The Boston Globe from Boston, Massachusetts • 36

THE BOSTON GLOBE TUESDAY, JULY 6, 1999 We've known from Day One that it wasn't going to be easy and it hasn't been easy. The Germany game stretched us. The Brazil game stretched IBS V- VJfVj I MIA HAMM 7 It's been full Cup 1 i TH 1 ,11 mf Mi 1 mr i wi mm a i ii ii i i ir ili rxi 1 1 irii i 7, I I I I III I II VI 1 MIIII VMI I II -I 1' "3 i it U3 vs. The Americans hold a lifetime 11-5-5 record vs. China.

Here's how the games have gone. Key matches in international competition are noted. i 1 taati if in -ii in-1 iii irJ Sk i 'Vl'iWWHiliMrt fcinw1rillnniril nirirnn GLOBE STAFF PHOTO JOHN BOHN Fans of the Chinese women's team celebrate China's 5-0 victory over Norway Sunday night at Foxboro Stadium. 1S3S Site Result 4 2-1 Jesolo, Italy OliuiMEt Spitrred ijy a goal rash With speed, tenacity it has developed Midas touch on offense 2-0 1-1 Tianjin, China Shenyang, China 19S1 1- 2 2- 2 3-0 1 1- 2 12- 0 Changchun, China Yenji, China Anshan, China Oakford, Pa. Fairfax, Va.

Si By Marvin Pave Globe staff lt 1933 1 1-2 US, China team stats Team statistics (or US and China, averaged over the five games played thus far in Women's World Cup competition: Category US China Hamilton, Ont. 1994 1-0 Piscataway, N.J. i9g5- i 1 20.2 r. I Shots 3-3 2-0 Gavle, Sweden Gavle, Sweden 17.2 7.4 -4 Shots'agaTnsT Shots on goal 11.4. 10S6 4.5 S.p' Shptgnf0al.agams '0-0 1 2-1 Washington Miami-X Athens, Saves 4.2 16.8 Fouls committed Fouls committed against 1998 3.2' 13.2! J.Q 7.0 1 0-0 Guangzhou, China 14-1 Louie, Portugal 12-0 Long Island, N.Y.-Z Corner kicks BON SOCCER Continued from Page Dl talking to It was wonderful to its fans, signing everything thrust under a pen.

It modeled any role you wanted soccer mom, sex symbol, medical miracle, black-woman-in-white-sport. Somewhere through all that, folks seemed to forget that the home team was also supposed to get to the final and win. "That's an awesome enough task," coach Tony DiCicco was saying. "That's one reason why this team sometimes played a bit nervous. Getting here was no easy chore." The men never had to do that five years ago.

All they needed to do was make it to the second round. They weren't expected to inspire a generation of young boys. They didn't have to lay the groundwork for a national pro league (that was already going to happen). They had no Road to Pasadena tour. They didn't have to walk along a five-deep rope after practice scribbling their names and numbers in 90-degree heat Neither did the Chinese women.

Not that they got fast-laned to Pasadena, either. They spent seven weeks away from home this spring. They crossed the country four times in 12 days living on McFood. They had to play the defending champions in ungodly steam heat in a half-empty stadium. But all the Chinese have had to do is play.

For the US women, the playing seemed to be just one more thing on a To Do list that got longer, not shorter, as the Cup went on. "I'm just thankful that it's this team playing this tournament," Mia Hamm was saying. Because a less experienced team might have blown apart For the Hamms and Overbecks and Akerses and Lillys and Faw-cetts and Foudys, this is the third time around. They have won the Cup. They have lost the Cup.

They have won an Olympic gold medal in a full stadium at home. And they had played the contenders often enough to know that there was no locker room reserved for them at the Rose Bowl. "We've known from Day One that it wasn't going to be easy, and it hasn't been easy," Hamm said. "The Germany game stretched us. The Brazil game stretched us." Nobody has stretched the Chi- Oi 8.2 3.6 0.6 4.6 1999, i Goals Goals against 0.4 1-2 Louie, Portugal Hershey, Pa.

1-2 East Rutherford, N.J.-K Globe staff chart 5 World Cup preliminary round I -US wins World Cup bronze medal X-Olympic preliminary round tj. US wins Olympic goia medal Cup games and been impressed with the Chinese style of play. "They never lose their shape. They're never out of position. They counterattack well, but when they lose possession, it seems they always get players back.

