The first time I saw Meghan Klingenberg play soccer, it was purely by chance.
I went to see a kid I coached in dekhockey play for the Plum High School boys in 2006. (Hello, Chris Yankoski.) The game prior included the Pine-Richland High School girls.
It was a revelation. Klingenberg bossed the midfield for Pine-Richland like a scholastic version of Liverpool FC icon Steven Gerrard. She was utterly dominant.
Klingenberg went on to bigger and better, making 74 appearances for the U.S. Women’s National Team. She started every game at left back in the 2015 Women’s World Cup in Canada, which the U.S. won. Klingenberg made the all-tournament team.
Klingenberg, 30, now plays for Portland in the National Women’s Soccer League. She joins me at 3:30 p.m. to discuss the U.S. team’s chances in the current Women’s World Cup, taking place in France. The U.S. plays Thailand tomorrow.
Here’s a big play by Klingenberg in the ’15 Women’s World Cup: She heads a ball off the line to preserve a 0-0 draw with Sweden in the group stage.