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Washington Post Staff Writer Thursday, September 25, 2003; Page D10 For any Brazilian soccer player, the number 10 jersey hangs heavy with the weight of history. After all, it was the number worn by soccer legend Pele, as well as women's star Sissi. But the player wearing number 10 for Brazil in this year's Women's World Cup, 17-year-old midfielder Marta, would rather not dwell on the past. "I'm playing with 10, it could be 11," she said after her team defeated Norway, 4-1, last night at RFK Stadium. "People say I'm very young to wear number 10, but I feel comfortable with it." Through Brazil's first two games in the Women's World Cup, Marta has played like the famous jersey was tailor-made for her. The left-footed midfielder won player of the game honors for her performance in Brazil's 3-0 win over South Korea on Sunday: she scored the team's first goal on a penalty kick, played opportunistic defense and set up several key plays on attack. Last night Marta scored a critical goal early in the second half that opened a 3-1 lead -- just as the Norwegians had perked to life and started to threaten what was looking like a fragile 2-1 lead for Brazil. "When we scored that third goal, we calmed down a little bit," Coach Paulo Goncalves said. Before the World Cup, questions lingered about how well Brazil would withstand a physically rugged, more experienced adversary such as Norway, which defeated the United States for the gold medal at the 2000 Olympics. But Brazil's consistent, deliberate play last night dispelled any doubts, and in their first two games, the team has demonstrated far more athleticism and poise than the group that played here in 1999. "We have a younger, quicker, more dynamic and more ambitious group," said Goncalves, who has rebuilt the team, player-by-player, since taking over as head coach in 2001. One of seven teenagers on Brazil's team, Marta has emerged as a player to watch during the tournament. In international play, Marta has already left a mark by scoring 17 goals in seven games. Marta comes from the town of Dois Riachos, in the tiny northeastern state of Alagoas. She started playing soccer at the age of 7, and perfected her skills in the indoor game known in Brazil as "Fut-sal" -- salon soccer. Her goal in last night's game bore all the hallmarks of "Fut-sal": a quick opportunistic shot from a rebound by forward Maicon. Four years ago, as Brazil fought its way to third place in the Women's World Cup, Marta was just 13 and watching her country's team on television. But she already had bigger plans in mind. "I said then: 'One day I will be there playing,' " she said. © 2003 The Washington Post Company
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