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Lori Chalupny, Natasha Kai
© Tony Quinn/ISI / isiphotos.com
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CHICAGO (Nov. 4, 2008) – The gold medal-winning U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team will return to The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., as it continues the Achieve Your Gold Tour to celebrate the Olympic title with a match against China on Dec. 13 at 6 p.m. PT.
Tickets ranging in price levels from $18 to $60, plus special edition U.S. Soccer on-field seats for $150, go
on sale to the public Friday, Nov. 7, at 10 a.m. PT through ussoccer.com, by phone (213-480-3232 in L.A.; 714-740-2000 in Orange County; 619-220-8497 in San Diego), and at all Ticketmaster ticket centers throughout Southern California (including Macy’s, FYE and Ritmo Latino). Fans can also buy tickets at The Home Depot Center Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. PT to 6 p.m. PT. Groups of 20 or more can obtain an order form at ussoccer.com or call 312-528-1290.
As a sponsor of U.S. Soccer, Visa® is pleased to offer all Visa cardholders access to an advance ticket sale for this match before the sale to the general public. This advance sale will take place from Thursday, Nov. 6, at 8 am PT until Friday, Nov. 7, at 8 am at ussoccer.com. Visa will be the only payment method accepted through the Visa presale and is the preferred card of U.S. Soccer. Terms and conditions apply.
A trio of players who were allocated to the Los Angeles Sol of Women’s Professional Soccer will be on the U.S. roster for the match at the stadium in which they will represent their club when the WPS season starts in April. Torrance, Calif., native Shannon Boxx will join a pair of teammates from Northern California, midfielder Aly Wagner and defender Stephanie Cox, on a U.S. roster that will likely feature all of the 2008 Olympic gold medalists for the first time on the Achieve Your Gold Tour as the USA’s collegiate athletes will be available for selection following the completion of the 2008 College Cup.
Boxx, who grew up just minutes from The Home Depot Center, has scored in all four appearances at the stadium with the national team. She was recently named to the short list for FIFA Women’s Player of the Year along with U.S. teammate Hope Solo. Boxx has appeared in 29 games for the U.S. this year and is second on the team in minutes played while scoring one goal. She had a fantastic performance at the Olympics, playing every minute en route to winning her second gold medal.
The last appearance for the U.S. women’s at The Home Depot Center was on Aug. 25, 2007, against Finland. The nearly 16 months between that appearance and the Dec. 13 game marks the longest span between WNT games at the venue since it opened in 2003. Overall the U.S. is a perfect 8-0-0 at the stadium. The U.S. played at The HDC, site of several U.S. WNT Residency Training Camps, following their 2004 Olympic title, holding the final game of the Fan Celebration Tour there that saw off legends Joy Fawcett, Julie Foudy and Mia Hamm.
The U.S. has already faced China twice in 2008, recording a pair of shutout victories in meetings last January and March. The two teams have faced off 40 times in history – the third most of any opponent for the U.S. behind Canada and Norway – with the U.S. holding a 21-8-11 lead in the series that includes the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup final.
China is coming off an exciting yet tumultuous time in its women’s soccer history after going through several head coaches in the last several years while hosting the 2007 FIFA Women’s World Cup and the 2008 Olympics. China was knocked out of both tournaments in the quarterfinals, including a loss to Japan at 2008 Olympics just about three months ago.
As of Nov. 3, the U.S. has started out a perfect 4-0-0 on the Achieve Your Gold Tour, with three wins against Ireland in September and a 3-1 defeat of South Korea on Nov. 1 in Richmond, Va. Before stopping in Southern California, the Tour will include games in Cincinnati on Nov. 5, and Tampa, Fla., on Nov. 8 against South Korea. Following the match against China in Carson, the teams will travel to Detroit for a Dec. 17 match at Ford Field (
tickets). The U.S. team’s 30-1-1 record in 2008 set the mark for most wins in a calendar year in U.S. history. The USA has not lost a domestic match since November of 2004 and has lost just five domestic matches this decade.
Achieve Your Gold Tour Schedule / Results
| Date |
Opponent |
Venue; City |
Kickoff / Result |
| Sept. 13 |
Ireland |
Lincoln Financial Field; Philadelphia |
2-0 W |
| Sept. 17 |
Ireland |
Giants Stadium; East Rutherford, N.J. |
1-0 W |
| Sept. 20 |
Ireland |
Toyota Park; Chicago, Ill. |
2-0 W |
| Nov. 1 |
South Korea |
Univ. of Richmond Stadium; Richmond, Va. |
3-1 W |
| Nov. 5 |
South Korea |
Paul Brown Stadium; Cincinnati |
7:30 p.m. ET |
| Nov. 8 |
South Korea |
Raymond James Stadium; Tampa, Fla. |
7 p.m. ET |
| Dec. 13 |
China |
The Home Depot Center; Carson, Calif. |
6 p.m. PT |
| Dec. 17 |
China |
Ford Field; Detroit |
7:30 p.m. ET |
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