Seven titles since ’99 triumph make Americans the favorites at the Olympics
Since capturing the Women’s World Cup crown last summer, the U.S. women’s team has repeatedly come up against obstacles, everything from Coach Tony DiCicco’s resignation to bitter contract negotiations with U.S. Soccer to the somewhat controversial selection of April Heinrichs as head coach, plus injuries and personnel decisions that have changed the composition of the squad.
None of it impacted the Americans on the field. Since their WWC triumph, they’ve won every tournament in which they’ve participated, claiming their seventh trophy at July’s DFB Cup in Germany.
The seven championships:
U.S. CUP ’99. The WWC winners – all but Michelle Akers and Lorrie Fair – celebrated their crown in Columbus, Kansas City and Louisville, where 94,717 watched one-sided wins over South Korea and Finland and a comeback victory over Brazil in early October.
Kristine Lilly, who scored twice against the Finns and Brazilians, was selected MVP, but Mia Hamm – with two goals against Brazil and three assists against Finland – was as good.
Danielle Fotopoulos made her final U.S. appearance – not counting the indoor Victory Tour – in the second game, and Tiffany Roberts made hers vs. Brazil.
The win over Brazil was DiCicco’s finale. He resigned in November.
AUSTRALIA CUP. With the core players involved in a contract dispute with U.S. Soccer, DiCicco’s World Cup assistants – Lauren Gregg and Jay Hoffman – took a young squad (average age 19.9 years) Down Under for the Olympic hosts’ annual January quadrangular.
Midfielder Nikki Serlenga and forward Christie Welsh, who have figured prominently in Heinrichs’ Sydney preparations, scored in their debuts, an 8-1 romp over the Czech Republic in the opener.
The U.S. roster included defender Danielle Slaton, who scored in the 3-1 triumph over Australia that secured the title, and goalkeeper Siri Mullinix, who backed up LaKeysia Beene.
The youngsters earned a 0-0 draw with a full Sweden team between their wins, but the fun was short-lived for Gregg, who returned home to learn that Heinrichs, not she, would succeed DiCicco.
ALGARVE CUP. The Yanks won their first Algarve in six attempts in March as Mullinix established herself with superb performances in 1-0 wins over Sweden and, in the final, Norway.
Heinrichs claimed her first victory as coach in the opener, a 7-0 rout of host Portugal that featured a Cindy Parlow hat trick. Nothing else proved easy.
Shannon MacMillan came off the bench to score the 86th-minute winner against Denmark, then assisted on Hamm’s 116th-minute strike to beat Sweden. Brandi Chastain’s penalty kick was the difference in the final.
Christie Pearce started three of four games in the back, her first steps toward the right-back job she’s made her own this summer. Carla Overbeck was in the lineup every match, but she lasted no longer than 66 minutes and twice exited at halftime. Within a month of the final, she would be diagnosed with Grave’s Disease, a thyroid condition.
Tisha Venturini made her final U.S. appearance against the Swedes.
U.S. CUP 2000. The Americans had little trouble winning their seventh successive U.S. Cup in early May, romping past Mexico, 8-0, in a semifinal and Canada, 4-0, in the final.
MacMillan, with two goals and an assist in the first game and an assist in the final, was selected MVP, but Lilly was given a bracelet, gold necklace and gold shoes when she earned her 200th cap, most ever by man or woman, against Canada.
Attendance was poor in Portland, with only 14,176 showing up for two doubleheaders.
Hometown favorite Tiffeny Milbrett scored in both games, and so did Welsh, whose pair came in 31 minutes on the field. Overbeck started and played 68 minutes against Canada, her last appearance before knee surgery sidelined her through July.
PACIFIC CUP. A Sun Wen penalty kick led China past the U.S. in the opener of this six-team round-robin affair in May and June, but the Americans won the trophy – over the Chinese and Canadians, on goal-differential – after whipping Canada, New Zealand and Japan and sneaking past host Australia.
Hamm became the first woman to 100 assists against New Zealand, and the U.S.-Canada clash drew 10,049 to the Sydney Football Stadium, site of the 2000 Olympic final.
Parlow’s seven goals – including back-to-back hat tricks against Canada and New Zealand – were tops in the tournament.
Mullinix and Jenni Branam split time in the nets, and Pearce started four of five games in defense as the central partnership of Joy Fawcett and Kate Sobrero began to take hold.
CONCACAF GOLD CUP. Heinrichs’ plan to use a younger team was quashed when CONCACAF invited China and Brazil into the first official confederation championship. The Yanks missed the Chinese but got two good battles from the Brazilians at Foxboro.
The Americans were held to 0-0 when Andreia saved Lilly’s penalty kick in group play, but MVP Milbrett’s goal just before halftime secured a 1-0 triumph in the July 3 final.
Parlow had another hat trick, in an 11-0 laugher over Trinidad & Tobago at Hershey, Pa., and Serlenga banged home three (and Susan Bush had four assists) in an 8-0 rout of Costa Rica in Louisville, Ky.
A coin flip after the draw with Brazil set up a semifinal with Canada in Louisville, with MacMillan scoring twice in a 4-1 win. The Brazilians advanced by beating China, 3-2, in overtime.
DFB CUP. The German federation’s 100th anniversary festivities gave Heinrichs a perfect dress rehearsal for the Olympics and provided previews of the most anxiously awaited Sydney showdowns.
Milbrett’s fine individual goal beat Norway in the July 16 opener, and Hamm’s quick thinking in the 85th minute earned a draw three days later against China, in games against the Americans’ first two first-round Olympic opponents. Julie Foudy scored the only goal in the finale against Germany, and the U.S. captured the title when Norway beat China.
Hamm won her 200th cap against the Norwegians, and Akers made her first appearance since February, playing 33 minutes at forward in the last match.
The defense, aside from brief miscommunication between Mullinix and Sobrero that resulted in China’s goal, was outstanding, especially Fawcett and Pearce, who used their speed to kill opponents’ chances. Mullinix was required to make only two saves while notching her 11th and 12th shutouts of 2000, most by a U.S. goalkeeper in a calendar year.
by Soccer America senior editor Scott French