SI on the Bus

On the bus ride back to the hotel after training, the U.S. players were handed a few issues of the Sept. 10 Sports Illustrated with Appalachian State on the cover (for those of us who can’t watch college football in China, how the heck did they beat Michigan?). They were brought to China by SI writer Mark Bechtel (which was very nice of him). On page 60 is an excellent three-page article by Bechtel on U.S. captain Kristine Lilly (with one page a big photo). The players thoroughly enjoyed reading the piece, titled In Full Bloom (Full Bloom as in Lilly, also a flower, 36-years-old, mature but at the peak of her powers, still going strong, get it?). In fact Abby Wambach read it out loud during the bus ride back for a group in the middle of the bus. The sub-headline reads “Long Overshadowed, 36-year-old Kristine Lilly is now the high-scoring captain of the U.S. team out to win its – and her – third World Cup title.” Pretty cool. The WNT Blog says: Grab a copy at the newsstand if you get the chance.