What might have been

Late goals doomed Hamm, Freedom, who are out of the playoffs

Mia Hamm led Washington in scoring with six goals and four assists. Jed Jacobsohn/Allsport

By José Alfredo Flores

ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- It will be a very long offseason for Mia Hamm and the rest of the Washington Freedom. After another loss caused by late goals in both halves -- this time a 2-0 loss at the hands of the New York Power -- the Freedom have a lot to think about.

Expectations were high on this Freedom team, loaded with talent and depth in all positions except defender. It was the one position Washington could ill afford to be without depth, as WUSA teams took advantage of numerous defensive lapses at inopportune times -- leading to a disappointing 6-12-3 record, tied for last place with Carolina.

Although Hamm, the cornerstone of the franchise, plays striker -- she has had to play back to a midfield to take some of the load off from the young, inexperienced Washington defenders. Consequently, Hamm was at times out of the picture offensively, finishing 10th in the league with six goals.

She has also been criticized for her lack of offensive production by the local media. As the team leader, she had to take the fall when the team began to flounder in their six-game winless streak to close the season.

"Whenever we go out to play we play to win, but it doesn't always happen," Hamm said. "This game is extremely humbling. We come to play, and even when you do that, the ball doesn't always bounce your way. And we understand that. As a team we've had some unlucky breaks."

Following the loss to New York, she spoke of the contrasting ways the Freedom, a team who struggled for consistency at all positions, have played.

"If you talk to any team out there, they never knew which Freedom team would come to play,’ she said. “The team that could take over a game and really put some fear into some teams. Or the team that lets in a goal in the last five minutes.

“Sure we'd love to be in the playoffs. Every single team wants that, and we're no different. But right now, obviously, it's our last game and we have a lot of work to do in the offseason."

The future is unclear for the Freedom. Immediate plans include an exhibition game against the Boston Breakers on Oct. 8 and they may play other exhibitions in Europe or China. Washington can make changes to its lineup beginning Sept. 1, when teams can make trades. Rosters can be trimmed to 12 players on Dec. 1 to prepare for the waiver draft on Dec. 5 and college draft in February.

But for now, Hamm wants to get away from it all.

"Just with the attitude of the players, the first thing to do is take a break," she said. "To step away from the game and re-evaluate ourselves as a team and ourselves as individuals, and see what we need to do in order to do better next year, re-commit ourselves."

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