Hays: Odenyo travels the world in pursuit of her dream
When you've gone from Uppsala, a Swedish city a short train ride away from Stockholm, to Stillwater, an Oklahoma outpost a long train ride from anywhere, the globe shrinks.
In fact, it starts to look remarkably like a soccer ball.
Many of the WUSA's best moments and lasting legacies came courtesy of those with international passports. From players like Kelly Smith and Maren Meinert to coaches like current United States national team boss Pia Sundhage, the league's international pull helped make it the center of the women's soccer word. And when Sky Blue Soccer recently announced that former Brazilian star and WUSA veteran Sissi was coming on board as a talent scout for the Americas, the move offered evidence as to the expected reach of Women's Professional Soccer when the league kicks off play in 2009.
Not that the WPS New Jersey/New York entry must travel too many miles to begin its international outreach.