SALOU, Spain -- With the 2022 World Cup final heading to extra time, coach Tricia Taliaferro put Annie Wickett in goal.
Wickett, an outfield player, had scored one of the goals against Australia when, with the game tied at 2-2, Taliaferro took a decision that may have brought a #TaliaferroOut hashtag from supporters unfamiliar with the intricacies of CP soccer. Taliaferro would not have considered such a move eight months ago, when she was approached to coach the newly formed U.S. women's para national team. Since then, she's had a fast learning curve in the sport, which is played by players with cerebral palsy and other neurological conditions such as stroke and traumatic brain injury.