In the Women's World Cup, the U.S-North Korea match was
played last night before 50,484 fans at Foxboro Stadium. In
Boston, Bob Ryan writes that the U.S. team is "America's
flavor of the month. Everywhere they go, squealing soccer-
playing girls, their brothers, their fathers, and their
mothers are sure to follow." More Ryan: "In this situation,
the U.S. women are being greeted like rock stars" (BOSTON
GLOBE, 6/28). In Providence, Bill Parrillo, on the fans:
"Little girls walked to the stadium clutching the hand of
their dad or mom and it was the kind of gathering that
Foxboro seldom sees" (Providence JOURNAL, 6/28).
MORE MIA: In Milwaukee, Charles Gardner wrote that,
"Mia is bigger than Michael [Jordan]" at the Niketown store
on Chicago's Michigan Ave. Hamm jerseys sold out last week
before the U.S. played in Chicago. Gardner added that "when
another shipment was ordered," another 100 Hamm jerseys
"disappeared" in one hour (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL,
6/27). In Cleveland, Liz Robbins: "Mia Hamm is everywhere.
... A convention of mini-Mias wearing ponytails and No. 9
jerseys gathering to celebrate the (WWC) this summer"
(Cleveland PLAIN DEALER, 6/26). ESPN's Steve Levy reported
that the MetroStars "continue to search for a marquee
player, so at a recent press conference, the question was
asked, 'Why not Mia Hamm?' ... She'd fit under the salary
cap and meets all the other criteria, except, she's female.
A MetroStars executive said if they thought a woman was good
enough, they wouldn't have any objection signing her, but
that they hadn't considered it" ("SportsCenter," 6/27).
NOTES: In DC, Steven Goff reports that WWC organizers
"will consider opening" the upper deck at Jack Kent Cooke
Stadium for Thursday's doubleheader. More than 3,000
tickets were sold last Friday, "increasing the advance sale"
to 35,000. WWC President & CEO Marla Messing: "We're
assessing the situation. We really need to determine if
there is sufficient demand to open more sections." Messing
said that "she will monitor ticket sales over the next day
or two" before making a decision (WASH. POST, 6/27)....Red
Sox SS Nomar Garciaparra visited ESPN2 soccer announcers
J.P. Dellacamera and Wendy Gebauer during the first half of
last night's North Korea-U.S. WWC match (THE DAILY).
