After winning the semi-final against the Philadelphia Charge 1–0, the team was defeated 3–2 by the Carolina Courage in the 2002 WUSA Founders Cup. Hamm scored the Freedom's second goal in the 64th minute. During the 2003 season, Hamm started in 16 of the 19 games in which she played. Her 11 goals ranked second on the team behind Abby Wambach's 13 while her 11 assists ranked first. The Freedom finished in fourth place during the regular season with a record and secured a berth in the playoffs. Hamm finished her club career as a WUSA champion when the Freedom defeated the Atlanta Beat 2–1 in overtime to win the Founders Cup on August 24, 2003. On May 14, 2004, Hamm announced her retirement effective after the 2004 Athens Olympics. Following the 2004 Olympics, Hamm and her teammates played in a 10-game farewell tour in the United States. The final match of the tour against Mexico at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California, on December 8, 2004, marked the final international match for Hamm, Julie Foudy, and Joy Fawcett. The U.S. defeated Mexico 5–0 and Hamm assisted on two of the goals. Hamm retired at age 32 with a record 158 international goals. She and teammates Foudy and Fawcett were honored with a pre-game ceremony where they were presented with framed jerseys and roses in front of 15,549 fans at Home Depot Center in Carson, California. During the 5–0 win against Mexico, Hamm provided the assist on the first two goals. Following her retirement, Hamm's #9 jersey was inherited by midfielder Heather O'Reilly. Hamm was named Sportswoman of the Year by the Women's Sports Foundation in 1997 and 1999. In June 1999, Nike named the largest building on their corporate campus after Hamm. In December 2000, Hamm was named one of the top three female soccer players of the twentieth century in the FIFA Female Player of the Century Award, finishing behind only Sun Wen and compatriot Michelle Akers. While at North Carolina, she won the Honda Sports Award as the nation's top female soccer player in both 1993 and 1994, and won the Honda-Broderick Cup in 1994 as the nation's top female athlete. In March 2004, Hamm and former U.S. teammate Michelle Akers were the only two women and Americans named to the FIFA 100, a list of the 125 greatest living soccer players, selected by Pelé and commissioned by FIFA for the organization's 100th anniversary.