The official 2000 Olympic Draw occurred tonight at the Sydney Town Hall in Australia, determining the groupings and final opening round schedule for Women's Soccer. Soccer is slated to open the 2000 Olympic competition with both men's and women's games on Wednesday, September 13, while the U.S. Women will kick off just a day later on Sept. 14.

In what is the "Group of Death" if there ever was one, the top-seeded United States was placed in Group F opposite its two chief rivals in China and Norway and an always dangerous Nigeria squad. The defending gold medalists, who will play all three opening round matches at the 110,000-seat Melbourne Cricket Ground, open against Norway on Sept. 14, face China on Sept. 17 and finish up group play versus Nigeria on Sept. 20.

The Sept. 17 contest will be a re-match of the 1996 gold medal match in which the U.S. Women used a late Tiffeny Milbrett goal to defeat China 2-1 in front of a crowd of more than 78,000 in Athens, Georgia to win the first medal of its kind. The U.S. also faced Norway in the 1996 Olympics, downing them 2-1 in overtime in the semi-finals to advance to the gold medal game. The first and last time the U.S. women faced Nigeria was in the opening round of the 1999 Women's World Cup, when the eventual champions easily dispatched the African side 7-1 at Soldier Field.

If the U.S. Women win their four-team group, they will travel to Canberra for a semifinal on Sept. 24. If the USA finishes second in its group, the semifinal would be played in Sydney, also on Sept. 24. The gold and bronze medal matches for the second Olympic Women's Soccer Tournament will be played at the Sydney Football Stadium on Sept. 28.

Drawn into Group E with host Australia were WWC semi-finalist Brazil, along with European powers Germany and Sweden. The entire women's soccer competition will take place in three cities (Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney) and run from Sept. 13 to the final game at Sydney Football Stadium on Sept. 28.