John Wynn Gladwyne, Pa. Why hasn’t anybody reviewed Mia Hamm’s book? Mike Woitalla: In fact, John, I reviewed “Goal for the Goal” in the June 14, 1999 issue of Soccer America Magazine. Here’s a copy for the review that ran in the magazine’s “Backline” section. Go for the Goal, A Champion’s Guide to Winning in Soccer and Life. By Mia Hamm with Aaron Heifetz. Hardback. 222 pages. $20. Harper-Collins Publishers. Soccer-playing girls who like to read and who admire the world’s best female scorer should enjoy Mariel Margaret Hamm’s book, a handsome production with spectacular and charming photos. It’s heavy on training tips, and we know no one has ever become a great player by reading. But instructional guides can help if they inspire players to play. In this book’s case, the author better known as Mia intersperses enough anecdotal material from her and her teammates to make the advice sections entertaining. “My older brother and I used to have heading competitions in our house,” offers Tisha Venturini, one of the teammates invited for insight. “We would jump up and try to head a spot on the wall.” (Here we must refer the young reader to the caveat at the book’s beginning: “If you experience any sustained pain or discomfort when trying the exercises and drills outlined in this book, stop …”) Coaches are among the potential audience, and Hamm’s emphasis on dribbling and skill are reassuring: “Too often in this country, youth coaches sacrifice learning skills for winning games. Because speed and aggression are so important to winning soccer games, often coaches won’t let their players take chances by passing the ball around a lot.” Hamm chronicles the U.S. national team’s illustrious history, mentioning everyone who has contributed. She also describes the playing style of its rivals. That Hamm has been a reluctant celebrity, relating to her public mainly through her play and the slew of advertisements she stars in, makes the book enticing for those who wish to know her better. The daughter of an Air Force colonel — one of six siblings — she lived the nomadic childhood of a military brat: “While my mom and dad became very good at packing boxes, I found my stability on the soccer field.” She describes brother Garrett as her greatest inspiration. Three years her senior, he took a 5-year-old Mia along for pickup soccer, football and volleyball games. He died in 1997 from bone-marrow transplant complications. At 17, in 1989, she enrolled at the University of North Carolina, where Coach Anson Dorrance became her legal guardian. Two years earlier, Dorrance had brought 15-year-old Hamm into the national team: “Anson pulled me aside after a game and said the craziest thing. ‘Mia,’ he said. ‘you can become the best soccer player in the world.'” “I’m still not there,” writes Hamm, whose book’s predominant message may be the virtue of humility. (If you have a question for a Soccer America Magazine editor, click “Q&A with SA Editors” in the left column of the home page under “Interactive.”)