Espn Soccer Tv Schedule

U.S. SOCCER HAS HAD SOME DIFFICULT assignments throughout the years: almost every aspect of selling the game to the American public has been an enormous challenge. But organizing and running this year's Women's World Cup on short notice after FIFA moved the tournament from China because of the SARS virus ranks as one of its biggest undertakings.

The United States believes this Women's World Cup will be a success, but under the circumstances it won't be comparable to the 1999 extravaganza. "The U.S. wouldn't step in unless they thought they could do it," says U.S. star Mia Hamm. "It probably won't be like it was in 1999, but I believe something special will happen."

Perhaps, but among the obstacles that the WWC faces are:

* Timing. The tournament couldn't be taking place at a worse time. While the 1999 WWC was held in June and July--with little competition from other team sports--September and October are hardly slow times on the U.S. sports calendar. Soccer will be trying to make inroads against the NFL, college football, the baseball pennant races and playoffs, and the start of the hockey season.

* Television. Because of the crowded calendar, U.S. Soccer had to scramble the tournament schedule just to find TV spots. ABC/ESPN owns the tournament's rights, but ESPN's programming schedule is loaded with all of the above-mentioned team sports and events.

* Lack of buildup. This is a critical issue. "In 1999, we had three years of planning and organization that went into it," says WUSA commissioner Tony DiCicco, who coached the U.S. women to the '99 title. "Now things must come together really quickly. Ticket sales are much more of a challenge this time. I know comparisons will be made, but people have to be realistic.

"I still think we can have a tremendous event, but we'll have to do it with four months of work as opposed to 36 months."

With all of those negatives, why did FIFA choose the United States to be the host? Simple: No other nation has the infrastructure to organize a major 16-team international tournament in such a short time. Sweden, the other nation that bid to host the event, doesn't have the means to pull it off. It lacks the stadia, the manpower, and--most importantly--the finances necessary to construct the event in four months.

Having the WUSA and MLS in place meant the Americans could pull it off even without a national organizing committee. U.S. Soccer's staff became a de facto committee, with a lot of help from the two leagues, stadium authorities, and what U.S. Soccer president Robert Contiguglia calls "the American soccer family." "One of the keys is that without a formal organizing committee working for a couple years, we have the eight teams in the WUSA and 10 teams in MLS and the front-office staffs," says DiCicco. "That is a positive when you consider the WUSA finishes the season about a month before the beginning of the World Cup. The teams can put a 100% effort into selling tickets and getting the word out."

Despite the months of notice, the word didn't really get out about 1999 until just before the opener, a sell out at Giants Stadium. The buzz built into a firestorm that led to more than 90,000 fans watching the final in the Rose Bowl.

At this Cup, the venues will be very different. There are no games at the Rose Bowl, for several reasons. U.S. Soccer and FIFA did not want to rent out the huge stadium on the chance the U.S. team did not get to the final. And Phillip Anschutz's AEG, which owns and operates more than half of MIS's teams, recently completed the Home Depot Center in nearby Carson, Calif., a stadium that is the crown jewel of American soccer.

Anschutz is owed a big debt by U.S. Soccer for his participation in and promotion of the sport--and, of course, his deep pockets. Part of repaying that debt is having the championship game at his complex. "The Home Depot Center represents the future of U.S. soccer," says Contiguglia. "The environment is fantastic for the players and spectators."

U.S. coach April Heinrichs adds: "How can we go to investors and supporters of the game and ask them to build monument-like stadiums for soccer and then not play in them?"

With the exception of Portland, Ore., U.S. Soccer stuck to MLS or WUSA stadiums or markets. RFK Stadium in Washington was a given because it has virtually no conflicts--there aren't any major league baseball or NFL franchises that play there--and is in one of the best American soccer markets. Another easy choice was Crew Stadium in Columbus. The country's original soccer-only facility offers both a Midwest site and a fan-friendly atmosphere.

The Boston area's Gillette Stadium could have been trickier to secure had New England Revolution owner Bob Kraft not also owned the building and its NFL tenant, the New England Patriots. Kraft was so eager to stage World Cup games that he is willing to inconvenience the Patriots for a short time.

Giants Stadium was pegged to host games, but a series of setbacks ruled it out. Philadelphia's new Lincoln Financial Park came on strong once Giants Stadium fell out, although it couldn't hold a game on the tourney's opening weekend because baseball's Phillies will be playing next door at Veterans Stadium.

