Briana Scurry woke up to the news Wednesday that nine officials of FIFA, international soccer’s governing body, and five others had been indicted on corruption charges, 10 days before the Women’s World Cup begins in Canada. Scurry was the USA’s goalie at four World Cups, including the one it won in 1999. She also won two Olympic gold medals and had 173 international appearances, most for a female goalie.

The women’s World Cup should be about what happens on the pitch and the beauty of the game and the glory and the competition — not about these executives and how they have allegedly behaved. These charges have put a black cloud over the tournament.

We should be celebrating, and rooting for, Abby Wambach and Christie Rampone. They are two pioneers and absolute warriors who have poured their hearts out — not only into their games but also into soccer communities across the country. They are both playing in their last World Cup for the USA. What better ending could you have than to see Christie and Abby with American flags draped around their shoulders, able to bring the World Cup back to the U.S., embracing each other on that podium with the flags fluttering in the wind? That’s the story we should be embracing, these two women striving together.

And we have players like Meghan Klingenberg and Sydney Leroux and Christen Press — who are all new, on their first World Cup rosters — all pushing to help Abby and Christie go out in style and at the same time realizing their own dreams. There is a wonderful story behind every player on the U.S. roster and, to be honest, on every roster of every team from every country. That’s the beauty of the World Cup. All these different women from all these different countries from all corners of the world, coming together in the same place at the same time, all striving for the same goal. That’s what we should be celebrating.

These women have been preparing for this tournament for years. And now they are going to have to answer questions about these allegations instead of about the amazing tournament they’re about to have and how excited they are. They are all going to have to confront questions that have nothing to do with them.

FIFA is a very large organization and it has immense power in the soccer community as a governing body. FIFA would have been much better off, in my opinion, if it had used the power it wields and the money that soccer brings in for the benefit of youth soccer and to focus more on women’s soccer, instead of taking the actions its officials are accused of. The women who are participating in this World Cup are living their dreams. I know the work that goes into this. I know the impact this has on their lives.

I also know the positive impact that the 1999 World Cup had on the U.S. — and throughout the world. This World Cup has the potential to have as much impact, if not more so. In glorifying the game, in showing women being strong, in inspiring millions around the world in a positive way, as we did in ’99. That’s why what is happening now, virtually on the eve of the tournament, this amazing celebration of soccer, is really unfortunate.

I was heartbroken to see what I saw Wednesday morning. I know as an athlete that on the end of every story — whether it is one of sorrow or of glory, depending on who won a game and how they won it — there will be this little footnote about these FIFA executives and what they are charged with. These amazing athletes deserve to have all the focus on them, not on the ugly side of the beautiful game.