Heather O’Reilly had posters of Mia Hamm on her bedroom wall in New Jersey for years and years and years and years. One of those years was 1999, when the 14-year-old O’Reilly went to the World Cup opener at Giants Stadium and screamed wildly for Hamm.
So O’Reilly didn’t have to wait for U.S. Olympic soccer coach April Heinrichs to talk to her team for the first time about the elephant in the room. O’Reilly already had realized what this Olympic tournament meant for Hamm and the four other “’91ers”–the women who had won the original Women’s World Cup in China.
“It was time to name the beast,” Heinrichs said of her pregame talk Monday in Crete, when the U.S. beat Germany 2-1 on O’Reilly’s goal in overtime to qualify for a third straight Olympic final. This one will be Thursday against Brazil, which beat Sweden 1-0 in its semifinal at Thessaloniki.
“She doesn’t even have to say it,” O’Reilly said. “It’s on our minds all the time.”
It, the beast, is trying to win another gold medal for Hamm, Julie Foudy, Joy Fawcett, Brandi Chastain and Kristine Lilly. It was not something Heinrichs wanted to turn into a burden, so, while the players often were asked about it, the coach did not bring it up with them until now.
“We ought to make a tribute to these players while they are still playing,” Heinrichs said. “The fitting way is to have them go out of their last world-class event with a gold medal around their necks.”
They got the chance after O’Reilly’s goal on a pass from Hamm nine minutes into overtime. It erased O’Reilly’s frustration for having missed an open net five minutes earlier–and the team’s frustration for having let Germany tie the match in the third minute of injury time added to the end of regulation play.
“Heather’s love for the game and the team inspires us old bags a lot,” Hamm said.
The relationship between O’Reilly, 19, and Hamm, 32, has gone from idolatry to teamwork. Someday, Hamm’s kids may have posters of O’Reilly on their walls.
“I’ll definitely buy one,” Hamm said.
Hamm, Foudy and Fawcett have announced their intention to retire after this tournament. The end already may have come for Foudy, the captain, who had to leave Monday’s game in the 65th minute after injuring her right foot on a hard tackle by Germany’s Isabell Bachor.
Foudy did not know the exact nature of the injury but remained optimistic about being able to play in the final at Athens’ Karaiskaki Stadium.
“But I’m not going to do anything that hurts the team,” Foudy said. “My voice projects, so even if I can’t go, they will still think I’m on the field.”
While Foudy was on the field, the U.S. dominated the rematch of last year’s World Cup semifinal, which Germany won 3-0. Passes from Chastain and Abby Wambach set up Lilly to score the first goal on a shot that deflected off the hands of diving German goalie Silke Rottenberg in the 33rd minute.
The U.S. defense was stifling, with two or three players descending on any German who got the ball in a dangerous position. Germany did not get a scoring chance until the one that tied the match, a Bachor shot that changed direction when it deflected off Fawcett’s hip.
“I couldn’t believe that,” said U.S. goalie Briana Scurry, left helpless by the deflection. “Who gets a goal on a toe poke off a hip in the 93rd minute? It worked out in the end, anyway.”
Rottenberg’s misjudgment gave O’Reilly her first chance to break the tie. Facing an open net from 15 yards away, her left-footed shot hit the outside of the left post.
“I was pretty upset about it, but you’ve got to forget about things like that,” O’Reilly said.
Hamm bailed out O’Reilly by remembering what she had seen Sunday while watching video of last year’s loss to Germany. The tape showed a German defense that remained in position to cover all options if it were obvious the ball-handler was going to pass.
“You’re trying to tear it apart by getting one to step out so there will be a hole in the zone,” Hamm said. “If you penetrate along the end line, things will happen. If not, you can keep going toward the goal.”
Hamm started penetrating after getting a pass from Wambach. O’Reilly was running toward the goal, but Hamm kept the ball until a German player moved to cut her off. Then Hamm flicked the ball into the middle, where an open O’Reilly merely had to deflect it with her right foot for a goal.
“It was really hard work by Mia that did it,” O’Reilly said. “The amazing thing is [the older players] go 120 minutes and they are still going hard. I have more respect for them than ever.”
The whole team remained on the field for several minutes after it was over, saluting the 100 boisterous U.S. fans in a crowd announced at 5,165 that seemed about 3,000 fewer. Foudy, 33, posed for a picture with the stretcher bearers who had carried her off the field. Chastain, 36, skipped off the field.
“The younger players don’t get the attention they deserve,” Foudy said.
O’Reilly, the youngest, is fine with that. Her attention is elsewhere.
“The leadership Julie has provided is remarkable,” O’Reilly said.
“She has been the heart and soul of this team. We all owe a great debt to Julie Foudy.”
O’Reilly wants to repay it with a victory Thursday.
“This is the last game for some–for an era,” she said.
