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Article:
US Women Soccer Superstars - Victims of Their Own Success by: Chris Lauber With the imminent retirement of long-time veterans Mia Hamm, Julie Foudy, and Joy Fawcett from the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team, I often find myself thinking how fortunate my family has been to witness their heroics on the field and their positive influence off of it. But the last game we saw in person stands out as a very different experience from the first game we saw nearly nine years ago. Last summer, I attended a soccer match between Brazil and the United States Women's National Team in New Orleans with my teenage daughter, Leah. It was a great game with plenty of action on a beautiful, sunny afternoon, and the U.S. Team won on a Tiffeny Milbrett goal in the 90th minute. For Leah and I, it was a bittersweet experience. It was a wonderful 'dad and daughter'¯ 42-hour trip from our home in St. Petersburg, Florida to New Orleans and back again. We talked, we laughed, and we listened to each other's music for each of the 20 hours and 1393 miles in the car. During our short stay, we visited Bourbon Street at night and the Cafe du Monde for breakfast. But our journey's focus was to see our soccer heroes in action again. That's right, I said OUR heroes. Ever since that rainy night in February of 1996 when we first saw our National Team play in Tampa, these outstanding women became my heroes every bit as much as my daughters' heroes. I remember being awestruck as I watched them for the first time '“ their skills, their strength, and their obvious passion for the game. But it was after the game, that I was won over as a dedicated fan. Earlier that day, Nicole, my younger daughter, asked me if she should bring her Official U.S. Women's National Team Calendar for autographs. My response - 'This is our National Team with the best players in the world. I really doubt you will get any autographs,' I said. 'With the rainy weather, you don't want to ruin your calendar, but bring your autograph book, just in case.'¯ When the game ended, I couldn't believe my eyes. Every single player came over to the bleachers where about '1
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