Crooks: Ageless Christie Rampone Should Be A Factor Again For U.S. National Team

By Glenn Crooks
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Most women will celebrate their 40th birthday with a nice dinner, or perhaps the family crafts a surprise to usher in her fifth decade.

This summer, on June 24, New Jersey native Christie Rampone expects to commemorate the occasion by preparing for the semifinals of the Women's World Cup in Canada.

Nine days ago, U.S. women's national team head coach Jillian Ellis announced her 23-player squad for the WWC.  Included on the list was Rampone, who was selected despite a lengthy injury absence and no appearances for the full team in 2015.

"Physically, when we did our fitness test in January, she's still — if not the — maybe the second-fastest player on the team," Ellis told USA Today after the announcement.

However, later in that January camp, Rampone suffered torn back muscles working in the weight room, which required a respite of six-to-eight weeks.  Rampone was permitted to do straight-ahead running to maintain her fitness but there was no valid soccer activity with a ball.  She also missed the critical preparation trip to Portugal and the Algarve Cup.

In mid-March, she was back in residency and "feeling awesome" until she blocked a Carli Lloyd shot in training with her outstretched left leg.

"She hit it like she always does," Rampone told me.

Lloyd has one of the most powerful shots in the game.

"We were doing 2 vs. 1s in training and she took it wide," she said. "My ankle was locked and my knee took the brunt of it."

Consequently, Rampone was out another three weeks with a medial collateral ligament sprain.

"I blocked the shot and she didn't score!" exclaimed Rampone with a hearty guffaw. "Now I just have another challenge in front of me."

In 1995 I coached the women at St. Peters College in Jersey City.  Monmouth University was the defending conference champion and we travelled to West Long Branch to face the Hawks.  I had scouted Monmouth and was conscious of its all-conference forward, Christie Pierce (she married Chris Rampone in 2001).  Surprisingly, we were up 1-0 at the interval but eventually dropped a 4-1 decision.  Rampone scored all four goals in the second half. My backs were unable to keep up with the swiftest, most athletic player I had ever witnessed.

Two years later, Monmouth played at Central Connecticut. Tony DiCicco, the national team coach at the time, was in attendance and detected something special.

"I immediately fell in love with her athleticism," said DiCicco, who would later coach the USWNT to the World Cup title in 1999 with a 23-year-old converted back named Pierce. "From day one I put her in as a defender. It's not like she didn't understand defense.  She was on a basketball scholarship (at Monmouth)."

"She just kept improving," continued DiCicco, who will serve as an analyst for this summer's event on Fox Sports. "Her evolution as a player, and then a leader on this team, is legendary."

Rampone will be making her fifth World Cup appearance.  Only eight other soccer athletes, male or female, can make that claim. Rampone will be the captain again, as in 2011, when she played every minute for the U.S. squad that fell to Japan in the finals on penalty kicks.

Her playing role four years later is now in question with 46 days until the U.S. opens up against Australia on June 8 in Winnipeg.

"I'm probably at about 80 percent," she told me following a 1-1 draw against the Houston Dash – and Lloyd – last Saturday at Rutgers University.  "I got another MRI yesterday (last Friday) and it's doing well.  The knee is healing."

Observing from the press box, I was a bit alarmed by Rampone's lack of mobility. The left knee was heavily wrapped and her gait was unnatural – almost dragging the leg along rather than the thoroughbred strides we've grown accustomed to. Her pace was limited and she was knocking balls across the touch line that she might normally try to keep.

Rampone offered an explanation.

"I'm taped up so tight that my gait's off," she said. "When I don't have tape on, I'm fine. I'm just using it for extra protection and trying not to use my left as much."

In her first competition, Sky Blue's season opener at Kansas City, the plan was to play the first 45 minutes.  Rampone was subbed in the 80th minute.  Against Houston, there was a similar design.  This time she pulled herself out midway through the second half.

"I'm trying to be smart about it, but I've been out for so long I have to push it," said Rampone, the second-most capped player in women's soccer history with 304.

Kristine Lilly had 352 appearances.

"I have to be ready so I can compete for a starting role," Rampone said.

"She's not where she was in 2011," said DiCicco. "But I think she is going to be an important player for this team, on the field and off the field."

In her extended absence, Julie Johnston is now ahead of Rampone for starting consideration alongside Becky Sauerbrunn, but DiCicco believes the three-sport star -- both in college and at Point Pleasant Beach High School -- will need to participate at some stage for the Americans to claim their third title.

"Nearing 40, Christie will be our fastest defender," said DiCicco, who told Rampone in '97 that she had to decide between point guard at Monmouth and the national team. "We'll need her pace against teams like France. Unfortunately, she is not going to be challenged in any of these games coming up."

The U.S. has three exhibition matches leading into the World Cup opener. It will host Ireland on May 10 at the new Avaya Stadium in San Jose, followed a week later by a game at StubHub Center in Los Angeles versus Mexico.  The farewell match against Korea Republic is May 30 at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J.

Rampone will make one more appearance with Sky Blue FC on Saturday night before heading to USWNT residency camp on May 1, where she will attend to the exigent issues in the penultimate phase – or is it? – of her national team career.

"Everyone keeps saying I'm old," said Rampone, who would be 41 at the 2016 Olympics and 44 at the 2019 World Cup. "Every time I get these MRIs back they say my knee looks like a 17-year-old's. No arthritis, no damage, everything clean.  So, you never know."

Throw–Ins

-Formiga, the formidable midfielder from Brazil, will be making her record sixth World Cup appearance this summer (1995-2015). Three other women attended five Cups: Lilly (1991-2007), Brigit Prinz of Germany (1995-2011) and Japan's Homare Sawa (1995-2011).

Karina LeBlanc, representing Team Canada, was chosen for her fifth Cup. The official unveiling of the roster is set for Monday.

"I was on the team for that '99 World Cup, but just a little kid," said LeBlanc, who was a four-year assistant for me at Rutgers. "I was more like a spectator enjoying it.  I had Mia Hamm and Julie Foudy posters on my wall growing up."

-The three men on the squad for five World Cups include Antonio Carbajal of Mexico (1950-1966), Lothar Matthaus of Germany (1982-98) and Gianluigi Buffon (1998-2014), at present the starting keeper for Serie A leader Juventus.

-Former Chelsea boss Avram Grant is the current manager for the Ghana national team.  Reports indicate that he has been in the states over the last two weeks evaluating the numerous Ghanaians in Major League Soccer, including Kwadwo Poku of New York City and the Red Bulls' Lloyd Sam.

Glenn Crooks is the color commentator for New York City FC on WFAN and the former head soccer coach at Rutgers University. You can follow him on Twitter at @GlennCrooks and glenncrooks.sportsblog.com.