What special skills or intangibles does it take to be a World Cup athlete?
You have to have a very competitive drive. Obviously you’ve got to have the soccer skills. A lot of people have the talent but there’s a certain level of competitiveness and a mentality to compete day in and day out that separates the players that make it and the players that don’t. What made that 1999 World Cup team so special? There were so many different aspects. The personalities on the team made up such a special group. To have the World Cup in our hometown. To be able to win the World Cup in front of 93 thousand in the rose bowl–there’s not much to compare that experience to. We had everybody watching us on TV. All kinds of fans, not just soccer fans, remember that game. I can’t tell you how many people ask if I was the girl who took off her shirt after the game. And I say, “No…but thanks for watching!” What kinds of special pressures or stresses can the US Soccer Men’s team expect to encounter as they prepare for the world cup in Germany? Everything from what you are going to
