U.S. women show their physical side

The Associated Press

FOXBORO, Mass. -- Karl Malone has nothing on Abby Wambach. Kevin McHale has nothing on Cindy Parlow.

If ever a women's soccer team has presented two power forwards for opponents to deal with, it's the current American squad that has reached the semifinals of the World Cup. Wambach and Parlow both are 5-foot-11, both excel in the air and both have played huge roles in the tournament.

Wambach, a Cup newcomer, has three goals in four games, including a header for the only score in Wednesday night's 1-0 victory over Norway. A former basketball player in Rochester, N.Y., she knows all about boxing out, establishing position and going after the ball.

"Sometimes you have to have that mentality of being like a basketball player," she said. "You have to find any way you can to get behind them or over them. Obviously, our presence can be the difference out there."

And it has been, particularly the sturdy Wambach.

"I've run into her," said Mia Hamm, Wambach's teammate with the WUSA champion Washington Freedom. "I wouldn't want that.

"What Abby showed us was that she belongs here. Because of the consistency she showed before this game, but definitely the consistency in this game was world class."

So is her imposing style, in which Wambach willingly runs over defenders if she can't get around them. Often, that style of play draws whistles. But she also gets fouled -- including by Norway goalkeeper Bente Nordby on Wednesday night; Hamm missed the ensuing penalty kick.

And always, Wambach wears down defenders.

Parlow isn't quite as solid or as rugged. A member of the 1999 world champions, her all-around game has improved steadily in the last four years. She's upgraded her ball skills, especially her dribbling, and her defense.

The wily Parlow, who is slower than Wambach, is more likely to feint defenders. Wambach might run directly toward them, hoping they will faint.

"I think I play the best when I'm dirty," Wambach said with a smile. "When I have mud covering me from head to toe, you know I played a good game. If I come off the field without any grass stains, I wonder, "What did I do out there?"'

Hamm joins her much taller teammates up front and uses speed and guile to penetrate the danger zones. Hamm also has vastly improved her corner kicks, free kicks and overall passing, and that makes her partners even tougher to handle.

Parlow tends to play about 60 to 70 minutes a game, while Wambach often is on the field for all 90 minutes. Throughout the tournament, both have been the focal points of passes from Hamm and the rest of the Americans.

"All I have to do is look for CP and Abby in there, and they aren't hard to spot," she said. "Then they do the rest."

Parlow agrees -- to a point.

"The environment I am playing in obviously helps me in those situations," she said. "I'm willing to mix it up to get my chances, and so is Abby and Boxxie" (midfielder Shannon Boxx) "and the defenders who come up. I'll take the hits as long as these guys keep putting the ball in there and we keep putting it in the net."