(Agencies)
Updated: 2007-09-25 19:55

 
"Marta knows how to play like a man. This is probably what makes her different," Brazil teammate Simone said. "I don't think you should really compare her to the men because she's a woman. But she's special."

"She not so good that she can play alone, but we can't play without her," Simone added.

Brazil's Marta (R) and Denmark's Gitte Andersen fight for the ball during their group soccer match of the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup at the Hangzhou Dragon Sport Stadium in Hangzhou September 20, 2007. [Reuters]

Midfielder Leslie Osborne, who marked striker Kelly Smith in the Americans' 3-0 quarterfinal win over England, is unlikely to draw Marta against Brazil. A faster player may draw the assignment, or a zone might be employed.

"You will have to be on your toes for 90 minutes because she will want that ball," Osborne said. "And she'll want to do something with it every time she has it."

Unlike the American women, who first captured the nation's imagination in winning the '99 World Cup, the women's game hasn't caught on in Brazil. The men have left no space for women's soccer, which is just the opposite in the U.S.

Marta was the 2006 player of the year - picked by the world governing body - but few Brazilian reporters are covering the team in China. More attention has come from Swedish TV and foreign and Chinese media. Marta plays for the Swedish club Umea, speaks Swedish and may be better known there than at home.

"It's just crazy those girls don't get more respect at home," Osborne said. "Because they truly are some of the best soccer players in the world."

In 22 games against the United States, Brazil has won only one with two ending in ties. But the U.S. managed only narrow victories in the last three. American coach Greg Ryan knows what he's up against.

Ryan was critical of Brazil's rough tactics in 2-0 loss to the U.S. in June in New York, much of it aimed at chopping down striker Abby Wambach. Marta didn't play in the game.

In the World Cup, Ryan has said Brazil at times has looked "disorganized," which does not lessen the threat.

"The thing that makes them most dangerous is how talented those players are with the ball, their ability to beat players off the dribble, the great finishing," Ryan said.

After practice, Marta and her easy smile is the only player swamped for interviews. Interest about her may be low at home, but not so in China.

"I try not to think about the pressure too much," she said. "Sometimes it's hard. Sometime I would like to just be with the rest of the group. But it's like that when you do something good on the field or anywhere else in life. That's the way it is. I'd say I have a normal Brazil soccer player's life."

And just one name.

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