Creating more chances but finishing none of them, the U.S. women's national team started its preparations for next fall's Women's World Cup on Sunday with a 0-0 draw against Japan before 5,099 at Torero Stadium on the University of San Diego campus.

The Americans, coming off a two-month layoff and following just three days of training, looked rusty but benefited from strong performances in the back and from playmaker Aly Wagner.

''When you have some time off, the last thing that comes back is the finishing touch,'' U.S. coach April Heinrichs said. ''You are a step off, or your shots are a few inches wide, but overall it was a great start for us heading into the Four Nations Tournament. We gave a lot of players the chance to play today, and the team is ahead of where we were last year at this time.''

Heinrichs used all 18 players on her game roster, making five substitutions at halftime — effectively impeding the flow the Americans had found near the end of the first half — and bringing on two more as the second half progressed. Among those coming on were University of North Carolina freshman Lindsay Tarpley, heroine of the U.S. U-19 team's triumph at last year's World Championship, who made her first full international appearance.

Wagner was behind most of the Americans' best chances, but shots were off-target and Japan goalkeeper Nozomi Yamago stopped the only shot on target and dealt well with crosses.

The strongest opportunities came in the first half, when Tiffany Roberts' 5-yard header from a Wagner feed sailed just wide right and Lorrie Fair's 9-yard shot from a Shannon MacMillan cross went wide of the left post. Brandi Chastain also had a chance late in the half, but her header cleared the crossbar.

Japan, which is expected to join the 16-team field for the Sept. 23-Oct. 11 Women's World Cup when Asian confederation qualifying is held this spring, was unfortunate not to beat the Americans for the first time in 15 meetings. Errors by San Jose CyberRays teammates LaKeysia Beene and Thori Bryan, both second-half substitutes, provided the skillful Japanese golden chances that weren't converted.

The first, in the 71st minute, was product of poor decision-making by Beene, who has struggled in the nets with the national team after a solid year in 2001. Emi Yamamoto's cross lured the keeper off her line, but she couldn't get to the ball and tumbled into one of her defenders. Naoko Kawakami, on the right, was left with an open net and an abrupt angle, but she could do nothing more than send the ball through the goalmouth.

Bryan, who had a poor outing, nearly gifted Japan in the 87th minute, attempting to clear Kawakami's cross from the right but instead rolling it feebly to Atlanta Beat star Homare Sawa near the penalty spot. Sawa didn't react to it and Chastain was able to clear it from danger.

''Sometimes you can appease yourself by saying that we played well and that the game was a good start to the year for us, but it really was,'' Chastain said. ''The goals will come. We have great goalscorers. And our back four is very organized and working very well with the other two lines. It was a great preparation game for the Four Nations Tournament.''

The Americans head Thursday to China for the Jan. 23-29 Four Nations event, in which they will face Norway, Germany and the Chinese.

Sunday, Jan. 12 at San Diego

United States 0 Japan 0.

United States — Mullinix (Beene, 46); Sobrero (Bryan, 57), Fawcett, Chastain, Reddick; Roberts (Hucles, 46), Fair (Tarpley, 68), MacMillan (Kluegel, 46), Wagner; Parlow (Wambach, 46), Milbrett (O'Reilly, 46).

Japan — Yamago; Yamagishi, Obe, Miyazaki; Nakachi (Yamamoto, 57), Sakai (Sudo, 75), Kobayashi, Kawakami, Sawa; Suzuki (Maruyama, 70), Ohno (Otani, 46).

Yellow cards — United States: Fair 64.

Referee — Sandra Hunt (U.S.). A — 5,099.