A Prolific Day for U.S. Women

Two goals by Danielle Fotopoulos and one each by Cindy Parlow, Mia Hamm and Tiffeny Milbrett earned the U.S. women’s national team a 5-0 victory over South Korea on Sunday in front of a sellout crowd of 23,101 at Columbus, Ohio.

The result, in the opening doubleheader of the fifth Nike U.S. Women’s Cup tournament, gave the world and Olympic champions the most victories they have scored in a single year. The American team is 23-2-2 in 1999.

Two other marks also were surpassed. The five goals took the U.S. more than 100 goals in a year for only the second time in the team’s 14-year history, and Milbrett became only the third player to score 20 goals in a single year, joining Hamm, who scored 20 in 1998, and Michelle Akers, who scored 39 in 1991.

In the first game of the four-nation event, Brazil defeated Finland, 3-1, with Roseli scoring twice for the South American champion.

The tournament continues Thursday, when the U.S. plays Finland and Brazil plays South Korea, in front of what will be the largest crowd to see a soccer game in Kansas City.

The final will be televised live Sunday on ESPN2 at 10 a.m. from Louisville, Ky.