The 22-year-old from Notre Dame has turned into one of the team's biggest surprises since she was invited to training camp in January 1998. She quickly worked her way into the starting lineup, and despite being less experienced than the other starters -- she has 27 appearances with the national team while seven of the other 10 starters have more than 100 -- plays like a veteran. In Saturday's 3-0 victory over Denmark, she had two impressive plays in front of the net, including one early in the game when it was still scoreless. One of the fastest players on the team, she excels at tracking down players who've managed to break free. "Kate's been playing great and I'd feel badly if she's not able to play," DiCicco said. "She deserves the chance to continue playing in the World Cup and establishing herself as one of the best defenders in the world. And I think she's well on her way to doing that."
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