SOCCER FAN-FARE; CROWDS STORM PRACTICE TO SEE TEAM.

Byline: C.J. Fogel Staff Writer

The U.S. women's soccer team practice was supposed to be closed Wednesday, but they couldn't keep the girls away.

They came wearing soccer jerseys, waving American flags and carrying soccer balls.

``We're showing that we are soccer players,'' said 12-year-old Randi Tillett, wearing the jersey that identified her as a member of the Ontario Tidal Wave.

Tillett was among the 150 or so soccer enthusiasts, many of them soccer-playing girls, who found their heroines practicing on a field near Pomona College.

They wanted a closer look at the women who have kicked and muscled their way to the top to face a powerful Chinese team in a sell-out game at the Rose Bowl on Saturday.

And they wanted autographs, which players like Mia Hamm paused to deliver after the workout - even after a team official told the crowd there would be none.

``I look up to her because I'm a forward too and I like her moves,'' said Crystal Diaz, 12, who plays for the Ontario Tidal Wave.

Some of these fans had to convince their parents to make the trip while others were brought by parents who see good role models in the U.S. women's team. Janet Povero of Glendora said her 8-year-old daughter, Nicky, has shown real talent and can benefit from seeing athletic young women play hard.

``It's great just to see them go all out and not hold back,'' said Povero, who combed the campus to find the well-hidden field. ``It's a pretty physical game. It's great to see it.''

The popularity of Team USA is adding fuel to a surge of participation in soccer, especially among girls, said Terry Davila, coach of the men's team at California State University, Northridge, and director of the girls program at Valley United Soccer Club. And the demand for teams is only going to grow.

``We haven't fully felt the effects of the World Cup yet,'' Davila said. ``But we will. Every girl knows who Mia Hamm is.''

The demand already has outpaced the supply of fields and facilities in the San Fernando Valley, said Stu Steinberg, vice president of the girls program of Valley United. Two years ago, the Coast Soccer League had 32 girls' teams. Now it has 72.

``Here in the Valley, we just can't keep up with the growth,'' he said. ``Some players have had to go up to Santa Clarita to play or Camarillo or even Santa Barbara. We could put together teams but where would they practice?''

Female soccer participation is at an all-time high nationally, according to the Soccer Industry Council of America. Women now account for 41 percent of soccer players and 45 percent of soccer players who are under 17.

It was Hamm who most of the kids were on the lookout for Wednesday. Before the players arrived, a team official told the growing crowd that the women would not stop to sign autographs or talk to the fans, who waited anyway and ultimately got what they were after.

When Team USA arrived by bus, the players stepped off, wearing red jerseys and blue shorts. Focused but upbeat, they filed past the kids without a word. The kids looked on in silence, watching the players pass and then following them to the field.

For the boys in the crowd, it didn't matter that the players were women.

``They're good and at least it's soccer,'' said Francisco Cienfuegos, 9, of Upland.

But to the girls it mattered. As the team moved downfield, the crowd surged forward, taking seats in a set of bleachers 30 feet from the players bench.

``I love you, Mia,'' one girl shouted.

U.S. WOMEN'S WORLD CUP SOCCER TEAM PRACTICE

When: 11 a.m. today

(China practices at 1 p.m. today)

Where: Pomona College, Claremont

When: 11 a.m. Friday

Where: Rose Bowl, Pasadena

CAPTION(S):

Photo, Box

Photo: (Color) Soccer star Mia Hamm signs autographs for the fans who came to see Team USA practice Wednesday near Pomona College.

Victoria Arocho/Associated Press

Box: U.S. WOMEN'S WORLD CUP SOCCER TEAM PRACTICE (See text)