Heather Mitts has never backed down from a challenge

Heather Mitts has never backed down from a challenge, on and off the soccer pitch.

She ran with the bulls in Pamplona, Spain, in 1999. She worked as an ESPN college football sideline reporter during the 2005 season. And in 2007, she suffered a torn left anterior cruciate ligament that eliminated her from contention for a spot on the United States women's national team for the World Cup.

It was a bitter pill to swallow, especially after a broken leg kept her from playing in the 2003 World Cup. But with the support of US coach Pia Sundhage and her teammates, Mitts gained a spot on the team for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, winning gold for the second time after doing so in 2004 in Athens.

"I haven't played in a World Cup yet, because I had injuries both times," said Mitts, who garnered her 100th international cap March 11 in the final of the Algarve Cup in Portugal, where the US tied the score late in regulation, 1-1, only to lose to Sweden, 4-3, on penalty kicks.

"I'd love to play in a World Cup before I retire, but that's another 2 1/2 years," she added. "That's the aim right now. But two gold medals isn't bad; it's a good consolation."