Carli Lloyd, Tony DiCicco and Pete Sampras on World Sports Show

World Sports Show press release:

Tonight, live in the studio, World Sports Show (WiFi 1460 AM) welcomes two-time Gold Medalist Carli Lloyd from the U.S. Women’s National Team (USWNT soccer). Also, former U.S. Coach Tony DiCicco and 14-time grand slam tennis star Pete Sampras will be our call in guests tonight.

Carli Lloyd returned state side from the London 2012 Summer Olympics with her second gold medal in four years, scoring both goals in the USA’s victory over Japan.  Lloyd also scored the game winner four years ago to bring home the gold for team USA. Lloyd, who has strong Philadelphia and South Jersey roots, grew up in Delran, NJ and played her college soccer at Rutgers in NJ. During her college career she was named First-Team All-Big East for four straight years.  She was also named the 2001 Big East Rookie of the Year and the 2004 Big East Midfielder of the Year. Lloyd made her first appearance for the U.S. National Team on July 10, 2005, against Ukraine. Her first international goal came on October 1, 2006, against Taiwan. When Lloyd isn’t playing on the USWNT team or playing pro ball, she trains with Coach James Galanis at Universal Soccer Academy. Coach Galanis began working with Lloyd in 2007 and helped develop her into a world class soccer player. In 2008, Lloyd was named the U.S. Soccer Female Athlete of the Year as she was a fixture in the midfield for the USA, starting all 35 games in which she played, tying for the team lead in matches started during the year.

Lloyd’s run to gold this summer was extra special as she found herself on the bench to start the Olympic games in London, but was used as an early sub when fellow midfeilder Shannon Boxx left the opening match against France with an injury. When she entered the match it was 2- 0 to France. Carli Lloyd inserted herself right away and used her phyical style of play to shift the match. The US scored two goals before the half and it was 2-2 at the break. In the 56h minute, Carli Lloyd took a pass from Megan Rapinoe and drilled the ball into the back of the net. The US crusied its way to a 4-2 victory.  After the match, U.S. coach Pia Sundhage made it clear that Lloyd was in the starting XI for the remainder of the summer games.

Pete Sampras will be the second guest on the World Sports Show. Sampras won 14 Grand Slam singles titles and became recognized as one of the greatest tennis players of all time during his 14-year open career.  Sampras debuted on the professional tour in 1988 and played his last top-level tournament in 2002 when he won the US Open, defeating rival Andre Agassi in the final. He was the year-end world no. 1 for six consecutive years (1993–1998). In Sampras turned professional in 1988, at the age of 16, and finished the year ranked world number 97 after starting the year at world number 893. His first professional match was a loss to Sammy Giammalva, Jr. at the February Ebel U.S. Pro Indoor in Philadelphia. On Novermber 2, 2012 Pete Sampras, John McEnroe, Jim Courier and Patrick Rafter will all return to the court in Philadelphia and play in the Champions Shootout Tennis – Part of the PowerShares Series Tennis Tour at Wells Fargo Center. This is great way to see the stars of yesterday on display.

The third guest on the World Sports Show will be Tony DiCicco, former U.S. Women’s National Team coach and ESPN soccer analyst. Coach DiCicco is best known as the head coach of the USWNT  from 1994 to 1999, during which time the team won an Olympic gold medal in 1996 and the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup. DiCicco compiled a record of 103–8–8, culminating with the team’s dramatic win over China in the 1999 World Cup final. That was the match that put US Women’s Soccer on the map.  After coaching the USA , DiCicco was named coach of the Boston Breakers in the new league Women’s Professional Soccer.  In 2008, DiCicco coached the U.S. U-20 Women’s national team to victory in the FIFA Women’s U-20 World Cup in Chile. DiCicco also works with the SoccerPlus CT premier program based in Hartford, Connecticut. He currently works as a commentator for ESPN’s broadcasts of U.S. women’s soccer matches.

World Sports Show airs Monday night’s 8 – 10 PM ET on WiFi 1460 AM / www.WiFiAM1460.com

The show is host by Philly Sports Live writer Charlie Flowe, John DiCricio , and Coach James Galanis with production by John Rankin