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WINNIPEG — Amy Rodriguez got into squat position and all of the sudden felt light lightheaded.
It was one of her first workouts after giving birth to her now one-and-a-half-year old son Ryan, and the speedy U.S. forward was determined to get back into soccer shape, 30 pounds heavier.
“I thought I was gonna die,” Rodriguez said. “I was like this is so much harder than I thought it was going to be. I remember crying.
“My breakdown got me here (to the World Cup) I guess.”
(Courtesy of Amy Rodriguez)
Rodriguez, who has played in nine of 10 matches this year including three consecutive starts, never once thought about giving up the sport just because she became a mom. Neither did fellow soccer moms Christie Rampone and Shannon Boxx when they got pregnant. Motherhood has allowed each to bring a different perspective to a U.S. squad hunting for its first World Cup title since 1999. The team begins group play Monday against Australia at 7:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1.
“I was scared I couldn’t go back to soccer,” Rodriguez said. “And I didn’t think that I wouldn’t because I wanted to try. I wasn’t ready to be done with soccer when I found out I was pregnant, so I was really grateful to get back on the field.”
Rampone, who will be playing in her fifth World Cup and turns 40 in the middle of the tournament, said coming back from a torn ACL was harder than getting back in shape after having kids.
“I was away from the field longer (with the ACL tear),” she said. “With a pregnancy, you can workout pretty much all the way up to delivering, and then it was six weeks off.”
She’s done this twice. After having Rylie, 9, in 2006 and going off to train for the 2007 World Cup and ’08 Olympics, and again after having Reece, 5, in 2010 and preparing for the 2011 World Cup and ’12 Olympics.
“The enjoyment of having a baby outweighs tiredness,” Rampone said. “I liked that challenge to get back. I wanted to prove to myself that I could.”
(US Soccer)
Being a mother and a professional athlete is a different experience from their male counterparts.
“It’s fly by the seat of your pants. When she’s hungry, you feed her,” Boxx said of her 15-month old daughter Zoe. “When we’ve had double, triple days, and you’re constantly away from her, constantly coming back and leaving again and she’s like, ‘Hi! Bye! Hi! Bye!’ Those are the moments that have been pretty hard.”
In a Manhattan Beach hotel lobby in mid-May, Boxx had a diaper bag on one shoulder, soccer bag on the other, pushed a stroller while holding a bottle. It was the first time she had brought Zoe to training camp, but didn’t want to be away from her for nearly three weeks.
U.S. Soccer provides 24-hour nannies when moms bring kids on the road and pay for accommodations, flight, meals and a daily stipend. Additionally, the kids have 22 aunts on the team who help out.
Abby Wambach was on Zoe duty one morning before a team training session in Manhattan Beach. She chased Boxx’s baby up and down stairs and ramps in the hotel lobby, laughing the whole time.
“The best advice I ever received was don’t be afraid to ask for help,” Boxx said. “You think you can do it all the time, and you don’t want to bother other people in the camp, but honestly, I think everybody is willing to watch her and help. I don’t know if I could have made some of these trips without teammates because with the amount of stuff you have to bring and the amount of time you’re spending with her, it’s nice for a quick little break.
“And she loves the players. Especially Abby. She’s trying to get her to say ‘Abby’ first.”
(US Soccer)
All three moms said their kids will be coming to Canada for the World Cup—accompanied by their fathers. They won’t be mixed in with the team so the players can focus, but having them around will provide support and reprieve.
“It’s been the greatest blessing,” Rodriguez said. “After I had Ryan, I’ve come to be a different, better, stronger player.”
Added Rampone: “Having a child puts things in perspective. I want to inspire my girls to continue to do what you want to do even though you have a family and a career.”
