Heather O'Reilly

Heather O'Reilly is having a heck of a year. She's coming off an MVP performance at the Four Nations Tournament in China and a two-goal effort at the Algarve Cup in March. As the US prepares to enter qualifying for the 2008 Olympics , O'Reilly sat down to preview the tournament and talk about her role as a winger under Pia Sundhage , another winger named C.Ronaldo , and going back to North Carolina for the USA's first domestic match of 2008.


Lets talk about the first game of Olympic Qualifying against Jamaica. You have never faced Jamaica at any level with the U.S National Teams. What kind of game are you expecting ?

My experience with Caribbean teams is that they are going to be passionate and energetic. They are going to embrace the opportunity to play the U.S so we need to be ready to counter that energy.

Qualifying matches are ' get a result or go home ' type of games. How do you, as an athlete , respond to that kind of pressure ?

I think it's important not to get overwhelmed with the future. It's so critical to focus on this tournament and the next game , not the coming months , as if we don't produce here, we don't get to the Olympics. You must focus on the immediate task at hand even though it's hard at times. We believe in our abilities and our preparation , and if we do that , we will go into every game with confidence.

The U.S team has played in front of some partisan crowds before - at the 2007 Women's World Cup it seemed the entire stadium was rooting for North Korea - but the U.S doesn't often play in an environment where everyone is rooting against them. What kind of experience is that ?

I think it'a a new challenge for us because only recently have we faced crowds that are very much against us. It definitely gets you fired up to hear the crowds cheer against you, but I just get pumped up if there is a big crowd in general. One thing I think is cool is that no matter how many people are cheering against us , this group of 20 players is so close knit that in the end , we believe in each other and it's us that control our own fate , not the crowd.

The team has played in China , Portugal and now Mexico this year. What's the key to life on the road as a WNT player?

It's easy to get into a routine or a groove and not be appreciative of every day you have playing for your national team , so the key to being on the road all the time is finding things that are interesting and that excite you. You can't take this experience for granted. Having that kind of attitude helps make every day fun.

You won the MVP at the Four Nations Cup in China without scoring a goal in the tournament. I know that surprised you a bit , but it also brought some validation , yes ?

Growing up as a forward and goal scorer , I was always judged by the amount of balls I put in the back of the net , so it was a big honor and flattering to get that award without getting a goal. It gave me confidence that I was contributing to the team in other ways , and in the end , it's about your team winning the game.

We know you watch soccer on tv as much as you can. What current forwards from around the world are your favourites ?

Right now Cristiano Ronaldo is the best player in the world. His ability to take on players has always been world class , but right now his ability to score all kinds of different goals from everywhere on the field is just separating him from everyone else. I also kind of dig Emmanuel Adebayor from Arsenal because he makes teams always have to worry about him. Those are players that I look to model my game after.

When you are not on the road , you are currently living in New York City. What are some of the best and worst things about living in the Big Apple ?

It's a city like no other. The amount of things to do and the energy the city ha sis unmatched in the whole world. I've had a lot of fun trying out new restaurants , going to museums and seeing shows. I love the shopping - it's incredible - and I love going for runs in Central Park. It's my favourite part of the whole city. You can never have a boring day in New York. Sometimes , the city brings me down because everyone is in such a rush to go somewhere. I'm a bit more laid back than most New Yorkers , so I want to say " Hey , what's the big rush"? sometimes I just want to order a sandwich and not be stressed out about it.

For a long time , you were the youngest player on the National Team after debuting at age 17. NOw Stephanie Cox , Amy Rodriguez , Tobin Heath and Lauren Cheney are all younger than you. Do you see some of the young Heather in them ?

Of course. I see them procrastinating on writing their papers and that reminds me of my college days. But all those girls have done an awesome job mixing in with the group and acting professional , which I hope I did when I was younger.

You are playing as more of an outside midfielder/true winger under Pia Sundhage. How's life on the flank?

I love it. I have a lot of freedom out there and although I need to go back and defend more than I was as a forward. I feel I have a lot more freedom to attack from that position. Changing positions is always a challenge , but I really want to be great in that spot for the team this year.

You recently played an excellent April Fools joke on Cat Whitehill. Do tell ?

Like myself , Cat Whitehill is a huge Tar Heels basketball fan . Tobin Heath and I decided in warm-ups to tell her that Tyler Hansbrough got high ankle sprain in practice and was unable to play in the semi-finals of the Final Four. Obviously Cat freaked out a bit and then we broke the news that it was just an April Fools joke. Looking back , it was kind of mean joke and I hope that Tyler leads UNC to a National Championships!!!

The U.S team is going to play it's first domestic match of the year on April 27 in Cary N.C , a place that holds a lot of fond memories for you. You played college soccer there and it's also the stadium where you scored your first goal for the WNT. We assume you are looking forward to the match ?

The stadium in Cary is very special to me. I've won two National Championships there for UNC and scored my very first goal there against Italy. I love Chapel Hill very much. It's my favourite place in America and I'm really excited to be back in a place I'll always call home.

O'Reilly, national team anticipating Olympic challenge

Heather O'Reilly, who won an Olympic gold medal with the women's national soccer team in 2004 as a teenaged "bubble player," is now one of the team's key members as it aims to defend the Olympic title. She sat down with USA TODAY's Dan Friedell before the team's 6-0 win over Canada last week in Washington, D.C. for a conversation that touched upon soccer riots in Italy, the team's funniest personalities and when she knew soccer was her game.

