CHICAGO - When the U.S. Women's National Team faces Canada on Saturday, May 12, at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas, on Mother's Day weekend, the team will be wearing special pink jerseys in support of a very special cause: breast cancer awareness.
As part of the campaign, U.S. Soccer is making donations to both the Y-ME National Breast Cancer Organization and the MD Anderson Cancer Center, and is encouraging fans to get involved at www.ussoccer.com/support.
U.S. Soccer will also auction off the pink jerseys straight off the backs of the players to further benefit the cause. Each individual player will autograph her own game-worn jersey for the charity auction. This is the first-time the U.S. Women's National Team has ever worn a special edition jersey in the 20-plus year history of the program.
To place your bid on a jersey, log onto ussoccer.com and click the banners regarding the auction. Bidding starts on Thursday, May 10, at 1 p.m. CT and runs through next Wed., May 16, when the auctions will end, one-by-one, throughout the afternoon. U.S. Soccer is also selling a line of pink jerseys, t-shirts, hats and other items at the stadium and via the website as part of the effort to encourage education, awareness and research for a disease that effects one in eight women.
To see the pink jerseys that fans will be bidding on, tune to Fox Soccer Channel at 6:30 p.m. CT on May 12 and watch the U.S. women take on regional rival Canada live from Pizza Hut Park. Fans can also follow the action live on ussoccer.com's MatchTracker.
To see the U.S. players called in for the Canada match, and their jersey numbers, click here for the 18-player roster.
Tickets for the match are on sale online at ussoccer.com, at all Dallas-Ft. Worth area Ticketmaster outlets and by phone at 214-373-8000. Groups of 15 or more can purchase tickets by calling FC Dallas at 888.FCD.GOAL.
The contest brings the U.S. women back to Texas for the first time since October of 2004 when the Americans defeated Ireland, 5-0, at Reliant Stadium in Houston as Abby Wambach tied a U.S. record with five goals, all in the second half. The U.S. women haven't played in the Dallas area since 2003 when they defeated Mexico, 3-1, at the Cotton Bowl, and this will be the first trip for the U.S. women to Pizza Hut Park, home to FC Dallas of Major League Soccer.
Following the Canada match, the USA will embark on a six-game 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup Send-Off Series, starting against China on June 16 in Cleveland at Cleveland Browns Stadium and continuing against Brazil on June 23 at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., in a re-match of the 2004 Olympic gold medal game.
The USA will then travel to East Hartford, Conn., and Rentschler Field to play Norway on July 14 (tickets) as team captain Kristine Lilly makes a triumphant return to her home state. After facing Norway, the USA will travel to northern California to face Japan at Spartan Stadium in San Jose, Calif., on July 28, before taking on New Zealand in Chicago on Aug. 12 at Soldier Field. The U.S. team will finish up against Finland in Los Angeles on Aug. 25 at The Home Depot Center in the final match before the team heads to China.
