U.S. women

Hamm's goal, two assists lead the way in 3-1 decision over China in final Olympics tuneup.

EAST HARTFORD, Conn. (Sunday, August 1, 2004) -- If Mia Hamm does retire, as promised, by the end of the year, the United States striker will go out at the top of her game. Displaying a perfect blend of talent and determination, Hamm scored one goal and assisted on two others, leading the U.S. women to a 3-1 triumph over China before 15,093 wildly supportive fans at Rentschler Field this afternoon.

Both teams used the match as a final tuneup before departing for the Summer Olympics in Greece.

"I am really pleased, it could not have gone better," U.S. coach April Heinrichs said. "Everybody played well. I liked the way we attacked and went at China with courage and confidence. Obviously, we have great respect for them, so when you can play aggressively and with that kind of confidence against a team that is as strong as China, it's a really good sign moving forward."

Midfielder Aly Wagner and forward Abby Wambach each recorded a goal for the U.S.

There were only 15 fouls called in the game, nine on China, but nine yellow cards were issued, four to the Americans.

"I think it was just two technical teams out there," said Hamm who now has 151 career international goals, by far a world record. "One of the things we respect so much about China is how clean they are technically and how athletic they are. You have to commit to tackle sometimes, and when they're as skilled as they are, they slip your tackles and that leads to contact. But at the same time, I don't think it was anything dirty. There was no malicious intent involved, just two teams playing hard."

Five minutes after Hamm missed wide left from inside the right top of the penalty area, the U.S. took a 1-0 lead. Defender Christie Rampone threw deep into the right corner where Wambach touched it back to midfielder Julie Foudy. Foudy passed to the top right of the six-yard box where Hamm cleverly used the back of her left heel to set up Wagner just above the penalty spot. Wagner's right-footed drive from 16 yards out scraped the bottom of the left side of the crossbar, the ball going directly down and just over the goal line for her 15th career goal and a 1-0 lead in the 14th minute. China goalkeeper Xiao Zhen, shaded to the near post could only watch, flat-footed.

China nearly tied the game two minutes later, only to be denied by a great reaction save by U.S. keeper Briana Scurry and a quick move by defender Cat Reddick to clear the ball from danger. China striker Teng Wei was all alone in front of the net, but fanned on a cross from the right flank. The ball bounced through to the left post where forward Han Duan nailed an angled point-blank shot. Scurry held her ground and deflected the blast with two arms just over her head. The ball squirted toward the right corner of the net, but Reddick pushed the ball to safety with her left foot.

In the 28th minute, Wambach carried to the top of the penalty area on a quick counterattack. As three defenders converged on her, she passed inside the top left of the box where an advancing Hamm drilled a hard shot that Xiao, playing the angle well, turned away with two hands.

Wambach made another solo run two minutes later, tracking down a long ball and carrying across the top of the box before striking a shot wide right.

In the 33rd minute, the Americans went the length of the field to go ahead 2-0, the sequence starting when Reddick poked the ball away from China striker Teng Wei just as she was she approached the top of the U.S. box on a diagonal run. Rampone gathered the loose ball and led Wambach with a 50-yard ball up the right center of the pitch.

The 5-foot-11 forward was alone behind the Chinese defense, which had botched an attempted off-side trap. Without an opponent within 10 yards of her, Wambach carried until she was about 25 yards out. With Xiao come out to the 18-yard-line, Wambach perfectly fed Hamm racing into the top left of the box. Hamm pushed the ball forward five yards with her first touch and then hammered a right-footer into the vacated net.

China nearly closed its deficit to one goal, going the length of the field in the 41st minute after midfielder Han Duan slipped alone behind the U.S. back line. As a pair of defenders closed on her, Han shot from 18 yards, beating a charging Scurry, but scraping the outside of the left post as the Americans screamed for an offside call.

China did pull to within 2-1, exploiting a bad play by Scurry. Defender Ren Liping sent a free kick from above the top right of the U.S. box to the far post where Scurry weakly punched it to her right. The ball went to Han who touched once to get to the end line. With Scurry beyond the post, having failed to retreat into her net, Han lifted a cross to the far post where midfielder Fan Yunjie poked it home from one yard, beyond a lunging attempted tackle by Foudy.

Seeming groggy from taking an elbow to the face while challenging Fan for a cross seconds earlier, Wambach missed a golden opportunity in the 53rd minute. After a great bit of dribbling and a cross from midfielder Kristine Lilly on the left flank, Wambach found the ball at her feet, all alone seven yards from the far post. Wambach could not control the soft pass before the Chinese defense recovered.

Wambach did put away her team-leading 14th goal of 2004 in the 69th minute when a left-side corner kick from Hamm sailed over the head of defender Li Jie who seemed in position for a clearance. Wambach snapped her header back into the left corner of the net, her 28th tally in 40 international appearances, putting the U.S. back up by two, 3-1.

The U.S. departs Monday for Greece after compiling a 15-1-2 record in 2004 and a 5-0-1 record in its "Road to Athens" assemblage of exhibition matches. "We're ready and I think everybody on the team knows that we're ready," said Wambach of the Summer Olympics.

The U.S. opens the Olympics August 11 against host Greece.

"The preparations are done," said Lilly, a Wilton, Conn., native who played with the U.S. women in front of her home state fans for the first time since 1997. "Now it's just about fine-tuning, keeping the team's confidence up and resting for Greece and August 11."

Referee: Sandra Hunt (United States). Assistant referees: Karalee Sutton (United States), Bahij Salman (United States). Attendance: 15,093 at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Conn. Weather:Hot, humid, 80 degrees.