AROSEMENA THE `AMERICAN KID' PIERCE COLLEGE STAR ONLY U.S. PLAYER OM PANAMA NATIONAL TEAM.

Byline: Ross Siler Staff Writer

As she runs onto the field with the rest of the Panamanian women's national team for Sunday's Gold Cup opener, Tricia Arosemena will first steal a glance up at the Rose Bowl stands, where a contingent of her Pierce College teammates will be on hand to cheer her on.

Then she'll search for a pair of seats some five rows above the field, the ones from which Arosemena and her mother, Patricia, watched the United States' victory in the 1999 Women's World Cup final and first discussed the possibility of Arosemena playing for Panama, a country she had never before visited and whose language she didn't speak.

``My mom and I both thought that it would be so neat if I could play for Panama,'' said Arosemena, whose father was born in the country. ``We were both talking and thought it would be so cool. I was like, `I've never even been there.' But I was excited.''

Although Tricia was intrigued almost immediately, there were plenty of unanswered questions, not the least of which was whether Panama even had a national team and if so, would Tricia's dual-citizenship help land her a spot on it?

The first answer was provided in March when Patricia was surfing soccer Web sites and saw Panama's first under-19 national team had qualified for a tournament in Trinidad and Tobago. She immediatelysent an e-mail to the national federation telling officials about her daughter.

She got back a response in English saying, ``We need you urgently.''

With that, Arosemena became the only member of Panama's fledgling national team from outside the country. Despite barely speaking Spanish and turning 19 only this month, Arosemena made the six-hour flight to Panama City twice this year and became the country's starting sweeper. In Panama, Arosemena is affectionately known as ``The American Kid,'' according to Pierce coach Adolfo Perez.

``They're such a small country that Tricia is a real impact player,'' Perez said. ``She's like a legend down there. She's been on TV, in magazines, everything.''

Now the Chatsworth High product will step onto the biggest stage of her career with the Gold Cup, whose final will be Nov. 9 at the Rose Bowl. The tournament also will be the North American qualifier for the 2003 Women's World Cup. Panama advanced to the Gold Cup by winning two matches against Central American opponents this summer in El Salvador.

``Everyone was so happy,'' said Arosemena, who attended three days of dinners and parties after Panama qualified. ``They didn't expect we'd make it this far.''

Although Panama will play its opener against Trinidad and Tobago this weekend at the Rose Bowl, the biggest game for Arosemena figures to come Nov. 2, when Panama plays the U.S. at Safeco Field in Seattle.

As soon as she looked at the schedule, Arosemena knew who her marking assignment would be that day. None other than Mia Hamm, the sport's most recognizable player and all-time leading goal scorer for the U.S.

``I'm in shock,'' Arosemena said. ``I'm not going to believe it until I'm out there. I'm going to be defending Mia Hamm. She's probably going to work me pretty good.''

Perez added: ``Mia Hamm is in commercials with Michael Jordan, and Tricia's going to go against her. To see her represent us like that is going to be incredible.''

For Arosemena, there is an added incentive in playing for Panama. Her father, Rodrigo, was raised in Panama City and emigrated to the U.S. before dying of colon cancer in 1995. Rodrigo Arosemena was a soccer fanatic and coached his daughter's teams. Through him, Tricia is eligible to play for Panama and, in turn, carry on his memory.

``I'm going to be so excited to see her play for her father's national team,'' Patricia Arosemena said. ``He was always at home on the soccer field. He would be so proud.''

Arosemena spent a month this summer training with her Panamanian teammates, several of whom are teenagers. Some are students and one is a police officer. They helped teach her Spanish, brought her to church services and took her dancing on occasion. Their acceptance helped Arosemena feel less like an outsider.

Now, Arosemena is set to return the favor. She's in the process of organizing a trip to Disneyland between Gold Cup matches and will bring the team to Pierce to scrimmage against a local club team. She also has told them about the immaculate field at the Rose Bowl, a world apart from their dirt field they play on in Panama.

``We're going to make it an event,'' said Perez, who will lose Arosemena for about 2 1/2 weeks during the tournament. ``We'll go down and meet them after the game and have them up come up here.''

Arosemena's Pierce teammates can't wait to see her play in person against Trinidad and Tobago, and then on television against the U.S. In only its second year as a team, Pierce opened this season 9-1-1. And Arosemena should bring the Brahmas additional exposure.

``It's such a big step up,'' said freshman sweeper Tina Nikkila, one of Arosemena's best friends on the team. ``It'll just be interesting to see how she plays at that level. I'm looking forward to seeing if she looks at the game differently.''

Arosemena came to Pierce after graduating from Chatsworth in 2001 and had played on various club teams for Perez. The coach said Arosemena is one of the hardest-hitting defenders he's seen. Arosemena said she hopes to move on to play at either Cal State Northridge or UCLA after next season.

``To think that she'll be playing in an official FIFA tournament is mind-boggling,'' Perez said. ``I think we're all going to go, look at her on the field and go, `Oh, my God, I know that girl down there.' ''

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) Pierce College women's soccer player Tricia Arosemena is also trying to help the Panamanian women's national team earn a World Cup berth.

(2) ``They're such a small country that Tricia is a real impact player. She's like a legend down there. She's been on TV, in magazines, everything.'' - Adolfo Perez, Pierce College soccer coach

on Tricia Arosemena playing for the Panamanian women's national team.

Julio Cortez/Daily News