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Hamm-strung

Injury slows U.S. star's World Cup efforts

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Posted: Sunday August 22, 1999 04:26 PM

Bothered by a hamstring injury for the last week, Mia Hamm has not scored a goal in the last three games. Aubrey Washington/Allsport

By Michael Lewis, CNN/SI

LOS ANGELES -- So far, Mia Hamm has failed to show the world she is one of the best, if not the top women's player in the world. In fact, we're still waiting for Hamm to make a major impact in one of her four major international soccer tournaments of the 90's.

In USA '99, she has totaled two goals and two assists in five matches. She has teased us with moments of brilliance. Her 12-yard rocket to the near post snapped a nervous American team out of its funk in the opener, and she added another nice one agaisnt Nigeria.

Hamm, the all-time leading international goal scorer (111 and counting) for men and women on this planet, has been hampered by a hamstring injury she suffered a week ago, before the knockout rounds.

"It's something of a bit of a nag to her," DiCicco said. "It's not serious. With extra days of rest, she'll be 100 percent."

But Hamm hasn't scored in three games, which did not go unnoticed by DiCicco.

"I would love to see her score in the final," he said. "When she hasn't scored in a couple of games, you know one's coming."

Regardless of her health, Hamm has struggled to score in big games and tournaments. In the very first World Cup in 1991, Hamm played more of a supporting role in midfield as Michelle Akers and Carin Gabarra dominated the tournament. Hamm's total: two goals.

When the stage was hers for the taking in 1995, Hamm failed to reach for the brass ring and settled along with her teammates for a silver medal and third-place finish instead. Hamm's totals: two goals and five assists.

In the 1996 Olympics, she was hobbled by an ankle injury suffered in a freak accident against Sweden in the first round. Hamm finished with only one goal and one assist, although it must be noted that a less-than-100-percent Hamm did help create both goals with long passes down the right wing in the gold-medal match, although she did not receive any statistical credit.

Her big tournament totals to date: seven goals and eight assists in 21 matches.

For mere mortals, that is superb. For a superstar of Hamm's magnitude, that is only average.

When she can't break away from her marker on the right wing, Hamm, the consummate team player, will cross the ball to the far post. She is one of the best passers in the world.

But there is a catch. When Wayne Gretzky graced the ice, when did we hear: "Gretzky passes!" It was always: "Gretzky scores!"

That's what the fans want to see from Mia Hamm.

Perhaps we are expecting too much. Perhaps the hamstring has slowed her down just a bit. Perhaps the hype is too much and unfair. Perhaps the pressure is getting to her. Or perhaps it is something else that has yet to have been revealed.

Whatever the reason, Hamm needs a game and at least one well-timed goal to silence her critics and to make sure this tournament does not become another chapter in missed opportunities.

There still is time -- 90 minutes at the Rose Bowl on Saturday -- to reverse this trend and write a new page in the history books. Overcoming China won't be easy for the U.S. and Hamm, but certainly not impossible.

Michael Lewis covers soccer for the New York Daily News and is editor of Soccer Magazine. His column appears weekly on CNNSI.com.

 

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