VANCOUVER — Minutes before Jill Ellis gave one of her last World Cup press conferences in a Sheraton Hotel ballroom, Julie Foudy found her old national team coach Tony DiCicco for a quick hug.
They chatted for a second before taking their seats to hear what Ellis had to say about the upcoming matchup between the United States and Japan. Neither asked a question, but listened intently.
One of the many reasons the U.S. wants to beat Japan in Sunday’s World Cup final is so all the comparisons and pressure felt from the famous 1999 team — the last U.