Coach DiCicco Steps Down

CHICAGO (AP) _ Tony DiCicco, who coached the United States to the Women’s World Cup title in July, resigned today.

DiCicco said he wanted to spend more time with his family. His resignation takes effect at the end of the year.

``The main reason I’m stepping down is that it’s more important for me to be a world-class husband and father than a world-class coach,″ DiCicco said.

``When I looked at the generous financial opportunities available to me next year, I didn’t see how they could possibly enrich my life more than spending time with my wife and boys.

DiCicco began his career with the women’s national team in 1990 as the goalkeepers coach, and was an assistant on the 1991 Women’s World Cup championship team before taking over the head job from Anson Dorrance in 1995. His ’95 team finished third in the World Cup, but he led the Americans to the 1996 Olympic gold medal.

While he was coach, Mia Hamm became the world’s leading goal scorer and Kristine Lilly set a record for national team appearances. DiCicco had a record of 103-8-8 for the U.S. team.

``The things I’ll miss the most are the players, what they taught me, what we learned together and how they made me feel. And how much fun it was to go after something great together.″