Publication Date: Friday Jul 2, 1999

WOMEN'S WORLD CUP: She's pioneering U.S. soccer success

Julie Foudy doesn't look or sound like your typical pioneer, a Johnny Appleseed-type trailblazer leaving something in her path for future generations. Yet, the 28-year-old Stanford graduate is quickly becoming to U.S. women's soccer what Peggy Fleming was to figure skating, Chris Evert was to tennis and Mary Lou Retton was to gymnastics.

In these days of the Women's World Cup '99, which continues Sunday at Stanford Stadium with a semifinal match at 1:30 p.m., Foudy has become a role model for the young female players of tomorrow with her determined, enthusiastic play.

"This is what the World Cup is all about," Foudy said before last night's 3-2 victory over Germany in Landover, Md., which advanced the U.S. to Sunday's Fourth of July match and qualified the Americans for the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. "You win these games or you're out. This is what this team thrives on."

While Foudy didn't contribute a goal last night, she did figure in the victory. No sooner was she subbed for Shannon MacMillan, that MacMillan booted a corner kick to Joy Fawcett, with Fawcett knocking home the header for the game-winner at 65:22.

The win kept alive the U.S. hopes and made for a happy homecoming for Foudy, who will bring with her a contagious exhuberance for the game. Sports Illustrated went so far as calling Foudy the Voice of America, a one-woman welcoming committee and no less than the USA's emcee for World Cup III--a three-week coming out party for women's soccer in this country.

While USA teammate Mia Hamm is the designated media star of the 16-team tournament, given her exposure in numerous commercials--including one where she competes in various sports against Michael Jordan--Hamm also has closed herself off to most radio and TV interviews and limited herself pretty much to postgame contact with the press.

While Foudy hasn't received the kind of attention accorded Hamm, she's equally up to the task of being a spokesperson for women's soccer--having started 136 of 138 matches through the 1998 season.

The veteran co-captain is a television personality in her own right, breaking new ground while working as an in-studio analyst for ESPN during the France '98 World Cup. She frequently appears on television talk shows (Late Night with Conan O'Brien in 1997), is regarded as the team's comedian and partial to playing pranks, and goes by the moniker "Rowdy Foudy", probably for saying things like calling her team "booters with hooters."

As for being a pioneer, the 5-foot-6, 130-pound Foudy fills that role as easily as being the USA team's vocal leader.

She was honored by the Los Angeles Times as the prep soccer Player of the Decade after being named Player of the Year in Southern California for three straight years while playing for Mission Viejo High.

As a 16-year-old in 1987, she joined the 15-year-old Hamm, Kristine Lilly, 16, and Joy Biefield (now Fawcett) 19 on a trip to China with the U.S. National Team. The decision to include that group has been heralded as the most important decision in U.S. women's soccer history.

Foudy continued to blaze trails when she arrived at Stanford in 1989, which coincides with the rise of the Stanford women's soccer program. Foudy was the team's first four-time All-America (1989-92 seasons), led the Cardinal to their first three NCAA tournament appearances, was named Soccer America National Player of the Year in 1991, and finished her collegiate career ranked second in points scored (136), goals (52) and assists (36).

During her time on The Farm, Foudy won a gold medal in China, where she played every minute of every match while helping pioneer America's first women's World Cup team in 1991. After graduating from Stanford in 1993 with a degree in biology, but decided against attending medical school in order to pursue her soccer dreams.

Foudy's importance to the team showed up again at the 1995 World Cup when the Americans finished third. Foudy, however, was on her honeymoon after marrying her former college coach, Ian Sawyers, and missed the tournament.

With Foudy back on board, the USA rebounded a year later to win the first-ever gold in women's soccer during the 1996 Olympic Olympics in Atlanta. In addition to beating China in the final, the Americans knocked off reigning World Cup champion Norway in a dramatic overtime victory in the semifinals. Foudy played every minute in all five matches.

After being shifted from defensive midfield to her natural attacking midfield position by U.S. head coach Tony DiCicco last season, Foudy scored a career-high six goals in 24 matches--helping the USA win the gold medal at the 1998 Goodwill Games.

That highlighted a season that saw the Americans finish 22-1-2 to earn the favorite's role for the '99 World Cup--giving the U.S. a chance to win on its home soil in front of a worldwide TV audience and recordbreaking crowds.

Foudy, now an 11-year veteran of the U.S. National Team, is a driving force behind what some experts are calling the best U.S. women's soccer team ever. The Americans possess too much skill, too much experience, too much speed and, apparently, too much of everything else for this year's World Cup field.

Expectations, of course, match the team's talent. The Americans expect to win it all when the finals are held July 10 at the Rose Bowl. With that accomplished, the focus will shift on developing a women's pro soccer league in this country.

And you know Julie Foudy will be there, blazing new trails like always. 

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