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In Praise of Mia
By Scott French, Soccer America Mia Hamm may be the best-known soccer player, male or female, in this country, but she hasn't been the best, not for some time, maybe never. No question Michelle Akers is the finest female player to step onto a soccer field, and Sun Wen and Tiffeny Milbrett have been far more impressive since Akers' stunning Women's World Cup two years ago. Hamm, while gaining most of the praise, has seemed to wilt in the spotlight, offering little of the impact on the U.S. women's team that a player of her supposed stature should. Her hesitant performance for the Washington Freedom in the WUSA this past season seemed another step in decline. So what then to make of Hamm's captivating two-goals-plus-assist showing in the Americans' 4-1 triumph over Germany Sept. 9 at Soldier Field? It appeared to be the Mia of old out there. Talk since the Olympics, earlier in some circles, has been that Hamm isn't the player she once was, and surely she's aware of such chatter. Her demonstration, especially in the second half, against the Germans -- and let's watch her closely the next few months to make certain -- seemed an answer to her critics, a rising to a challenge some thought might have been beyond her these days. U.S. coach April Heinrichs never believed that.
"The last thing I said to Mia before the game was, 'Take risks, take risks,' " Heinrichs said afterward. " 'You have my permission. Don't be afraid. Go after it. Take every risk you want to take.' Not only did she take some risks, but she played freely. She played inspired. "If Mia wants it, she's primed to play her best soccer ever. And I think we're starting to see a glimpse of that, and we'll build on it."
Is hard work enough?One of the lessons of the Sydney Olympics is that the Americans' athletic superiority -- the foundation of their success in the women's game -- doesn't carry the weight it used to. Heinrichs had her team playing a physical, grinding game that wasn't very attractive (the opening win over Norway a notable exception) but was somewhat effective. Although the United States did not play particularly well during the tournament -- and Heinrichs would argue that -- it went to overtime before surrendering the gold to the Norwegians. What Norway had in that final game that the Americans couldn't match was a true No. 10. Hege Riise, at the height of her powers, seemed to will the Norwegians to the title, playing critical roles in all three goals in the gold-medal game. The best women's team in Australia was Germany's, which settled for bronze after an own goal handed Norway victory in the semifinals. The Germans, too, had a real No. 10: Bettina Wiegmann, who was surrounded by creative attacking players. The WUSA underscored these differences this summer. Aside from Tiffeny Milbrett (and maybe Kristine Lilly), all the most creative players were foreigners: Riise and countrywoman Dagny Mellgren, Brazil's Sissi, China's Sun Wen (when healthy), England's Kelly Smith, Japan's Homare Sawa, Canada's Charmaine Hooper and Germans Wiegmann and Maren Meinert. WUSA coaches recognized this early. "[The foreign players] have made the league, haven't they?" one coach noted near the end of the regular season. "Their impact has been huge. Take Milbrett out of equation, and the U.S. players have not done as well as people thought they might. "Who hasn't? [Siri] Mullinix, Hamm, [Julie] Foudy, [Joy] Fawcett, [Shannon] MacMillan, [Danielle] Fotopoulos, [Carla] Overbeck, [Kristine] Lilly, [Kate] Sobrero. ... [Cindy] Parlow and [Brandi] Chastain have done well, and [Lorrie] Fair has done well. But Milbrett is really the star of the U.S. team. She's the only American attacker in [the top foreigners'] class." Heinrichs would argue that, too, and so would we. Fawcett missed most of the season to have a daughter, but she played well for San Diego down the stretch. Foudy had her moments but couldn't prod the Spirit to the playoffs. MacMillan, also with San Diego, was the league's No. 2 scorer, although many felt she didn't impact games as much as her numbers suggest. Fotopoulos scored goals -- that's her forte. And Lilly had a very fine season -- Boston's problems were behind their celebrated attacking quartet of Meinert, Mellgren, Lilly and Wiegmann. There is fear that the women's game could, tactically, pass the Americans by. We have seemed tactically naive and technically insufficient since the '99 WWC, and our athleticism isn't making the kind of difference it once did. The Yanks' performance against Germany struck out at such thinking, but it occurred against a young German side (without Doris Fitschen, who has retired, and without Wiegmann and Meinert, who also may be done internationally) in an exhibition that means far