MIA HAMM , 27 [Forward]

With her all-American face showing up everywhere from Gatorade commercials (where she costars with Michael Jordan) to Barbie boxes, 27-year-old forward Mia Hamm is unquestionably the most recognizable player in women's soccer. Not that she covets -- or is even comfortable with -- the spotlight. To almost every reporter who asks her the dreaded question, what's it like to be the world's best player? she is quick to point out that she's just one of 11 U.S. players on the field. Her teammates and coaches, however, are also eager to lavish praise upon Hamm, who in 1987, at age 15, became the youngest player to make the national team and is now the squad's alltime leading scorer. "Before we played last summer, I thought Hamm was the best player in the world," says Zhao Yan, a goalie for China. "And I still feel that way. She's an exceptional player."

Hamm credits much of her success to her late brother, Garrett, whom she played both with and against in countless pickup games while they were growing up. In 1997, at age 28, Garrett -- who as a 12-year-old had been diagnosed with aplastic anemia, a rare blood disorder -- died of complications arising from a bone-marrow transplant. Now, whenever Hamm steps onto a field, Garrett is with her: Nike agreed to inscribe his initials, GJH, on the bottom of every pair of her signature shoe, the Nike Air Zoom M9 ("M9" stands for Mia and her number, 9). Says Hamm, with characteristic humility, "I think he was the best athlete in the family."

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