What would you give today to have seen Mia Hamm play at Carolina

The afternoon could not have been more perfect. The sky was Carolina Blue, the temperature was in the mid-70's, the field at WakeMed Park was in perfect condition, and the Heels were ready to play. Florida State had beaten the Heels in Tallahassee a couple of weeks earlier and would have loved to win again in the ACC Championship. As has been case 20 times out of 22 attempts, the Carolina women's soccer team was up to the task and sent the Seminoles back to Florida with a 3-0 loss! What a game and what an afternoon!

The invitations for the NCAA Championship field were published today. Carolina is a #1 seed and will be the host for 4 teams in Chapel Hill on Friday, Nov 13. Besides the Tar Heels, High Point, Georgia, and UNC-Wilmington will play here. Carolina's first round opponent is High Point. After the Heels beat the Panthers, they will play the winner of the Georgia-UNC Wilmington match on Sunday, Nov 15. In the next round, Carolina will face one of the following teams playing in an associated bracket - Monmouth, Maryland, Washington State, and Villanova. That 3rd round game will be played on either Nov 20, 21, or 22. Quarterfinal matches will be played over the Thanksgiving weekend.

So, you and I have at least 2 more chances to watch the Heels play in 2009 in Chapel Hill. That fact reminded me of how many of the past women Tar Heel soccer greats I've missed in years when I didn't have the time to attend Carolina soccer games. Perhaps, you, like I, have marveled at how many former Tar Heels have played for the United States in the Olympics and the World Cup matches in the last couple of decades. I would give a lot to have the chance to watch Mia Hamm play for the Heels on Fetzer Field one more time, but those days are long gone. My point - it is likely that some of the current Tar Heels will be on the field in London in 2012 and/or Rio in 2016 on the US Olympic team and/or on the field in Germany in 2011 for the next Women's World Cup. Perhaps you will be in one or more of those cities to see former Tar Heels play for the United States, but if not, you can see players who could be on those teams in Chapel Hill on November 13 and 15. I doubt that anyone could have predicted that Mia would have gone as far as she has gone in 1993 when she last played for Carolina. Is a future Mia Hamm on this year's team? Won't you be disappointed if you miss the chance to see that Tar Heel play? See you in Chapel Hill this weekend?