USFHA: The USA women's team will be the No.6 seed at the Samsung Hockey World Cup Qualifier from 25 April to 6 May in Rome.

Head coach Lee Bodimeade and the USA will begin the tournament in Pool B along with No. 2 seed New Zealand, No. 3 Korea, No. 7 Ireland, No. 10 Azerbaijan and the No. 11 seed host team, Italy. Pool A includes No. 1 seed China, No. 4 Japan, No. 5 England, No. 8 Ukraine, No. 9 Scotland and No. 12 France.

The top five teams from the tournament will join continental champions Argentina, Australia, India, The Netherlands, South Africa, Olympic champion Germany and host Spain at the Samsung Hockey World Cup in Madrid.

Currently ranked 12th in the world, the USA is no stranger to the top teams in Pool B. The USA went 1-4 against New Zealand in a 2004 Test and lost a tight 2-1 contest against the Kiwis at last year’s Rabobank Champions Challenge in Virginia Beach, USA.

In its last meetings with Korea, the USA earned a 1-1 draw with Korea before losing, 3-0, in the 5th-6th place game at the 2004 Olympic Qualifying Tournament. The loss prevented the USA from qualifying for the 2004 Olympic Games.

The USA and Ireland last met at the 2004 Olympic Qualifying Tournament with the USA posting a 2-1 extra time win in crossover play. The USA swept Ireland in a five-game series in early 2004 at Stanford University.

The USA has never lost to Italy in a five-game series history dating back to 1988. The series includes a 2-1 USA win at the 1994 World Cup and a pair of USA victories (4-3 and 4-1) at the 2003 Champions Challenge in Catania, Italy.

The game with Azerbaijan, the world's 19th-ranked team, will mark the first field hockey meeting between the two countries. Azerbaijan won the 2005 European Hockey Nation's Trophy with a 1-0 win over Italy in the tournament final.

The United States has qualified for each of the last six quadrennial installments of the Women's World Cup dating back to 1983. The team's best finish was a bronze medal performance in 1994.

For more information on the USA women’s team, visit usfieldhockey.com.