Hi, my name is Siege, and I'm a sports addict. I'll admit it. If I didn't, my better half would surely scold me. I don't like when she scolds me. I love watching sports of almost any kind. Baseball, football, golf, tennis and of course hockey. Basketball is the only one I don't tend to get all excited about. I think my dislike stems from my inability to do anything remotely coordinated on a basketball court.

I used to feel the same way about soccer. I didn't understand it. I couldn't get my limbs to do what I wanted them to do while trying to play it. That all changed in the summer of 1999. In fact, I remember the exact moments that made me fall in love with soccer, particularly women's World Cup soccer.

Moment number one: Michelle Akers leaves it all on the field.

I remember watching Akers literally collapse in exhaustion on the field. I remember hearing of her suffering from chronic fatigue. And I remember her triumphantly returning to the field for the celebration, having basically defied team doctors to be with her teammates. Who says women aren't tough?

Moment number two: Briana Scurry makes the save. … continue reading

This year is a World Cup year in women’s soccer. You know what that means: We get to see Brandi Chastain take her shirt off. I'm sure you remember those photos of her with her ripped abs and her Nike sports bra.

I really would like to go off on a tangent about how freaking stupid all the media coverage was, but I won’t. Let’s talk soccer instead.

The World Cup itself happens in September, but starting in June, the U.S. women play a six-game series leading up to the World Cup. A new video on the U.S. Soccer website offers an introduction to the current women’s team. The video opens with Abby Wambach, wearing a tight hooded sweatshirt and a pair of dog tags. Later we see Briana Scurry talking about her major talent: She's "good with her hands."

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Unfortunately, the video doesn't really include any substantial information about the women, either as soccer players or as people.