1. How have things been since the 2007 World Cup ended?

After the World Cup it was important for us to take a little bit of a break. We had almost two months off, which for us is a lot. We stepped away from the game and heard the news of Pia Sundhage coming in as the coach and were absolutely thrilled. A couple of the players had worked with her previously, but mostly we had heard great things about her.

We could foresee our potential. We had a great team in the World Cup. We lost one game, and it was a big game, but the platform was there. The leaders before us: Julie Foudy, Mia Hamm and Kristine Lilly, they really set a standard for us and our generation has carried on their great tradition. What we need to do now is show the world that we can win, that our generation can finish off a major tournament. We're up for the challenge and I think we're looking good



2. What did you do during the two months off?

One of the neat things I did was go to Italy with my teammates Lindsay Tarpley and Leslie Osborne. We had a complete blast. I also tried to get back to my old school, the University of North Carolina, to see some games. And I hung out with my boyfriend in New York and enjoyed life off the road since we are on the road so much. I got to be a normal person, I guess.

3. Is it hard to go from being a serious athlete in training to someone who can just have down time?

I don't think so. We just embrace any time we're away from the game. At least I don't have a problem relaxing. Then when it's time to go again, I can turn it on like a switch. …

Being 23, I'm so lucky to be doing this. All of my college friends are interviewing and trying to find jobs or figure out what they want to do. The cool thing is that this is no different for me than it was five years ago when I was in high school or when I was playing at UNC. I'm still playing soccer and loving it. Now it's just actually my job which is an extra plus, and I'm fortunate in that way. If anything has changed, it's just that I bring an ounce more of professionalism to my life. … Being a pro athlete is just a blessing.

4. So, is there anything you can say for public consumption about your trip to Italy?

We traveled. We hit up Milan, Florence, Rome and Venice. It was beautiful. We ate a lot of pizza, did a lot of traveling and had a lot of fun. We tried to make it to an A.C. Milan game and didn't make it, then we tried to get to a Roma game, and didn't make it either, because there were riots going on and we didn't want to get in the middle of that. There were policemen and fans completely battling. It was a very scary moment. People were all crouched down on the bus because [the crowds] were surrounding it and throwing things. For three American girls on a tour of Italy, it was a pretty scary moment, but the bus driver was experienced in dealing with that situation. He just sped through the crowd and told people to "get off the bus right now if you want to go to the game," and Tarp, Leslie and I looked at each other and said, "No way."

We do so much traveling but we never really get to experience the places we go, so it was a good trip. As well traveled as I am, I haven't truly gotten to experience the cultures of the places I've gone to, so that's what it was about for us.

5. Since you weren't in training, did you get to 'cheat' as far as what's on your normal diet?

I guarantee that I gained some weight on the trip but I had a couple of weeks to run it off before our first training camp. It was a time to cut loose a little bit. I probably had gnocchi or pizza every meal. Gnocchi with pesto was the ultimate meal for me. Nine days of Italian food was not enough.

6. How are you getting ready for this turn in the Olympics? Are you more comfortable since you already experienced the Games in Athens?

I'm actually less comfortable, which is interesting because you'd think that having won the gold medal in Athens I'd feel more experienced, and I do. But my role on the team has changed so much that it won't be anything close to the experience I had in 2004. In 2004 I was a bubble player, probably the last spot on the team. I was a sub and I was a young kid trying to get any minutes that could get. If I could come off the bench and get a goal or an assist, that was phenomenal. I had the leaders who I was so certain would lead us to victory. This time around, I'm four years older and four years wiser, maybe, and my role on the team is different. It's my generation's turn to prove itself. With that there's pressure, but it's not negative, it's a positive. We're ready for it, we're prepared for it, but it's a much different feeling than it was in 2004.

7. As a member of a large team, you're kind of in a bubble all the time. What's it like when you get a chance to interact with other American athletes?

We have a bond because we know we've all been going through something similar, but we want to hear their stories and share with them where we've been. Unfortunately we won't be in Beijing early in the Olympics. We'll be at other sites until hopefully we get to the semifinals. So once we get there, it should be fun.

8 a. What are the questions the other athletes — a runner or a swimmer — ask of you?

The first couple questions are about logistics — "Where have you been training and we hear you have a new coach, what's she like?" Then right away it goes into the personal questions … "Who's funny on your team?" "What will you do after the Olympics?" We're all humans and when we're together, that comes out at a place like the Olympics because it can be so stressful.

8 b. So what are your answers to those questions?

I think we have a lot of funny characters on our team. Abby Wambach is pretty funny. She always has something to say.

8 c. She did a good job in the car commercial, right?

(Laughs.) Yeah, I think she was practicing that line for a long time.

Leslie Osborne is hilarious. She's the real energizer on our team. I like to consider myself funny, too.

8 d. So when did you realize that soccer was the perfect fit for you?

I played basketball and soccer growing up in New Jersey. It fit well because it's a little cold and snowy up there. I think I hit about 12 or 13 and I had more fun out there playing soccer. Ever since I was little it was just my thing. I remember my first soccer practice, I was probably four years old, I guess we were doing a passing drill with my teammates, and some of the girls were like "Whoa, look at her, she's good." And I remember that. It gave me so much confidence. I tried to hide the smile that came across my face. And since then, soccer was just always my thing. I definitely had to work on it, but I had a talent from a very young age.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/2008-05-14-soccer-oreilly-q-and-a_N.htm?csp=34

Thanks for the article HLF.

She isn't wrong when she says Abby likes to talk , the girl never shuts up