They're an attacking team, but they never seem to get exposed." That isn't always the case with the Americans, Roberts analyzed. "The difference may be that the US team, when it attacks, gets exposed defensively on occasion," he said. "The Chinese haven't done that yet, from what I've seen." Indeed, despite their high-pressure offense, the Chinese did not allow a shot on goal in the first half. On more than one occasion, when a Norwegian attacker found a little breathing room, she was quickly marked by two or three defenders. Anticipation and team play were key components of China's game, described by its keeper as "spiritual." "They don't seem to have that one dominant physical player, like Hamm or Lilly.

They're just collectively very good," added Roberts. "I was talking recently to a soccer official who has been to China, and he said they have an academy where they have trained their national teams and they are bringing in players as young as 6 years old for 10 months at a time for schooling and physical training." a So what can we expect from the United States in the wake of China's rapid improvement and its demolition of Norway? "Tony DiCicco is obviously a great coach, and they know all about China," said Roberts. "The US women will be playing in front of 90,000 people, and I expect they'll do what they always do: go out and attack and try to score goals. They're not going to overestimate or underestimate them. They will respect them, but they won't fear them." Physically, said Roberts, China may find it difficult matching up to the US, especially on restarts or corner kicks.

"The US team has been close to perfect in their set plays," he said. "They've worked too hard and put too much on the line to be afraid of anybody. But what would concern me if I were in the US camp is the quick counterattack by the Chinese. They find, the open lanes very easily at least they did against i Ui wins uooowiinjames a I Ends US 50-match home unbeaten i streak JOHN POWERS I FOXBOROUGH There were two fireworks displays at Foxboro Stadium Sunday night, the postmatch holiday celebration that entertained the fans who had come to watch the Women's World Cup semifinal between China and defending champion Norway and the offensive pyrotechnics provided on the field by the Chinese. The next time China takes the field will be Saturday at the Rose' Bowl against the United States, a team it defeated, 2-1, April 25 in New ending a 50-match US winning streak on American soil.

And based on Sunday's dominate ing, precise, and spirited 5-0 romp over Norway, the US will have to be at the top of its game to avert another defeat There's no doubt that China will be the favorite, for me," said Norwegian coach Per-Mathias Hogmo. "But they will face a very enthusiastic US team. The most important issue will be the speed of both teams. We looked at China for the last three matches and were a little shellshocked. They have really strong players.

Their defense is so strong, and the way they attack through the midfield is very impressive." Chinese keeper Gao Hong, through an interpreter provided by World Cup officials, remarked after her team's semifinal win that she wasn't surprised at the outcome but was surprised at how quickly her team scored. "That I did not expect," she said. Hong was never really pressured during the match, in which China scored in the third and 14th minutes while torching Norway's defense in the transition game and taking advantage of its free kicks and corner kicks. Four of its goals came off set plays. That was the lament of Norway's captain and defender Linda Medalen.

i "Our defense was never in control," she said. "They were very good at free kicks and corner ki(ks, and I think the US team should watch out for them in those situations." Medalen said that even if Norway had been able to score the first goal, the outcome probably would have been the same. "They were just very tough on the ball They did a great job. We had no possibility to show our best today. They were Globe staff chart i 1 1 iU nnt licsc, wnu piaeu uie must uiipica- sive match in Cup history when they destroyed the Norwegians.

They, were equal to the Americans when much better than us." That wasn't the case earlier in the decade. After a disappointing loss to Sweden in the quarterfinals of the inaugural 1991 World Cup (won by the US), the Chinese shut down their women's national team program for two years. There has been a steady climb to the top echelon of international women's soccer since the program was revamped. China rebounded to advance to the semifinals of the 1995 World Cup. It also made it to the gold medal match of the '96 Olympics, losing to the Americans, 2-1, and it defeated the US in two of three matches this year.

Medalen, like her coach, feels the United States will face a hard test Saturday. "It's the two best teams in the final. No doubt about that The Chinese team we saw today was the best I've seen them." Lack of scoring had been a weakness in China's game, but no longer, thanks to the presence of talented veterans like Liu Ailing and captain Sun Wen (each of whom scored twice against Norway) and the speedy and elusive Zhao Lihong, who made life miserable along the flanks for Norway. "I just think their passing and discipline are top-notch," said Boston University men's soccer coach Neil Roberts, who has watched the World they played them twice in Apru, ana right now, they are better. They haven't given up early goals.

