boxx_7_18198_sq_small.jpgFour years ago, an uncapped Shannon Boxx was a surprising late call-up to the illustrious US national team on the eve of the fourth FIFA Women's World Cup. Then coach April Heinrichs saw something special in the unknown and uncapped Notre Dame University ball winner and decided to give her a shot on the biggest stage of them all.

"A lot of people were wondering what I was doing there," the midfielder told FIFA.com of getting the nod ahead of USA 2003. "The upside was, I didn't really have to time to get nervous or think about it too much. I just had to go out and play."

Play she did, and well at that. She scored the Americans' first goal of the tournament and broke a long-standing record by grabbing goals in her first three appearances. Since then she has gone on to score 14 times in 67 caps, finishing third in the running for FIFA Women's World Player of the Year in 2005. Her foraging efforts in the middle of the park were instrumental in the USA's gold-medal victory over mighty Marta's Brazil in Athens in 2004 and, in just a few short years, Boxx became a name as big as any in the women's game.

Praise from Mia
Former team-mate and female football legend Mia Hamm rates 'Boxxy', now 30, among the best she has ever played with or against. "There hasn't been a dominant personality on the field like that since (Michelle) Akers," Hamm told FIFA.com. "You ask anyone who plays with her or against her, Boxx is one of the best."

It's not all been all smiles, however, for Boxx. In July 2006, the midfielder suffered a potentially career-ending injury in training when she tore both the anterior and medial cruciate ligaments and damaged the meniscus in her right knee. Facing up to ten months of rehabilitation, she faced a tight race to get fit and mentally ready for China.

With a steely determination that has become her trademark on the pitch, she set right to the work of healing. "It was a bad injury," she said in a major understatement from the USA's team hotel in downtown Shanghai, with large scars from two operations clearly visible. "After something like that you have to heal your mind and body. There will always be doubts about whether you can get back to where you were before."

Boxx's team-mates were a source of constant support during her near year out of the game. In the first few months of her rehabilitation, she continued to attend training, watching in frustrated agony from the touchline but still feeling a part of the two-time world champion squad that has, down through the years, come to be known for its togetherness and camaraderie.

"When I was out, the team was in residency near my home in Southern California, so I went to practise every day even with the injury and they were always supportive," she said. "I would go and watch in the morning and then I would leave and go to rehab in the afternoon."

Thoughts turned slightly darker for the injured star when her team-mates hit the road ahead of the regional qualifying campaign for China. "Once August came and until November the team was off playing and getting ready and I was left all alone watching them on TV.

"That was hard," she added with an air of sombreness. "You feel yourself fading away a little at times like that."

Fresh start
Boxx's first major tournament after making her comeback was the 2007 Algarve Cup in Portugal. She banished any fears by showing her old form and helping the US win their fifth title at the prestigious tournament where she was named best player in 2004 and 2006.

Now, back in the centre of midfield and entrusted with the responsibility of helping the US regain their status as world-beaters, Boxx knows her job well.

"Defending is the first order of business," she almost snaps when asked about her primary responsibility in the team. "I have to keep the other team from getting past me and help protect my defenders. If I can get the ball and help settle the team and get forward, that's a bonus."

Her ability to score goals with her head is an even bigger plus. She has a remarkable strike rate for a holding midfielder and an ability to spring off the ground to rival another US sporting icon, Michael Jordan.

First up for Boxx and Co on the way to the stated goal of "winning back the title we lost four years ago" is a clash with Korea DPR in the central Chinese city of Chengdu on 11 September. After that, no less than Sweden - finalists at USA 2003 - and Nigeria lie in wait in what is widely regarded as the toughest group at these finals.

Boxx's battling in the middle and aerial threat up front on set-pieces could make all the difference. "I can't tell you what it means to have her back," head coach Greg Ryan sighed in relief. "There are always doubts after a player gets such a nasty injury, but she is back and she is 100 per cent."

The rest of the competition can consider themselves warned.