Unfortunately, the use of Giants Stadium proved too much of a challenge. The NFL's Giants--the stadium's prime tenant--immediately balked when it learned that the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority's bid would limit the football team's access to both its Meadowlands practice facility. It would also rule out the possibility that the Giants could practice in the stadium itself, which coach Jim Fassel plans to do for the first time since taking over the team in 1997.

"Being on that field, the dimensions are better, the filming angles are better, the footing is better," says Fassel, comparing the team's indoor field to the stadium itself. "And right off the bat to say that we need your field for an event? Listen: I love soccer. My daughter played soccer. I think it's great, but this is where we work and prepare and we're at the beginning of the season. I don't want to feel we're the second tenant and this is not our workplace."

NJSEA officials, however, claimed the Giants would have been disrupted for just five days of practice, and that they could have used the grass field inside the stadium to work out.

Things got ugly behind the scenes, with the Giants saying they merely were upholding their rights to reasonably withhold approval. The Meadowlands insisted that the football team was being petty. NJSEA executive George Zoffinger said the NFL and the Giants threatened a lawsuit if Women's World Cup games were scheduled in Giants Stadium. "Zoffinger challenged us to enforce our rights under the lease and we responded," says Giants executive vice president John Mara.

Some believe playing the final on a NFL Sunday is a travesty in waiting. But Don Garber, the MLS commissioner of both MLS and its marketing branch--which sold the TV rights to ABC/ESPN--doesn't appear worried. "The broadest window happens to be on Sunday," says Garber. "The most limited is Saturday, which is crowded by college football. We are very comfortable, particularly for the final. We have our piece of real estate. It is somewhat of a different market.

"It's an event of global proportions, and we're convinced that we will have success on television."

Another element of this tournament that differs from four years ago is the East Coast-to-West Coast setup. FIFA demanded a reduction in travel time for the 16 teams, and the number of "team movements," as U.S. Soccer termed it, will drop from 42 to 30.

That won't affect the American squad, which--should it make the final--appear in each of the six venues. In 1999, the Americans played at the Meadowlands, Soldier Field, Foxboro, FedEx Field near Washington, Stanford Stadium, and the Rose Bowl.

Just as it was in 1999, the prosperity of the Women's World Cup will depend on how far the U.S. women advance. While they might not capture the nation's imagination the same way as during their star turn four years ago, their sport still needs selling.

As always, they are prepared--on the field and off. "There's no doubt everything will be different," says Brandi Chastain, who wouldn't mind a repeat of her 1999 heroics. "For us, it's a different team and different coach. There are different venues, different teams in the tournament, but with unusual circumstances. Virtually everything is different. I think a huge group of people who didn't make it to games in 1999, or young girls too young to appreciate it in '99, are now primed to come and see it and experience it. We'll make sure they enjoy the experience. It's something we've always tried to do.

"The expectations aren't any different for either the public or the players. We're prepared to make another big hit for soccer in this country."

Downsizing

U.S. SOCCER WISELY HAS LOWER EXPECTATIONS
for the hurriedly organized 2003 Women's World Cup
than if did four years ago. One indication of this is that the
venues it selected are much smaller than the ones four
years ago. Here is a look at the capacities of the Women's
World Cup venues for the 1999 and 2003 Cups.

                               1999

Stadium                   Metro Area        Capacity

Rose Bowl                 Los Angeles         98,000
Stanford Stadium          San Francisco       85,429
FedEx Field               Washington D.C.     80,593
Giants Stadium            New York            77,716
Soldier Field             Chicago             65,080
Foxboro Stadium           Boston              58,868
PGE Park                  Portland            27,396
Spartan Stadium           San Francisco       26,000
Avg. Capacity                               64,885.3

                               2003

Stadium                   Metro Area        Capacity

Lincoln Financial Field   Philadelphia        70,000
Gillette Stadium          Boston              68,000
RFK Stadium               Washington D.C.     53,000
PGE Park                  Portland            28,539
Home Depot Center         Los Angeles         27,500
Columbus Crew Stadium     Columbus            22,555
Avg. Capacity                               44,932.3

COPYRIGHT 2003 Century Publishing
COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group

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