July 4, 2000

By Joseph White
AP Sports Writer

FOXBORO, Mass. -- If World Cup hero Briana Scurry wants her starting job back, she's going to have to take it from Siri Mullinix.

Mullinix, supposedly a fill-in while Scurry sat out with shin splints, got her 10th shutout of the year Monday night as the U.S. women's team beat Brazil 1-0 in the championship game of the Gold Cup.

Afterward, coach April Heinrichs confirmed Mullinix as her No. 1 goalkeeper in the buildup to the Olympics.

"I don't think it's a difficult decision," Heinrichs said. "You watch what's happening in front of you and you see Siri Mullinix is playing on the cutting edge of international women's soccer. ... The difficult decision is if Bri comes back and she's still playing at the level she was playing at a year ago."

Scurry, stellar in last year's victorious World Cup, has played just 45 minutes this year because of her injury. She is working to get back in shape and will rejoin the team later this month for a tournament in Germany.

"You're not talking about two months. You're talking about 12 months away from the international scene," Heinrichs said. "That's a long time."

Teammates chanted Mullinix's name as she was named the top goalkeeper of the Gold Cup. She made five saves against Brazil, including a rolling kick save against Cidinha on a short breakaway in the 60th minute.

Mullinix, a product of the University of North Carolina soccer machine, has allowed just three goals - two on penalty kicks - in 14 games this year.

"This is the first time I've had to play three big games in a row," Mullinix said. "The first wonder is, 'Can I play at this level?' I felt I accomplished that."

Tiffeny Milbrett scored in the 44th minute, and the United States again played with three forwards as Heinrichs continues to experiment with different styles and lineups.

So far, nearly everything has worked. The U.S. team has won five tournaments this year: the Australia Cup in January, the Algarve Cup in Portugal in March, the U.S. Women's Cup in May and the Pacific Cup in Australia last month and now the Gold Cup. The team is 17-3-3 this year and is unbeaten in 42 games (41-0-1) in tournament play on home soil since 1990.

"Winning is the icing on the cake," Heinrichs said. "The process, the journey, the growth that we've been able to have during the course of the games is what's going to take us one step closer to being the single best team that we can be when it really matters, at the Olympics. ... We have a confidence against any team in the world."

Brazil and the United States played to a 0-0 draw at this same stadium in group play last week. The result tied the two teams at the top of the standings, and the U.S. team won a coin toss immediately after the game to decide the seeding for the semifinals.

Monday's rematch, before 20,123 at Foxboro Stadium, was one of those classic onesided, 1-0 soccer games. Brazil had trouble getting the ball out of its own end early in the game, and the U.S. team's deft passing attack kept the pressure on. The Brazilians' close man-to-man marking and aggressive tackling prevented the Americans from building a big lead.

Milbrett's speed and flair made her a dangerous force throughout. She finally gave the Americans the lead with a classic one-touch 12-yard shot with her left foot on an assist from Mia Hamm. It was Milbrett's 76th international goal in 147 appearances.

"Sometimes we catch ourselves watching her," Hamm said. "She's so explosive."

Kristine Lilly nearly made it 2-0 in first-half injury time when her close-range header missed wide right. Brazilian goalkeeper Maravilha, who entered the game at halftime after starter Andreia injured her leg, made a nice leaping save on Hamm's drive in the 82nd minute.

China beat Canada 2-1 in the third-place game.

© Copyright 2000 The Associated Press