University of North Carolina Athletics
Hamm Takes on Defensive Role
July 6, 1999 | Women's Soccer
July 6, 1999
STANFORD, Calif. - Mia Hamm didn't score a goal against North Korea. She was shut out again in the quarterfinals against the Germans. And the world's leading goal scorer didn't find the back of the net in the U.S. Women's National Team's 2-0 semifinal triumph over Brazil on Sunday, either.
So that's three games in a row. But it'd be preposterous for anyone to start that "slump" business.
Just watch, you'll read about "the slump" before the team's World Cup Final match on July 10. The same talk started back in the spring when she went scoreless for eight straight games.
Hamm is fine and well. Much like other sports superstars who go through a period when the ball just isn't going into the basket, endzone or goal, she's doing other things to make a difference.
Such was the case against the attack-happy Brazilians.
Knowing that Brazil would come at the U.S. with reckless abandon, Tony DiCicco and his staff decided to institute their "hundred" defense.
"It's based on high pressure and aggressively chasing the ball down wherever it is," said assistant coach Lauren Gregg. "Until we regain possession, we don't stop."
This style of play relies heavily on the forwards to work as hard getting back on the defensive end as when making runs on offense. This strategy paid dividends at the start of the match.
In the fifth minute of play, Hamm lost possession of the ball just outside the penalty area on the left side of the field. Instead of waiting for a midfielder to check off onto the ball, Hamm came storming back down the field to make a hard tackle, which sent the ball out of bounds.
Just seconds later -- after the ball was thrown-in -- Brandi Chastain sent Julie Foudy down the left side towards the touchline, where she would send a floating cross into the box. When Brazil's goalkeeper, Maravilha, misplayed the service in front of her net, forward Cindy Parlow came charging past the six-yard line to slam the loose ball home with a vicious header. It would be all the scoring the U.S. needed on a very sluggish afternoon at Stanford Stadium.
Gregg believes that her superstar's tackle to get the play started was invaluable to the team's psyche.
"Mia really set the tone today, defensively, with that tackle," said Gregg. "With her intention, the whole team got behind it."
It didn't stop there.
Even though she didn't have many opportunities to create throughout the game, Hamm stood out. When the ball wasn't coming her way, she didn't pout. When Mia was stripped of the ball, she didn't take any dives or walk back down the field shaking her head. That may be the in-thing to do for some of the world's best strikers past and present (think Maradona), but it's not her style.
Instead, Hamm played a major role in the win through her inspired defensive play. Gregg went as far as saying, "Her defensive output was why we won this game."
That's a strong statement, considering how well Briana Scurry played in goal. It goes to show how much importance is placed on what the forwards do when they don't have the ball.
"We knew that a low-pressure defense wouldn't work against Brazil," Foudy said while downing a slice of pizza after the match. "We wanted to jump all over them and get them back on their heels. It worked well and it all started with our forwards."
"With Brazil, they attack in waves and they are so deadly," said Hamm, who played in her 178th match for the U.S. on Sunday. "They like to set-up from the back. We didn't want them to get the ball out early, so we put early pressure on them."
When the U.S. takes on this philosophy in their game-plan, they have the luxury of having such a two-way threat.
"Mia is the best closing front-runner in the world," said Gregg.
Though her defense goes unnoticed oftentimes, it is something Hamm takes tremendous pride in.
"The one thing you can count on each game is work-rate and defensive pressure," said Hamm. "I score goals, but I feel better when a teammate says your work made all the difference. The foundation of this team is work ethic."
Despite her claims that she wasn't "doing much offensively today," Hamm did make a few nice runs through the box in the second half. But her crosses were either cleared or blocked out of bounds. And Hamm was responsible for setting up Michelle Akers' penalty kick score in the 80th minute, when the forward was taken down in the penalty area by Brazil's captain, Elane.
"I was able to run on it, get a step and the next thing I knew I was on the ground," said Hamm, who deserves credit for keeping the ball close to her, creating a situation where she could only unleash a shot or be fouled.
The win over Brazil gave Hamm a tremendous amount of relief because she knows her team can play much better.
"It was not the type of game we want to play, but it got the job done," said Hamm.
With several days of rest ahead and no more agonizing continental flights, expect the U.S. to come out with all the pistons firing against China on Saturday.
And don't worry about Mia Hamm. If history means anything, you can't keep the Queen of Soccer off the scoreboard for long.
China has kept Hamm at bay in each of the three games they've played against the U.S. in 1999. But this means one thing: she's due.
By Marc Connolly
ABC Sports Online