They' i i At i rn naveni scored on uieinseives. iney iiaveu iieeueu uue-iiauueu saves from their keeper. We will have to be a better team on Saturday than after his team had edged the Brazil-5 ians. And yet that may be the easy" part for this multi-tasked mi i ii 1 ineyre nnauy wnere uieyre sup- posed to be. All they have to do (how.

cimnlpM ie nlnv It all worked out at Foxboro Stadium i By Shira Springer GLOBE STAFF At 1 1 i- the games, and we were pleased with it It wasn't just a one-time spectacle. The people there were knowledgeable and followed the teams. It was wild." Added Revolution general manager and former Foxboro Stadium GM Brian O'Donovan: "It has been a terrifically successful event Again, a great indication of what Foxboro is all about and what New England is all about in terms of its support of soccer I think the biggest surprise for us was the US team as it was in other venues. They are like a juggernaut of popularity." Foxboro's two first-round doubleheaders and semifinal attracted a total of 94343 fans, with the largest crowd (50,484) attending the US-North Korea game. The loud, patriotic mix of ethnicities, genders, and ages created an international feel that suited the competition.

A similar display of face-painted fervor in 1994 led to the Krafts' interest in an MLS franchise. Now, there is the possibility of bringing a women's professional soccer team to the Boston area. have a great staff, and I think we'd be able to do that" said Kraft, who spoke about the possibility of Foxborough being home to the Rev- Or olution, Patriots, and a third pro team. "The concept of a women's league is very interesting and exciting. If the momentum is there, we'd be very interested in having a team there and owning a team and helping the sport grow." For Foxboro to serve as a temporary home for the Women's World Cup required a collective effort among FIFA, Foxboro event staff, and volunteers and resulted in a lot of "yielding" by stadium personnel.

According to O'Donovan, the staff based at the stadium had to make way for FIFA, which has very strict standards and protocol that must be followed. Sponsors and season ticket-holders made most of the compromises. Signs promoting non-World Cup sponsors had to be covered for the duration of Foxboro's dual role as tournament site and Revolution home. While advertisers were initially reluctant they ultimately agreed, realizing the event would put Boston in the national spotlight Season ticket-holders were displaced because of the China-Norway game, which followed the New England Revolution-New YorkNew Jersey Me-troStars. With the international scope of the tournament other logistical obstacles arose prior to and after the games.

Venue director Tim Larkin and his staff dealt with the day-to-day requests of the nine different teams that played at Foxboro. Luggage pickups at Logan, language barriers, dehydrating weather, and a level of media and fan interest much higher than originally anticipated were among the challenges. "Going into the event there was so much hard work put in and so much frustration and a lot of hours," said Larkin. "You think to yourself, "Can I do this again? Then you sit there at midfield as the fireworks go off and you want to do it again." FOXBOROUGH Dealing with the difference between Mandarin and Cantonese dialects, being diplomatic when the interests of FIFA and Fox-bdjro Stadium advertisers clash, transporting the 36 metal trunks brought by team Norway all in a day's work for World Cup organizers at Foxboro Stadium. For the second time in five years, the stadium situated halfway between Boston and Providence hosted the World Cup.

In 1994, the successful men's tournament helped launch the MLS. In the sujnmer of 1999, the women's tournament earned the title of biggest women's-only sporting event in history and may provide a launching point for a female professional league. The excitement generated by the United States team'and World Cup matches exceeded all expectations, and Foxboro Stadium played a significant part in the festivities, which conclude at the Rose Bowl Saturday. The local venue staged five World Cup games, ranking it second among the eight stadiums used. Only Jack Kent Cooke Stadium in Washington saw more action than Foxboro with four first-round games and two quarterfinals.

And only the Rose Bowl staff will see a longer period of action than the Foxboro petsonneL who shifted into tournament mode for 15. days. "I think it was a tremendous event," said Revelation co-owner and Patriots executive Jonathan Kraft, who watched the US-Korea match and the Independence Day semifinal. "It's a great benefit of having a stadium in the community that can hcSd events that aren't NFL football games or big coheerts. Clearlv, there was a passion there at I i J- 1 1 i 1 1 Foiboro Stalom's frm Vo-'d Cup dates d-sw 94,343 fans.

rv tf-e 53.454 tor the Jure I 27 Korea, Msxico-ttj: tfsuKeer. i i i I Di Teas? PHOTO June 20 Ghana-Australia: Russia-Norway 14,873 Jut4 jKNoway Gtode staff chart IS roach Tony DiCkro (left) and star player Mia Hamm arrive in Los Angeles to prepare for Saturday's championship game vs. China. i.