Finland was the latest victim for the U.S. women, who shut out their Scandinavian foe in two friendlies.
The U.S. women’s national team hit the so-called “Road to Sweden” with a vengeance, leaving behind nothing but tire tracks and a bunch of dazed Finns.
Michelle Akers and Tisha Venturini scored first-half goals and teenage sensation Tiffany Roberts gave the defense fits as the U.S. mauled Finland, 2-0, before a sellout crowd of 5,432 at Decatur High School in suburban Atlanta April 28.
The first of six exhibition matches around North America leading up to this summer’s FIFA Women’s World Championship in Sweden, the victory was the U.S.’s fourth straight. Two days later a 6-0 rout — featuring goals by five different players — extended that streak to five and upped the team’s record to 8-1-1 in 1995.
“I can’t tell you how really happy I am,” said U.S. coach Tony DiCicco after the first victory. “I was pleased with every aspect of our game — our intensity, our decision-making, our passing, our defense. No one had an off-game.”
In the first match, the U.S. kept Finland penned in its own end virtually all night, racking up a 17-3 advantage in shots and forcing the Finns to commit 22 fouls, most of them acts of desperation. In fact, the score might have been even higher had Mia Hamm’s goal in the 43rd minute not been ruled offside.
Roberts, meanwhile, used her sprinter’s speed to shred the Finnish flanks with one dangerous run after another.
Said Finnish coach Nils Suomalainen: “What can you expect? They are the world champions, and if they play this way in Sweden, they will remain the world champions.”
Granted, Finland is not among the eight finalists competing in the World Championship. But the Finns did test the U.S. at the Algarve Cup in Portugal in March — the U.S. won, 2-0 — and play an aggressive, attacking style that figured to be a good tuneup for Sweden.
And Finland did slip through the U.S. defense in the 18th minute, as midfielder Susanna Heikari broke free for a shot that was easily scooped up by goalkeeper Briana Scurry.
Then there was Finland’s three-forward alignment, which was particularly rough on U.S. attacking midfielder Julie Foudy. Forced to drop back and defend rather than orchestrate the offense, Foudy said the change was actually a useful learning experience.
“My impulse is always to go forward,” Foudy said. “But this game was good because I had no choice but to stay back and help out. That’s good, because I’ve been trying to discipline myself to stay back more.”
After misfiring on her first three shots of the game, Akers gave the U.S. a 1-0 lead on a goal in the 32nd minute that belied her smarts — if not her skill. Setting up for a free kick from approximately 35 yards out, Akers noticed that goalkeeper Johanna Lindell was out of position. So rather than wait for the defense to get set, she lofted the ball over everybody’s head for an easy goal.
But Akers did not take full credit for the sneak-attack.
“Hearing [teammate] Carla Overbeck screaming from 50 yards away, ‘Look at the goalkeeper! Look at the goalkeeper!’ certainly helped,” Akers said with a laugh.
Venturini, whose header off a cross from Hamm narrowly missed in the 37th minute, made sure she was on target the next time around. Outleaping two defenders for the ball, Venturini nodded home another bullet-pass from Hamm in the 38th minute for the 2-0 final score.
Hamm sparks rout
The U.S. outdid itself April 30 on the campus of Davidson College, spanking the Finns 6-0 as Mia Hamm set up two goals and then finally scored herself in the 86 minute. Kristine Lilly was the beneficiary of Hamm’s first assist, curving a left-footed shot past Finnish goalkeeper Paulina Miettinen in the 25th minute.
A Hamm shot that Miettinen blocked but couldn’t get a handle on was headed home by Akers in the 35th minute for Akers’ 78th career goal.
Getting her first start in more than a year was U.S. goalie Mary Harvey. The national team starter in each of its 1991 World Championship games, Harvey hadn’t been in a U.S. net since April 10, 1993, against Germany. She didn’t have much to do this time, making one save before Saskia Webber replaced her at halftime.
The match also featured the first international appearance and goal by forward Natalie Neaton, who’ll be a senior at William & Mary next year. Neaton, after replacing Akers at halftime, knocked in a rebound of a Hamm shot that ricocheted off the left post in the 74th minute.
Neaton’s strike was part of a barrage of three in a seven-minute span in the second half. The first was an own goal, as Finnish captain Marianne Lindholm, attempting to clear a Hamm cross, fired the ball into her own net in the 71st minute. After Neaton’s goal, Foudy finished off a run through the Finn defense by slotting home the ball in the 77th.
But while the U.S. was never in danger in either match, Venturini cautioned that the malaise that gripped the team in Portugal is still being worked out.
“I’d say we’re not all the way there yet,” she said. “We’re getting better each time out. With every game, we get more excited and more focused [for Sweden]. But we’ve still got a little more work to do.”
by Soccer America correspondent Doug Cress
April 30 in Davidson, N.C.
United States 6, Finland 0. Goals: Lilly (25), Akers (35), own goal (71), Neaton (74), Foudy (77), Hamm (86).
U.S. — Harvey (Webber, 46), Overbeck, Staples, Fawcett, Roberts, Foudy, Venturini (Lalor, 57), Lilly (Manthei, 72), Hamm, Akers (Neaton, 46), Gabarra (Milbrett, 58).
Finland — Miettinen, Seppaanen (?,78), Aalto (Forssell, 33), Lindholm, Maisonlahti, Ojala, Raasaanen (Jaappinen, 67), Maakinen, Rytkoonen, Norppa-Rahkola, Kantanen (Heikari, 40).
Ref.: Dominguez (U.S.).
Att.: 3,295.