A group of U.S. Women’s National teams stars will compete in a new winner-takes-all 7-on-7 competition with a $1 million cash prize.
In a format similar to the World Cup, 32 teams will compete in eight groups of four. Each team will play three group matches in June, before 16 teams advance into single-elimination knockout rounds to determine the winner.
U.S. Women, an all-women team, will be coached by National Soccer Hall of Famers Mia Hamm, Carla Overbeck and Michelle Akers. The team was organized by U.S. World Cup champion Heather O’Reilly, who will play alongside former USWNT players Cat Whitehill, Lori Chalupny and Lori Lindsay.
“Right away, without knowing much about it, I got a team slot without really putting much thought into who was going to be on my team,” O’Reilly said.
“I just knew that I wanted a team and I wanted a chance to win and a chance to be part of it.”
TBT Enterprises has run a successful basketball version – The Basketball Tournament – for about a decade, seeing it grow from a 32-team event with a $500,000 prize to a 64-team field playing for $1 million.
A number of other players are expected to be revealed in the coming weeks.
Between the coaching staff and roster of players, the U.S. Women team will feature a combined seven World Cup titles, three Olympic gold medals and over 600 national team appearances.
The U.S. Women will be the lone all-women’s team in the tournament, though other rosters are expected to feature women alongside men.
Hamm and Akers attained iconic status for their roles in helping the United States win the 1999 Women’s World Cup. The triumph was a watershed moment for women’s soccer and the sport as a whole in the U.S.
O’Reilly added. “I feel like this is right out of ‘Field of Dreams.’ ‘If you build it, they will come.’ And it’s just been really special how people have come together.
Several other teams in the field will feature active professional players from all over the world, along with other big-name international and domestic players.
Internationally, teams representing Borussia Dortmund, Wrexham AFC, Wolverhampton and Club Necaxa are also in the field.
The event will take place from 1-4 June at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina.
(0 rating, 0 votes, rated)
Loading...
