Mallory Pugh: Gatorade 2014-2015 Girls Spring Soccer Player of the Year
MANAUS, BRAZIL Everything is larger than life in the Amazon. The humidity is like living in the shower. The moths can be as huge as your fist; the snakes are bigger than your worst nightmare. And the adventure? Its the stuff even Indiana Jones would write home about.
Although Mallory Pugh is only 18 years old, almost nothing about soccer can rattle the teenage phenom from Colorado. But as Pugh walked down to the mighty river from the team hotel to watch the sun set in the jungle, the sight took her breath away.
Just seeing how huge the Amazon River is for the first time, its so big its crazy, Pugh told me. Ive got to admit. I never thought I would be playing soccer in the jungle.
Lindsey Horan, a 22-year-old forward from Golden, added: Nothing prepares you for this. Its amazing.
Welcome to Mal and Lindseys excellent soccer adventure. These are two Colorado kids, all grown up and 4,000 miles from the Rocky Mountains, playing a little footy in the jungle.
After sitting out Saturday during Team USAs 1-0 victory against France in Belo Horizonte to rest a minor ankle sprain, Pugh said she is fit and again ready to play. So the first goal of her Olympic career now feels as close as one shot struck into the upper 90.
Regularly coming off the bench in the second half when the U.S. squad gets more defensive as it protects a lead, Horan is growing with a young group attempting to win gold while transitioning from the Abby Wambach era. Whether were up 2-0 early in the second half, or were up 1-0 with 10 minutes left in the game, my mind-set is the same when I come in the game. Its to help keep that lead, whatever way I can, Horan said.
As the members of the USWNT walked from the locker room to the field of Arena da Amazonia on the eve of their match against Colombia, there were shrieks of delight. They were greeted by butterflies that flutter in the sunshine at every turn.
Who could envision this? exclaimed Allie Long, a 28-year-old who has found a role as a holding midfielder for Team USA. But Ive always loved the jungle. When I was younger, I loved toucans, so I did school reports about the jungle. I would have never envisioned myself playing here, but
The beauty of any long, strange trip is the ride. Theres more to the joy of sports than the winning. Its how a game can open the worlds arms to you.
To get to Manaus, you take a left turn at Rio de Janeiro and fly 1,770 miles. Manaus is where the waters of the Rio Negro and Amazon meet. Manaus is the end of the road in Brazil, so far from the cry and hue of the Olympic media mob that although this team is populated by soccer rock stars, there were a grand total of seven reporters tracking them in the jungle.
We arent in Highlands Ranch anymore, Toto.
The Amazon is the longest through ball that Pugh or Horan has ever played. This is a snapchat that will have friends back home in Colorado buzzing. When the fish for dinner is taller than you, it brings to life Oh, the Places Youll Go! by Dr. Seuss:
Out there things can happen
and frequently do
to people as brainy
and footsy as you
If the U.S. women advance to the championship game of the Olympic tournament, Pugh and Horan will take the pitch in one of the worlds most iconic soccer stadiums. Our main goal is getting to Rio, Pugh said. The beating heart of Brazilian soccer is the Maracana, where Frank Sinatra once sang to 180,000 fans, Pope John Paul II celebrated Mass and Pele scored the 1,000th goal of his career.
Youre way ahead of me, man, Team USA coach Jill Ellis said Monday, steadfastly refusing to let her imagination wander from the Amazon to the gold medal game.
When youre deep in the jungle, the only thing on your mind is finding a way out, one step at a time.
Source: http://www.denverpost.com/2016/08/08/kiszla-mallory-pugh-lindsey-horan-playing-soccer-jungle/
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