Q & A with Heather Mitts

Thursday September 27, 2008
Injured player watching World Cup from afar
BY DUSTIN DOW | DDOW@ENQUIRER.COM

For more than two weeks, Heather Mitts has been balancing time between rehabilitating her surgically repaired left knee and providing on-air analysis of the Women's World Cup for ESPN in Connecticut. The Cincinnati native called The Enquirer Wednesday on her way from the TV studio to the rehab clinic to discuss her hectic schedule, a World Cup jinx and today's semifinal between the United States and Brazil:

• Brazil knocks out U.S. 4-0
Question: Watching and analyzing these games, how has it affected the
way you think about your own game?

Answer: At the beginning it was easy because I just had that attitude that everything happens for a reason. ... I hadn't missed soccer until the other day. And then I just wanted to be out there helping the team.

It wasn't even a U.S. game; it was Canada versus Australia. Things were happening during the game, and I was getting frustrated with how they were playing. I wished I could be out there to help. Then when the U.S. played England (in the quarterfinals), it was the first time I really wished I could be out there with my team.

Q: What do you think about that team's chances (today), particularly
with the change at goalkeeper (Briana Scurry in; Hope Solo out)?

A: You have to go with whatever (coach) Greg Ryan chose. It's his
decision. I understand Bri has been successful against Brazil in the
past, so she's doing something right there. But at the same time, it's a different mind-set other players have to get used to because they've been playing with Hope for the whole tournament.

Q: You have aspirations of rejoining this team in preparation for the
2008 Olympics. How do you balance that with being in your current
position of providing comment and analysis on players?

A: It's a fine line. I'm going to return to play with a lot of those
girls, so I try to treat it as, "How would I want someone to talk about
me?" Fortunately, I can talk about the mental side of the game and give viewers some insight about what might be going through players' minds out there or an insider's view of what's going on.

Q: Those World Cup games in China occur at odd hours here. How has your sleep schedule been?

A: It's meant going to bed at 7 (p.m.) and getting up at 3 in the
morning. I feel like a granny going to bed as early as I do. You just
adjust on your days off and catch up on missed sleep.

Q: You did this in 2003 when you were injured for the World Cup. Any
chance you'd make a TV career out of this?

A: Yeah, I think I've got a World Cup jinx. I really enjoy doing TV, but at the same time, every time I miss a World Cup, it makes me want to play soccer longer so I can play in the next World Cup.

Q: Speaking of that, how's the knee?

A: It's feeling great, actually. I feel like I could play right now. I'm
doing sprinting and stuff like that in my rehab. Hopefully when I rejoin the team in January, I won't have a doubt in my mind about the knee.