WORLD CUP / NOTES

DiCicco says he wants “personality players.” In Mia Hamm, he has the most personable of all.

“I think a personality player is like what Mia was today,” DiCicco said after Hamm scored 17 minutes in the United States’ opening victory Saturday. “She wanted the responsibility. She wanted the ball. She wanted the responsibility of feeding the players in the best area for a shot, or taking the shot herself.

“That’s the quality of player and person Mia is. As a coach, you can’t measure how important it is for your star player to be such a leader and a character person.”

While most of her teammates appeared nervous before the record crowd, Hamm was dominant. On her second touch of the game, she accepted a long pass from Brandi Chastain with her right foot. Immediately, Hamm tapped the ball around defender Katrine Pedersen and onto her left foot for a blast into the top of the net.

Hamm’s teammates anticipate she will perform well, but they also issued a warning.

“Expecting her to score three goals a game is not realistic,” Chastain said. “Expecting her to score a goal a game is realistic because she’s that good. The only pressure Mia feels is to be the best player she can be. Mia knows if the team is a success, it’s because she’s part of it.”