'The aerobic base from running still benefits my game' says former Olympics hopeful Sheva

We’ll never know if her vest would don the stars and stripes or her ancestral home of Ireland because football, or soccer as colloquially termed Stateside, won her heart

Irish-American Sheva, 28, has developed into a key component of Carla Ward’s side. Pic: Ryan Byrne/Inpho

In another life, Marissa Sheva could be gracing the global stage as an Olympic athlete but her sprint to a second successive World Cup fulfills her sporting ambitions.

Pennridge High School is a microcosm of Philadelphia’s emphasis for developing elite athletes.