FOXBOROUGH - The curtain came down on the first round with a backflip and a strut around the Foxboro Stadium field. The US women's national team soaked in the festive atmosphere, knowing as it leaves group play tougher games await. The players viewed final Group A opponent North Korea as practice for the parity they will find in the rest of the World Cup tournament.
With their defense packed into the penalty area, the North Koreans tested the Americans' patience more than anything else. The home side needed one half to solve the often mysterious visitors from Pyongyang and break a scoreless tie. After intermission, the Americans found their way around the wall of red-uniformed North Koreans by spreading out and sustained their momentum with a 3-0 victory before 50,484.
''I think it is frustrating whenever you're playing and there are 10 players in the penalty area,'' said coach Tony DiCicco. ''It's very hard to get room to move. But give them credit. They wanted to frustrate us. At halftime I said, `We've just got to be patient. You're doing some good things. Let's just do this and this and this and we can break them down.''
It proved only a matter of time before the Americans broke through the red barricade, stamped their dominating Group A performance with a final 13-1 goal differential, and set up a quarterfinal date with Germany Thursday in Landover, Md.
The mass of flashbulbs going off in the north end of the stadium was the first sign that the Americans had found a gap in their opponents' defense and gotten one past goalkeeper Kye Yong Sun. In the 56th minute, Julie Foudy found an open Shannon MacMillan a yard behind the penalty area. MacMillan buried a shot just inside the left post for the Americans' first goal.
MacMillan, who started for the first time in the '99 World Cup, set up the second and third goals. Both times MacMillan fed Tisha Venturini for a header that found the back of the net. In the 68th minute, MacMillan fed a waist-high ball to a diving Venturini positioned just inside the left post and underneath the goalkeeper by the time she finished the shot. Less than 10 minutes later, MacMillan served Venturini a ball off a free kick, which she promptly headed past Kye. Venturini, a former starter who made her tournament debut last night, celebrated her second goal with a backflip.
In a game in which DiCicco chose to rest many of his big name players, MacMillan and Venturini emerged as shooting stars - bright but fleeting, as they likely will be relegated to the bench for the remainder of the World Cup.
MacMillan has played in 18 games and started in six this year. Venturini has seen action in just 12 matches, starting three. However, both offensive-minded players started for the Olympic squad. MacMillan was the Americans' leading scorer in the Olympics - including two game-winners - while Venturini scored the first goal in the 1995 World Cup and Atlanta Olympics.
MacMillan said the key to playing well when she gets a chance is, ''Sitting on the bench and watching my team bust it out there and wanting to be out there.
''Definitely, my role is on the bench, but if you watch us we can't sit down. It's just a desire to get out there and want to be a part of them. You just want to get out there and put your heart on the line for them.''
From the outset, the US strategy was decidedly conservative and matched only by the North Koreans' unaggressive style. In addition to MacMillan and Venturini, Tiffany Roberts and Sara Whalen started for the first time in the World Cup. Stars Mia Hamm, Julie Foudy, Tiffeny Milbrett, and Cindy Parlow saw just one half of action, saving their energy for the quarterfinals.
''We were just saying in the locker room, `This is the period we love when it gets down to win or die,''' said Foudy. ''I was saying to Kristine Lilly, `I love this time. I love that feeling in the game because our team responds so well to it.' I think we go in with a lot of excitement and a lot of positive thoughts.
''This is what World Cup is all about, where you win or go home. Friendlies are great, but this is when it happens.''