more to the Americans than to their foes. Heinrichs acknowledges there is some cause for concern, although she believes the U.S. team remains the best in the world. "At times, we put such a premium in our country on workers and runners and worker bees," she said. "If you look at the foreigners who were successful [in the WUSA], their work ethic was strong. Look at the foreigners who struggled, their work ethic was in question. So we do, at times to a fault, I think, put such a premium on runners and fitness and working." Then again, she adds, the Americans do have creative players, although neither of the ones she mentioned to bolster her point -- Tisha Venturini and Michelle Akers -- are national-teamers anymore. It's a reason Aleisha Cramer's fine second-half showing against Germany was so vital: The BYU sophomore could be the future No. 10 for the United States, the first real No. 10 the American women have possessed. Or Cramer could end up with a deeper role in the U.S. midfield, similar to that she plays at BYU. Imagine her paired in the middle with Aly Wagner, a Santa Clara University junior whose sublime skills have been overshadowed by knee injuries. Wagner has enjoyed a terrific start to the college season. Heinrichs has her eyes on both of them, and she mentions both as potential playmakers for the Yanks in the coming years. "Do we have that creative player in America? Yes," she said. "Are we currently in an era where we're still looking for a creative player in central midfield? Yeah. ... On the other hand, am I trading [current starting midfielders] Julie Foudy and Kristine Lilly and Lorrie Fair for anyone? No chance. Because they're who they are, and they're Americans, and we're going to battle with them, and I love them to death."
Stealing secretsThe creative foreigners' influence on American players -- young players and the veterans -- is important, Heinrichs noted. "They're looking around," she said, meaning the national team vets. " 'Yeah, I like the way Sissi plays, maybe I'll try that a little bit.' They're experimenting." She says she sees "more nuanced passing" -- the prime difference, especially early in the season, between the Riises/Wiegmanns and everybody else -- and loves that "players are playing balls in places they would never play a ball before. That's a real credit to the WUSA's influence on individual players in the first year." It cuts both ways, however. Few of the foreign players -- everybody aside from the Chinese, whose training regimen is legendary -- had previously done the kind of fitness work required for the American game. "I remember during preseason talking to some of the foreigners," Heinrichs said, "and they said, 'Wow, you guys really work hard -- you train hard. This is amazing.' " It's a message they may take home with them. "I hope they don't," Heinrichs said. "I hope they don't go back home and say, 'Let's train as hard as we play,' because that's been our secret weapon for so many years."
What April likes about WUSAWe asked Heinrichs what she enjoyed most about the WUSA's first season. This is what she said: "I prided myself on being a fan of the league, watching all the games. Videotapes of all the games were sent to me, and I watched them all. I pride myself on being objective -- I think it's one of my strengths as a human being -- [and] I just have no criticism of the WUSA. Every game was a good game. "I don't care -- I know the media people get down on a 0-0 tie or a 1-0 game. OK, the inaugural game was a little nervous, but it was sweltering heat, one of the first heat waves we'd had all year, and the pressure and enormity of that situation was tough. And that game was far more about history and historical perspective than it was about aesthetic soccer. "Not for a minute would I say every game was aesthetically pleasing, but every game entertained the fans, every game was exciting, every game was incredibly competitive, every game had opportunities at both ends. [Coaches] weren't sitting back, going, 'I don't want to lose my job, let's play not to lose by a lot.' Every game was exciting in that regard. "I was really thrilled for the organizers, for the players, and for the impact it will have on the U.S. national team. Every game was competitive. And there was an attacking spirit, an American spirit, that overwhelmed every game. That foreign players were stretched in a club league in our country was marvelous. That we're learning from foreigners, that foreigners have great respect for being part of our league, that that respect and friendship is there is wonderful. But at the end of the day, we've got to play Sissi and Katia and Pretinha and Roseli the next time we play Brazil, and I think it's going to bring out the best in both teams."
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