EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. This was what everybody wanted.
The U.S. women have done it.
Along with their stooge team, Denmark, whom they beat 3-0, and acouple of mop-up acts, Brazil and Mexico, the U.S. women's soccerteam drew the largest crowd to see a female sporting event in thiscountry.The 78,972 was probably the largest crowd to attend a women'steam sporting event anywhere in the world.'I have no doubt,' said Aaron Heifetz, press officer to the U.S.women's team. 'There aren't real good records for these kinds ofthings. But in two years of researching, I haven't found anythingbigger in the history of the planet.'The crowd for the opening round of the 1999 World Cup was even thebiggest for a sporting event in the history of Giants Stadium, aplanet of its own, some Giants and Jets fans think.In fact, the only Giants Stadium crowd larger was the 82,948 thatcame to see the pope in October 1995. And that was a non-sportingouting because no miracles were performed and Jimmy Hoffa was notunearthed.'Plus, they put people on the field,' Women's World Cup presidentMarla Messing said.But it's OK to be beaten by the pontiff, especially when yourorganization has beaten all ticket expectations, then your team putson a fine display on a perfect, sunny afternoon.Mia Hamm scored the first goal of the day, and that, too, wasappropriate.The slight, 27-year-old forward with the Tinker Bell feet is freshoff her monster 'Anything you can do, I can do better' Nikecommercial with Michael Jordan.She's got her own wing at the Nike Beaverton, Ore., headquarters,and she is unquestionably the main face for all of women's soccer andperhaps women's sport.Some critics have grumbled that not enough of Hamm's record 110goals in international play have come in the big events. Well, thiswas big.On the right wing, Hamm took a pass from midfielder BrandiChastain, faked her defender toward the goal, then sprinted aroundher and blasted a left-footed rocket above Danish goaltender DortheLarsen and into the net.There were 17 minutes gone, and Hamm's goal seemed to loosen upthe team after a shaky start.'When she made the goal, I think we were all like, `Yeah, yeah!We're going to be OK,' ' said U.S. midfielder Julie Foudy, who had agoal of her own in the second half.Hamm herself was giddy with joy.She ran toward her team's bench with her arms raised, screaming.'The whole time I was running, I was just saying, `Are you kiddingme? Are you kidding me?' 'The reason she thought somebody might be joking is that she claimsshe seldom scores goals with her left foot. That would be the onewith the red toenails. As opposed to the right foot with its bluetoenails.Indeed, the entire team got together before the game, played CDsand painted all members' fingernails and toenails in variousarrangements of good ol' red, white and blue.'We're such a team,' explained defender Christie Pierce, whosefingernails were in an alternating series of colors. 'It couldspoil everything if anybody were too cocky. But we don't have that.That's why we click.'Hamm, who is so quick with her feints and deft with her shot, isthe first to back away from lavish praise.'Mia was awesome,' U.S. coach Tony DiCicco said.'Well,' Hamm said, 'I'm happy with the way I played today.'Then somebody asked her if she thought of herself as the femalePele.'Oh, no,' she said quickly. 'No way. I would love to have alittle bit of his game.'But she does have a little bit of it.And that is one of the major reasons fans swarmed to see thisteam.It seems as if we have been having this soccer pill rammed downour throats for at least the last 20 years. And the thing is, thegame has only started to take off here as kids (and their parents)have come to understand and play the game, not because authoritieshave told us we have to like it because the rest of the world does.And it hasn't hurt that the U.S. women's team is good. (That 1996Olympic gold was sweet.)Or that the team is photogenic and public-relations-ready. Afterthe win, the squad paraded around the field, waving to every soccerkid in the house.'Why did people come?' U.S. goalie Briana Scurry said. 'Theylike us.'So eager was the crowd to bond with its heroes that every souvenirwas snapped up fast, leaving T-shirt and program stands with nothingto sell for most of the day.'There are rules of thumb for novelties and souvenirs based oncrowd size,' Messing said. 'We told people here we thought itwould be much higher than usual. This was an event.'It was.'Watching us play in a high school stadium is nothing likewatching us play here,' said Hamm, still bubbling with excitement.'Girls walk away, saying, `I want to play! I want to play!' 'Just like the boys.Which brings us back to big kid Michael Jordan and that ad inwhich Hamm beats him at every sport known to man.Was Mike any good and could he play soccer?'He could have done anything he wanted,' Hamm said. 'He couldkick the ball. He knew what he was doing.'But you threw him in that judo match - was that for real?Hamm rolls her eyes.'Yeah,' she says.Well, her goal was for real. And the crowd was for real. And sois women's soccer.
