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Kristine Lilly's teammates call her "Grandma." They also call her amazing.
It's been 19 years since Lilly debuted with the U.S. women's soccer team, two years since many of her age-group peers retired after winning the 2004 Olympic gold medal.
While some of those peers became first-name-basis famous (think Mia, Julie and Brandi), Lilly is becoming last-one-kicking legendary.
"She should go down with all the Hall of Famers in every sport," fellow U.S. forward Abby Wambach says.
Led by Lilly, 35, in her roles as team captain and key goal scorer (she has 12 this year, trailing only Wambach's 15), the U.S. women are unbeaten in 2006 and heavy favorites entering Wednesday's CONCACAF Gold Cup match against Mexico at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. The winner qualifies for the 2007 World Cup in China.
Returning to China for the World Cup, and possibly for the 2008 Summer Olympics, would allow Lilly to complete a career circle.
She was a member of the U.S. team that won the first women's World Cup in China in 1991.
"Everything's gone the way that it should, I guess," Lilly says. "I don't think about how many games I've played. I don't think about how many World Cups. I don't think about where I started or now where I'm ending. It kind of just fell into place."
Lilly has played in 317 games with the U.S. team, a global record for women or men. Her tenure spans four World Cups (two titles) and three Olympics (two gold medals). With 116 career goals, she is second only to Mia Hamm (158) in women's international play.
"She's pretty much done everything and has accomplished everything that an athlete really would love to accomplish -- especially a soccer player -- in her time spent with this team," Wambach says.
At 15 years older than her youngest Gold Cup teammates, Lilly inspires with her vitality as well as her longevity.
"She sets such a great example for our young players because we have a very young team," U.S. coach Greg Ryan says. "They look at her and they say, 'Here's a woman who's been doing this forever. She still comes in, and she's always fit. Her skills are fantastic, and she's never taken a day off or taken a training session lightly.' That carries over to the personality of our whole team."
Lilly's own modest personality kept her in the backdrop of the U.S. women's talk-show-hopping, jersey-stripping, bold-headline rise to sports and cultural renown during the 1999 World Cup.
She was named captain after Julie Foudy and Joy Fawcett retired in 2004. That, combined with her move to forward from midfielder, has given her more visibility inside and outside the team.
Lilly primarily leads through hardworking example. But she has become more vocal, her teammates say, breaking down defenses and pumping up players on the field and mentoring them off it.
"She's going to tell us how she feels, which has helped us. She's just honest with us. I think that's what I respect the most," says 23-year-old defender Leslie Osborne, who collected autographs from Lilly and other U.S. players while growing up.
One of Lilly's messages is to respect the privilege of playing full time for the U.S. team. She and backup goalkeeper Briana Scurry are the last links to a time when women's soccer was more pastime than career.
Lilly thought of retiring with everyone else after the 2004 Olympics but decided she wanted to continue.
"Even though in my heart I loved playing with those guys so much, I don't think I would have felt right to just call it quits because they did," Lilly says. "A piece of me would have been like, 'Oh, maybe I shouldn't have done that,' and I didn't want to have that kind of regret."
Now she admits to feeling tugs toward new directions. Two years ago, she met Brookline, Mass., firefighter David Heavey while walking her golden retriever. They were married Oct. 20 in her hometown of Wilton, Conn.
The honeymoon had to be postponed until after this week's World Cup qualifying matches.
"Now, being married and traveling -- being on the road is probably the hardest thing, just because I've done it for so long," she says.
How much longer she doesn't really know. "I'm just going to take it as it comes," she says.
*For a story and results from Wednesday's CONCACAF Gold Cup semifinals, go to soccer.usatoday.com
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