Hamm’s the One Again for U.S.

There were only two things Mia Hamm was intent on achieving Wednesday evening: She wanted the United States to defeat Australia and, if she scored, she wanted to keep the ball.

Hamm achieved both. Her goal in the 76th minute at Blaine, Minn., was not only the 150th of her international career but also the game-winner as the U.S. rallied to beat the Australians, 3-1, in front of a sellout crowd of 10,276 at the National Sports Center.

Shannon Boxx and Abby Wambach also scored for the U.S. in its next-to-last match before leaving for Athens and the Olympic Games, but it was Hamm’s goal that will be remembered.

The move started with 1996 gold medal-winning goalkeeper Briana Scurry, who sent a clearance kick downfield to initiate a fastbreak. Heather O’Reilly, the 19-year-old who is the youngest player on the U.S. Olympic team, latched onto the ball and passed it to Hamm out on the left flank.

Hamm did the rest, befuddling the Aussies with a left foot, right foot, left foot, series of touches before firing a right-foot shot that eluded goalkeeper Cassandra Kell.

“It felt good,” Hamm said of the goal. “When I was getting closer to this mark, I realized that one of the things I wanted to do before I quit playing was to hit 150, and I was able to do that.

“Now I can concentrate on what I need to do for us to win in Athens.”

Hamm, like several other veterans on the U.S. team, has said she will retire from international competition after the Olympics, and Wednesday’s result showed that it will take the veterans to get the U.S. to the gold medal.

With Hamm, Boxx, Wambach and Julie Foudy all on the bench in the first half, the U.S. struggled to cope with an Australian team that it will play again in the first round at the Olympics, in Thessaloniki on Aug. 17.

The Americans gave up an early goal on a shot by Danielle Small in the fifth minute and still trailed 50 minutes later.

Coach April Heinrichs sent on the veterans in the second half. A Hamm corner kick from the left that was bundled into the Australian net by Boxx in the 56th minute tied the score and Hamm grabbed the winner 20 minutes later.

The third goal, by Wambach after an excellent run and left-footed cross from O’Reilly in the 81st minute, secured the result.

“They gave us a lot of problems today, but we’re going to work on that,” Hamm said.

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Jones reported from Los Angeles.