WINNIPEG — Amy Rodriguez got into squat position and all of the sudden felt light lightheaded.
It was one of her first workouts after giving birth to her now one-and-a-half-year old son Ryan, and the speedy U.S. forward was determined to get back into soccer shape, 30 pounds heavier.
“I thought I was gonna die,” Rodriguez said. “I was like this is so much harder than I thought it was going to be. I remember crying.
“My breakdown got me here (to the World Cup) I guess.”
Rodriguez, who has played in nine of 10 matches this year including three consecutive starts, never once thought about giving up the sport just because she became a mom.