Sunday, with World Cup fever burning, my nose will be just as close to the screen, but I’ll have a Canadian flag draped across my shoulders instead of the red white and blue.
Don’t get me wrong. While I am a huge U.S soccer fan, a Jill Loyden fan in particular (a New Jersey native), I will be closely watching the Canadian games this year.
The Canadian national team called up my roommate and best friend, Jonelle Filigno. At 20, she’s the youngest player on their roster. No doubt, she’s got the skill, confidence, touch, grace, speed — I could go on and on. We always talk about what we’re going to do when we make it big, what we’re going to buy and what our goal celebrations will be (Watch for her Tiger Woods fist pump). She’s living the dream for every one of us who laced up our Mia Hamm Nikes and wanted to be in the starting 11.
That little girl with a big dream swells inside of me as I imagine her listening to her country’s anthem. Nine-year-old April still says one day that’ll be me.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2363 or aprice@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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