Three members of U.S. women's soccer team, vacationing in Italy, were on their way to Rome's Stadio Olimpico to view the Serie A match between Roma and Cagliari two Sundays ago when rocks started pelting their bus. The rocks were being thrown by irate fans protesting the death of a Lazio supporter who was shot and killed by a policeman at a highway rest stop on his way to a game in Milan. "It was the most scared I've ever been," defender Leslie Osborne told the New York Times. "We were petrified and thought we were going to die." Also on the bus were Heather O'Reilly, and Lindsay Tarpley.
Tarpley, O'Reilly and Osborne will return to training camp in January with new coach Pia Sundhage to look forward to. Sundhage last week signed a one-year contract to become the U.S. women's coach. "It's going to be a really busy, crazy year," Osborne said, referring to the January minicamp, tournaments in China and Portugal, and then Olympic qualifying, which will be played in Mexico next April. "We've got a new coach, and we all still need to prove ourselves every day in training -- no matter who the coach is," Osborne said. "I'm excited to get started and turn the page."
Separately, the Times report says that Red Bull may be after Juan Carlos Osorio to replace the departed Bruce Arena as New York's head coach. The club is also considering buying out the contract of designated player Claudio Reyna, who is guaranteed a salary of $1.25 million for next year. It has already unloaded veteran Clint Mathis, trading him and his $410,000 salary to the L.A. Galaxy.
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