July 10, 2007

RIO De JANEIRO, BRAZIL - The United States women's soccer team begins play in the 2007 Pan American Games Thursday in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil with an 18-woman roster that includes Tar Heel sophomores Casey Nogueira, Tobin Heath and Nikki Washington. The competition for women's soccer at the Pan Am Games runs from July 12-26.

The U20 Women's National Team coached by Jillian Ellis is representing the U.S. in the Pan Am Games. The U.S. women kick off the games July 12 against Paraguay and will play four games in the group stage.

The Pan American games are a continential of the Olympic Games which includes the Olympic Program sports and other that are not part of the Olympics. Always conducted on year before the Olympic Games, the first Pan American Games were held in 1951 in Buenos Aires, Argentinia. Inspired byut the holding of the first Central American Games inb 1924, the Latin American representatives of the International Olympic Committee proposed the creation of a competition that would include all the countries in the Amiercas to strengthen sports activities in the region.

The Pan American games, which are an open tournament for the women, meaning no age limit, stands to be one of the most competitive international tournament the U.S. U20s will play outside of a FIFA world championships, as several of the countries will be sending their full Women's National Teams.

The USA opens play against Paraguay on July 12 at Joao Havelange Stadium. The USA will then face Panama on July 14 at the Miecimo da Silva Sports Complex and Argentina on July 18 at Joao Havelange Stadium before finishing group play aaginst Mexico on Julyu 20 in the famed Maracana Stadium. The tournament's semifinal matches will be held on July 23 and the championship game on July 26, both at Maracana.

Tobin Heath and Casey Nogueira both trained with the full U.S. National Team in January with Nogueira earning her first-ever full tournament cap at the Four Nations Tournament in China. Heath and Nogueira were members of last year's U.S. team that finished fourth at the U20 Women's World Championship in Russia.