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How To Help Your Team When You're Injured

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Brandi Chastain (@brandichastain), a PCA National Advisory Board Member, is famed for her iconic penalty kick conversion that clinched the 1999 Women's World Cup Soccer title for the U.S. