Newz Forum: OLYMPICS: US Soccer team to kick-start the games

IRAKLION, Greece - At the end of a workout under a searing sun at an old Greek stadium, captain Julie Foudy gathered the U.S. women's soccer team in a midfield huddle.

"Let's get this party started!" Foudy bellowed in a singsong voice.

The party that is the 2004 Olympic Games is indeed about to begin, with soccer kick-starting the festivities two days ahead of everything else.

The United States opens against Greece on Wednesday on the island of Crete, one of eight games two days before the opening ceremony for a sport that has to start early to squeeze everything in.

"We've been ready for a month," goalkeeper Briana Scurry said. "We're very excited to see what we've got."

Most everyone knows what the United States has, a deep, talented team determined to reclaim its supremacy after disappointing finishes at the 2000 Olympics and the 2003 World Cup.

Greece, however, is another matter. The soccer-mad country that so euphorically celebrated its surprising men's European Championship title last month barely recognizes the women's game.