They captured the hearts of Americans with their stunning, sudden-death victory in the World Cup Soccer Championship.

Now, the U.S. women's soccer team is embarking on a victory tour that will bring them to the Allstate Arena this fall.

As past of a national soccer exhibition, Mia Hamm, Brandi Chastain, Julie Foudy and their teammates will play a series of matches against a collection of international stars.

The Great Soccer Exhibition Tour begins Oct. 22 in Pittsburgh, includes a game at the Allstate Arena Oct. 31, and finishes Dec. 12 in Tacoma, Wash.

Other cities on the tour are Detroit, Cleveland, Philadelphia, New York, Washington, D.C., Raleigh, N.C., San Jose, Calif., and Anaheim, Calif.

The 11-game tour was organized to enable fans across the country to see the women's team in action, and to allow the players to earn a livelihood, said Lee Berke, vice president of corporate development for SFX Sports Group, which planned the event.

"We wanted to create something to allow the players to take their game to the fans up close," Berke said. "We also wanted to allow the players to earn a living at what they do best."

Unlike other professional athletes, most members of the women's soccer team earn less than $40,000 a year, excluding endorsements. The Great Soccer Exhibition Tour would guarantee them an additional $41,250 each, according to published reports.

Berke said SFX began planning the tour last year, anticipating that the World Cup matches would generate a great deal of fan interest. But he never imagined that the U.S. team's dramatic 5-4 penalty-kicks victory over China would stir fan interest.

"It's been thrilling to see how they've popularized the game of soccer across the U.S.," Berke said. "We think this tour will build on that popularity."

With Allstate Insurance Company having been a corporate sponsor of the U.S. team during the World Cup, executives are excited that the team is coming to the newly-named Allstate Arena.

"We we're thrilled to be a part of the World Cup," said Jill Weaver, Allstate's vice president of advertising and brand communication. "We look forward to the women's team coming to our arena."