If it's Monday, this must be New York City
July 15, 1999
by Michael Muldoon
Tracy Noonan Ducar could be a rock star.
With her new bleached-blond, closely-cropped hairdo, Ducar looks like a punk rocker.
Tracy Ducar
The last several days the North Andover native has lived the life of a diva.
She and the USA Women's World Cup soccer team:
Played before 90,185 fans, the most ever for a women's athletic event, in their overtime win over China in the title game in Pasadena, Ca.
Met with President Clinton in the locker room after the game.
Were honored at Disneyland.
Traveled in limousines through New York City.
Required extensive security to keep huge crowds a safe distance away.
Appeared on four national talk shows on Monday morning.
"It has been crazy," said Ducar, who returned to her Durham, N.C., home Tuesday night. "Crazy but a lot of fun."
The low pay, months of arduous practice and long stretches away from her husband were all worth it when Brandi Chastain drilled the winning goal in the overtime shootout.
"We've been practicing penalty kicks for months," explained the 1991 North Andover High graduate. "(In practice) I'd always say, 'God, no more penalty kicks!' But it was worth it. That is exactly what it came down to"
Coach Tony DiCicco insisted the squad practice even the most seemingly mundane nuances of the sport ad nauseum. He forgot one thing, though. The postgame celebration.
Win over the nation
''I don't even remember sprinting from the sidelines to the middle of the field,'' laughed the reserve goalkeeper.
''There was a mob around Brandi. Once we got to Brandi it was too crowded. We just kept on going to Bri (goalie Briana Scurry). We were hugging, dancing, crying, laughing . . . every emotion. I didn't even know what to do. We just jumped around.''
And America vicariously jumped right along with them.
They were America's darlings.
They weren't 4-10, 85 pounds like most of the gold medal-winning gymnasts. They weren't towering giants like the Olympic champion basketballers. They weren't muscle-bound like so many of the track and swimming champions.
They were the girls next door.
''When you are in the event, you don't think you are making history,'' said the former University of North Carolina All-American.
''You hear about it in the media but you don't really know what's happening outside. There is such a high demand for us. We're on like every show. It's unreal. You can't ever imagine what it is going to be like.''
If there were any temptations to go Hollywood, that ended as soon as she arrived home.
''It's just the same,'' she said. ''I'm paying the bills, taking out the trash and cleaning the house.''
Pro league feasible?
Sports fans will be keeping a close eye on the longterm impact of the team. Seventeen months ago America went crazy over the women's hockey team which brought home the gold. While they certainly did a lot for the sport, a professional league never materialized.
Men's soccer on the professional level is moderately successful. Can the women parlay this glorious run into a legitimate professional league or was it just a one-time feel-good event?
Ducar, who plays for the Raleigh Wings in the amateur W-League, is optimistic.
''A couple factors work in our favor,'' she explained. ''We were the only event going on, which makes it that much more significant (women's hockey shared the Olympic spotlight with figure skating, etc.) We got the whole country behind us in a non-Olympic year.
''On top of it, we have such a team mentality. People really latched onto that.''
That's in contrast to so many of the men's professional athletes who are perceived to be selfish and overpaid.
The women will receive a healthy stipend -- Ducar estimates about $40,000 -- from the national federation for winning the Cup. That's on top of the approximately $12,500 she receives annually in expenses.
Another important factor is the number of girls playing soccer dwarfs the number playing hockey.
Team player
Briana Scurry played every minute in net in the World Cup.
Ducar, however, didn't complain.
''I was one of the unlucky ones,'' she said. ''I'd love to be where Bri is. Your dream is to make the penalty kick save to win the World Cup final. That's any goalkeeper's dream to make that impact.
''I sit there and say, 'Look how great Bri is playing.' I can't say I could do any better. She was just in a zone. She deserved to be in there.''
Olympic chances
Even though Tracy, a Phi Beta Kappa at North Carolina, was on the World Cup team, there are no guarantees she will be on the 2000 Olympic team.
An injury prevented her from being an alternate on the 1996 team which won the gold.
Only 18 players will probably play on the Olympic team as compared to 20 for the World Cup. That means one of the two reserve goalies will likely not make the cut.
''Obviously, it would be a nice feather in the cap just to be part of it,'' she said. ''It's so different from the World Cup. The World Cup is getting bigger but to be able to say, 'I've been to the Olympics' in the U.S. is huge.''