China’s misfortune with the SARS epidemic may turn out to be
a silver lining for ARCO U.S. Olympic Training Center veteran Aly Wagner.
As a direct result of the infectious respiratory tract ailment,
FIFA — the world’s governing body of soccer — has moved the
2003 Women’s World Cup from China to the United States.
Wagner figures to play a key role on Team USA’s 2003 World
Cup team — and likely beyond. Many U.S. national team veterans are expected
to retire from international play following the 2004 Summer Olympic Games.
Wagner, 22, is being groomed as one of its young lionesses.
Final selections are expected to take place in August in preparation
for the Women’s World Cup later this fall.
In the meantime, Wagner has received an ample opportunity to
showcase herself for U.S. national team head coach April Heinrichs. She was
one of four Spirit players selected to play in the 2003 Hyundai WUSA All-Star
Game June 19 in Cary, N.C. She started the match — pitting the American
Stars against the World Stars — along with teammates Julie Foudy and
Joy Fawcett. Also selected to participate in the match, won 3-2 by the World
Stars, was teammate Christine Latham (World Stars).
The game served as a unique preview of the upcoming Women’s
World Cup, as most of the top international players expected to play in this
fall’s tournament competed either for the American Stars or the World
Stars. All but one of the players selected for the American Stars in this
year’s WUSA All-Star Game is expected to be named to the U.S. Women’s
World Cup team.
Wagner tied for second place in the skills competition won by
Mexican international Maribel Dominguez of the Atlanta Beat.
Wagner’s ties to the Chula Vista training site go back
to stints with the under-16, under-20 and under-21 U.S. national teams before
making the jump to the senior national team. She helped lead the under-21
team to the 1999, 2000 and 2002 Nordic Cup championships in Iceland, Germany
and Finland, respectively.
At the tender age of 18, she was a member of the 1999 USA World
Cup and Olympic team residency camps.
April Heinrichs on
Wagner
Heinrichs is well aware of Wagner’s abilities after coaching her on
the under-16 national team in 1996-97.
“I just want to keep trying to improve wherever I can and let the chips
fall where they may,” said Wagner, who scored two spectacular goals
to help the U.S. team win the championship title of the prestigious Algarve
Cup in Portugal in March.
The top draft pick in the 2003 WUSA draft, the San Jose native concluded
a stellar collegiate career with Santa Clara University as the 2002 MAC Hermann
Trophy winner (emblematic as college soccer’s top player). She was also
the winner of the NCAA Top VIII award that goes to the top eight student-athletes
from all NCAA divisions and sports combined.
Wagner helped lead Santa Clara to the 2001 NCAA championship, scoring the
winning goal in a 1-0 victory against the University of North Carolina. She
was named Offensive MVP of the Final Four.
Wagner was among four Spirit players named to the U.S. national team roster
for the Americans’ 5-0 victory against Ireland June 15 in Salt Lake
City. Joining the skillful young midfielder were Fawcett, Foudy and goalkeeper
Jamie Pagliarulo. Foudy had a goal and two assists in the win.
Wagner’s skills continue to improve in her first professional season.
“I’m adjusting to the pro game and the life there. I’ve gotten
better with each game, and am getting more confidence dealing with the top
players in this league on the field. The talent in the lineups in this league
is impressive,” said Wagner, who had a goal and three assists in 10
games this season. “My job is to keep possession and play good through
balls to the forwards. The national team has unbelievably talented players
on it.”
Wagner had her best game to date in the Spirit’s 4-2 nationally-televisied
victory against the visiting New York Power on June 20. She recorded two
assists, setting up what proved to be the game-winning goal by Scottish
international Julie Fleeting in the 62nd minute on a brilliantly-struck bending
cross over Power defender Cheryl Salisbury to Fleeting for a diving head
shot.
Fleeting had two goals and an assist in the win that lifted the Spirit (4-3-4)
into a second-place tie in the league standings with Washington and New York.
“We won the battle in the middle. That was the key to the match,”
said Spirit head coach Omid Namazi. “If we can get the ball to Wagner
and Zhang (Chinese international Zhang) Qouying and then get them free to
get the ball to players like Fleeting, that’s our game. Wagner clearly
had her best game of the season. She kept things simple. The first two-thirds
of the field, she just kept the ball moving without losing possession. The
last third of the field, she’s one of the best players to set the table
for our forwards. Being the best player out of college, everyone had
expectations. Today, she came out of her shell and showed what she can do.
If she plays like this a couple more matches, it will only help her
confidence.”
According to WUSA President/CEO Lynn Morgan, who was in the area recently
to formally introduce USD’s Torero Stadium as the host site for the
Founders Cup III WUSA championship game on Aug. 24, as many as 50 players
currently performing in the league could end up on teams participating in
the Women’s World Cup.
Team USA, which claimed titles in the 1991 and 1999 tournaments, expects
to face a much stiffer challenge from the other 15 countries in the tournament.
“A lot of other countries have pumped a lot of money into their programs.
They’ve made up a lot of ground in a short time. That was bound to happen.
It was only a matter of when,” said Wagner, whose fame was cemented
with a “bobblehead” promotional giveaway at the Spirit’s June
29 game against the San Jose CyberRays. “Even if they hadn’t stepped
up, we had to keep it going.”
Should the Spirit advance to the WUSA championship game, Wagner could have
an additional opportunity to audition her skills as Heinrichs has indicated
it is possible she may convene a national team training camp simultaneously
at the ARCO Training Center.
