AST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - It was everything they'd fantasized about when they were playing youth matches on lumpy soccer fields in front of moms, dads, and bored kid brothers. The opening match of the Women's World Cup in their home country. The largest crowd ever to watch a women's sporting event anywhere in the world. And a sound and satisfying triumph over Denmark that got the Americans off and winging in their quest to reclaim the trophy they lost four years ago.
''This is unbelievable,'' declared Mia Hamm after she scored the first goal and set up the second in a 3-0 victory yesterday afternoon before 78,972 star-spangled spectators inside Giants Stadium. ''This is what we always dreamed the World Cup would be.''
And maybe a little more. After months of ''Watch Me Play'' promos and an ocean of printer's ink, this was the Americans' moment to take the stage in full stride. But until Hamm put them on the board with a spectacular leftfooted roof shot in the 17th minute, the Americans were wooden from stage fright.
Not since the 1996 Olympic final against China had they played for so much in front of so many. ''They were a little nervous, which is understandable,'' said US coach Tony DiCicco. ''I just wanted us to settle down and knock the ball around and make the Danes chase it. I figured eventually one of our personality players would step up.''
Who else but Hamm, the world's best player? At Olympus, she set up both gold-medal goals on a bum ankle.
Yesterday, with the Danes pressing her teammates in their own end and knocking the wind out of keeper Briana Scurry, Hamm took a long service from Brandi Chastain, deked defender Katrine Pedersen, and stuck the ball in the back of the net for her 110th career goal, afterward sprinting all the way to midfield in celebration. ''Awesome,'' DiCicco said. ''Mia was awesome.''
The Americans, who are now 7-3-1 against the Danes lifetime and have outscored them 11-0 in their last three meetings, wanted to deliver the knockout early. But it wasn't until the 73d minute, when Hamm set up Julie Foudy with a lovely soaring cross, that the US could let out a great sigh of relief.
It could easily have been 6-0 by then, but the Yanks (who outshot Denmark, 24-9) kept misfiring wide, clanging balls off woodwork, or putting them over the bar. Kristine Lilly missed three gorgeous chances. She couldn't handle Hamm's deft cross in the 20th minute, put a shot off the crossbar in the 56th, and missed a breakaway with keeper Dorthe Larsen out and down in the 69th. And Cindy Parlow put a feed from Hamm off the post in the 24th and watched Larsen tip her shot over the bar in the 60th.
Not to worry. The Americans didn't need another goal and history told them if they kept running and passing and shooting, they'd get at least another one. ''We were throwing everything but the kitchen sink at them,'' said Scurry. ''You just knew it was going to come crashing down.''
There was no reason to press or panic, DiCicco insisted. No reason to have people caught upfield and allow the Danes to counter and salvage a draw. ''The key thing is, we're up 1-0,'' he said. ''We don't need to score another goal. Let's be smart. I was happy when it was 3-0, but if it was 1-0 I'd be just as happy.''
And yet, the Americans wanted to make a statement while holding the stage. When they won the inaugural Cup in China in 1991, nobody but their relatives and the US Customs people knew they'd been abroad. Three years ago, NBC didn't show their gold-medal match. They were more than one goal better than the Danes and they wanted to prove it. ''We know that we're one of the favorites,'' said Joy Fawcett, ''and we have to play to our ability.''
The hosts not only want to win the Cup, they want to win it with style. Foudy's goal, a leftfooter with a Hollywood pose afterward, was highlight-reel material. And Lilly's blast from the top of the area in the 89th minute was a tasty bit of frosting. ''They played well,'' conceded Denmark's Mikka Hansen. ''They played with a lot of confidence. They had a good time.''
Hamm and Foudy and Lilly and the rest of them had waited years to show their country and the world how they'd been playing even when only a few hundred were watching.
''We've seen the other side and we know how far this team has brought the game,'' DiCicco said after his squad ran an exuberant victory lap around the field. ''Just a decade ago, this game would have been played in some local high school stadium. I don't have words for this.''
