overview:
Her body has taken more physical abuse in those 33 years than most people do in a lifetime.
Michelle Akers has overcome a lot as one of the greatest female soccer players of all time. (Michael Lewis/FrontRowSoccer.com)
This article was originally published in Soccer Magazine in 1999.
michael lewis
PALO ALTO, Calif. โ Her body has taken more physical abuse in its 33 years than most people do in a lifetime.
Let's take a look. Michelle Akers has undergone 12 knee surgeries, she suffers from chronic fatigue syndrome and has endured enough bruises and bruises to scar every inch of her body. That's the short list.
Still, Michelle Akers somehow endures as the ultimate symbol of the U.S. women's national team.
“It's an honor to be her coach,” said U.S. coach Tony DiCicco. “No woman has played the game at the level she has. It's her level of commitment. She's a warrior. She's a champion. Once again she left everything on the field.”
Her most recent on-field appearance was at Stanford Stadium, where Akers played from corner to corner and scored a penalty kick in a 2-0 win over Brazil in the Women's World Cup semifinals on July 4th.
Akers was an inspiration to his teammates. If someone in her condition would throw her body around without giving up, why shouldn't she?
“Every time I think she's going to surprise me with everything she can do, she surprises me with something else,” said Julie Foudy, who plays with her in midfield. “can't believe it.”
At one time, Akers was an incredible scoring machine.
Before Mia Hamm, Akers was the first women's soccer superstar. Fittingly enough, she scored her first goal for the United States in 1985.
She had it all as a player – a fierce shot, a physical presence (5-10, 150 pounds), and a graceful giraffe-like ability to weave through startled opponents and enter the penalty area. It was a visible deceptive trot.
Her prolific scoring pace, once one goal per game, slowed slightly to 104 goals in 145 appearances. That's good enough for her second only to Hamm's 111 goals. Her 12 goals in the World Cup (her 10 in 1991) are a record as well.
However, in 1993 she suddenly developed chronic fatigue syndrome. She looks pale and exhausted after the match. After a 2-0 win against Brazil on July 4, she needed an intravenous drip and she sat during the post-match interview.
“They're still trying to figure out what it is,” she says. “Environment, genetics, viruses. They don't know yet.”
She had no energy. She couldn't even walk, let alone run. She tried diets and different programs and turned to religion. She is a devout Christian, which helped her overcome this hardship.
“I wasn't thinking, 'Why me, why me?' Poor Michelle,” Akers said. “It's more like, 'What does this mean? How do you want me to change?' That was the question I wanted to cry out to God.”
She had already experienced one change on the field. DiCicco decided to move Akers to midfield because she was hurting as a forward.
“At first she thought it was a demotion,” he said. “She's a great distributor. I think it won her over when I said to her, 'I think I can extend her career as a midfielder.' she understood that. โ
Now, she's getting beat up and resolving that woes, sometimes in other ways, as a defensive midfielder. In the championship game on July 10, she will likely shadow either China's Sun Yat-sen, who is tied for top scorer with Sisi with seven goals, or midfield general Liu Airing.
Akers knows she and her team will need to step up their game against China.
“I still don't think we're completely satisfied with our performance,” she said. “I haven't even done 90 minutes.”
Knowing her history, Akers will somehow find a way.