Latinas Take The Field For The Women's World Cup

By Michael Lopez

Forget Cristiano Ronaldo and Gerard Piqué, these past few weeks have been all about Amy Rodriguez, Marta Vieira da Silva, and Daiane Menezes Rodrigues. Millions have tuned in to see these female fútbol stars compete in an increasingly brutal battle for the Women's World Cup.

Sunday's matchup between the U.S.A. and Brazil proved to be a very emotional competition. The semifinal battle went down to the wire, with America's Abby Wambach clinching the victory via some late-in-the-game penalty kicks. Many thought the U.S. was destined to lose the match, but after star Brazilian defender Daiane Menezes Rodrigues (aka Daiane) accidentally shot a ball into her own goal, things changed dramatically.

The goal debacle was actually pretty shocking, considering the reputation that 28-year-old Daiane has built on the field. She was an extremely strong presence during Brazil's appearance at the 2002 FIFA Women's World Championship, but seemed to make a crucial error when trying to clear the ball from U.S. midfielder Shannon Boxx.

Brazilian superstar Marta Vieira da Silva (aka Marta) helped a bit by scoring a point in the 65th minute, but the penalty kicks ultimately did the team in. Even though Marta is now eliminated, she is definitely one lady superstar worth keeping your eye on. The 25-year-old forward has won FIFA's Women’s World Player of the Year five times and took home silver medals at 2004 and 2008 Summer Olympics.

Now with Brazil out of the mix, only America, France, Sweden, and Japan remain. But don’t think that means that there won't be any more Latinas on the field. U.S. forward Amy Rodriguez has proven herself to be quite the competitor.

A Cuban-American from Beverly Hills CA, Rodriguez is truly a fútbol phenom. She was originally recruited to play for USC (where she broke some of the school's all-time records) and has gone on to represent the U.S. at the 2008 Summer Games. She is also one of the only American female soccer players to have a sponsorship contract with Puma.

Obviously the U.S. has a lot more hurdles to get through before clinching that Women's World Cup. Next up, they're battling France for a shot at the Finals. And just like Sunday’s game, we're sure millions of fútbol fans will be glued to their TVs when the match goes down on Wednesday.

Have you been following the Women’s World Cup? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Amy Rodriguez, Daiane, FIFA, futbol, Hot Stuff, Marta, Sports, Women's World Cup