Hamm Makes Record 108th Goal Count in 3-0 U.S. Win
Mia Hamm wanted the goal to be “momentous” and it was.
The most recognizable player in women’s soccer made the world record all her own Saturday as she scored her 108th international goal in a 3-0 United States victory over Brazil at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Fla.
The goal came in the closing moments of the first half and capped a superb buildup by the U.S. team. The ball was passed from Michelle Akers to Hamm, headed by Hamm to Kristine Lilly, passed forward to Cindy Parlow and then back out to Hamm, sprinting toward the goal on the right flank.
Shrugging off the challenge of a Brazilian defender, Hamm unleashed a right-foot shot from 10 yards that caught goalkeeper Didi by surprise, the ball slipping through her legs and into the net.
The Citrus Bowl crowd of 10,452 rose as one, cheering the fact that after almost a dozen years on the national team and with four NCAA championships at North Carolina, a 1991 world championship and a 1996 Olympic gold medal already on her resume, Hamm finally had a record all her own.
Her 108 goals are one more than the total Elisabetta Vignotto of Italy scored during the 1970s and ‘80s.
No player, man or woman, has scored more international goals than the 27-year-old from Selma, Ala. Not even Pele, who scored 77.
“It is important and I’ll look back and think about it once my career’s over,” Hamm told ESPN’s Rob Stone before the game. “So I want to make it momentous.”
The celebration that followed was certainly that. The entire U.S. starting lineup and bench, including coaches, swamped Hamm at midfield, showering her with hugs and kisses.
When she eventually emerged, she saluted the fans, including her father, Bill, and her husband, Christian Corry, a Marine Corps helicopter pilot. She waved to the crowd, holding the game ball up high, then bowed low. The relief was evident after months of chasing the record under the ever-increasing pressure of the media.
“It was special to get the record on such a great team goal,” she said. “We’re really starting to feel the excitement building for the [June 19-July 10] World Cup. We’re getting fitter, our confidence is growing and we are fine-tuning the small parts of our game.
“But there are so many good teams in the tournament and you saw that tonight. It will be a very difficult road to the final [at the Rose Bowl].”
The Brazilians are the first team to arrive for the 16-nation world championship, which will be played in eight U.S. cities. They will be staying here until their first game, against Mexico at Giants Stadium on June 19.
Regarded as the most improved team in the world since the last Women’s World Cup in Sweden in 1995, Brazil gave the U.S. all it could handle in Orlando. Only two tremendous saves by goalkeeper Briana Scurry kept the Brazilians off the scoreboard.
Scurry had a busy night, making 10 saves as the quick and elusive Brazilian forwards and midfielders found ways through and around the U.S. defense.
The game was not secure until Lilly scored the second goal in the 72nd minute, redirecting a corner kick by Tiffeny Milbrett into the net from close range.
The final goal, in the 87th minute, should not have counted since there were two balls on the field at the time it was scored, one having been thrown onto the field from the stands after the U.S. had taken a quick throw-in with another.
But referee Ali Saheli of Colombia, Mo., inexplicably allowed Milbrett’s volleyed goal off Lilly’s headed pass to stand, sparking a furious protest from the Brazilian players, including Racquel, who was red-carded.
It was a minor disruption, however, on a momentous night that belonged to Hamm.
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On Top of World
WORLD’S TOP GOAL SCORERS
108--Mia Hamm, United States
107--Elisabetta Vignotto, Italy*
105--Carolina Morace, Italy*
102--Michelle Akers, United States
83--Heidi Stohr, Germany*
72--Kristine Lilly, United States
* Retired
HAMM’S 108 GOALS
* Norway: 7; Canada: 10; Soviet Union: 2; Bulgaria: 1; Mexico: 4; Martinique: 2; Trinidad & Tobago: 6; Netherlands: 3; China: 8; Sweden: 3; Brazil: 6; Denmark: 7; Italy: 4; Australia: 8; Japan: 3; Taiwan: 3; Germany: 7; Finland: 3; France: 5; South Korea: 4; England: 4; Argentina: 2; Iceland: 2; Russia: 2; Portugal: 2.
