Naomi Girma: the brilliant scientist at the heart of USA’s defense

After a formidable academic and athletic career at Stanford University, the Californian is an integral part of the defending champions' World Cup campaign

Each Saturday morning as a young child growing up in San Jose, California, Naomi Girma would show up to the park to play a version of soccer that was as informal as you can think", she says now.

The children were divided by the adults into three groups: little, medium, and big. From there, the kids would scrimmage, their voices cutting through the crisp, California air uninterrupted by any formal coaching.