68,000 greeted her at the Estádio do Maracanã as she scored two penalties in a comprehensive 5-0 shutout over the USA Under-20 team. Marta's most defining moment in the green and gold kit came at the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio. It's amazing how things can come full circle. Internationally, Marta started her career with Brazil in 2002, the product of a successful one-day tryout in Rio de Janeiro. That year, Umeå also completed a domestic treble by finishing nine points clear of Djurgården to finish top of the table, and defeating Linköping FC in the Supercupen (which features the champions of the Damallsvenskan and Svenska Cupen), 3-1. What makes this win even more impressive is that her hat trick was secured in the 87th minute. Although the UEFA Cup escaped her hands against Arsenal, 2007 would see Marta break another hoodoo-that of the Svenska Cupen-in a big way: a hat trick against Allmänna Idrottsklubben, or AIK, in a 4-3 win. The following year, another unbeaten league campaign combined with another 21 goals from Marta was combined with a brace in both legs of the UEFA Women's Cup semifinal against Norway's Kolbotn FK. And Marta's 21 goals made her the top scorer in the Damallsvenskan. In 2005, Umeå completed a perfect unbeaten season. With Marta scoring 22 goals in the league, and accounting for UIK's only goal, the writing appeared to be on the wall. But the 2004 season would be the last year Umeå would finish second in Damallsvenskan with Marta providing the firepower. Domestically, they played second fiddle to Djurgårdens IF Dam in the Damallsvenkan and the Svenska Cupen (Swedish Cup), losing 2-1. In 2004, Umeå ripped through the competition in the UEFA Women's Cup, culminating in an 8-0 demolition of 1.FFC Frankfurt over two legs. After success with this team from 2002-2004, Marta's big break came in 2004, when she signed with Umeå IK. A two-year stint with Vasco Da Gama, and one year with a club in the state of Minas Gerais gave way to her first professional club contract with Santa Cruz in 2002. Through family connections, Marta was noticed by Helena Pacheco, one of Brazil's well known coaches of the women's game, at the age of 14. There was a reason, and they didn't know it yet. "Brazil is still a very macho society, and sports are mainly for boys, so people would say to them: 'What is this girl doing? Why is she always out there in the soccer games with the boys?'” Little did those people know that this young small-town girl playing with the boys would end up becoming a legend. "I was almost always the only girl playing with boys in a small town. “There wasn’t anybody for me to follow, or anyone to say to me, 'These are the steps you must take,'" said Marta in a recent interview with Michael Sokolove of the New York Times in April 2009. And once it was known, the naysayers came out in force. In a place as small as Dois Riachos, news travels quickly. Five years before, Marta was on the streets honing her skills through self-instruction. At the age of 10, she played with the boys team at her primary school in Dois Riachos. The largest city in Alagoas is Maceio, which, as of today, is in contention to host matches in the FIFA 2014 World Cup. Dois Riachos (which means "The Two Little Rivers") is a small municipality, with a population of about 11,727 (as of 2005). Marta Vieira da Silva was born on Februin Dois Riachos, Alagoas. And like many footballing stars of times past and present, the story of Marta's legacy comes from humble beginnings. In Brazil, she is known as the "Pele with skirts." The Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) have bestowed on Marta the title of Player of the Year for three straight years. In Sweden, the people at the Gammliavallen in Umeå sing of her leadership in helping Umeå Idrottsklubb earn championships in the Damallsvenskan from 2005-08, as well as a UEFA Women's Cup crown in 2004. Mention the word Marta to football fans outside the US, and you will get a variety of responses.and appraisals. They see her as the reason why fans come to the games, and children young and old ask for her autographs in Section 119 of the Home Depot Center on Victoria Street in Carson. Mention the word Marta to soccer fans in Los Angeles, and you are talking about the Los Angeles Sol's star player. This is Part 1 in a series of articles on the players that make up the 2009 Los Angeles Sol.
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