Quest for Women’s World Cup

The FIFA Women’s World Cup Germany 2011 unfolds June 26-July 17, but the ball starts rolling for the official USA National Team Monday in Bristol.

Veterans Abby Wambach, whose 117 career goals leads active national team players, and 2007 World Cup veteran Heather O’Reilly will visit the ESPN campus to announce the 21-woman roster.

O’Reilly is visiting ESPN as a late replacement for captain Christie Rampone, who suffered an injury over the weekend.

Wambach and O’Reilly will be guests on the 10 a.m. SportsCenter, where they will reveal the entire roster. At 12:30 p.m., espnW will stream live video of the players’ interviews with former Team USA star Julie Foudy, now an ESPN analyst.

Those are just two stops on their “Car Wash” tour before they rejoin their teammates for training.

Wambach was the top Team USA scorer in the 2003 and 2007 FIFA Women’s World Cups, each won by Germany. O’Reilly scored twice in the 2007 tournament.

Rampone, 36, is less than a year removed from the birth of a daughter. Rampone hopes to play in her fourth Women’s World Cup.

Team USA is vying for its first Women’s World Cup title since winning in 1999.

ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN3.com will combine to televise live the U.S. teams’ two final “friendly” matches before the Women’s World Cup. In Cary, N.C. on May 18, the Americans take on Japan at 7 p.m. on ESPN and ESPN3.com. On June 5 at 2 p.m. in Harrison, N.J., Mexico is the foe.

The U.S. side begins 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup play on June 28 in Dresden, Germany against North Korea on ESPN (11:45 a.m. ET). ESPN and ESPN2 will televise all 32 Women’s World Cup matches.

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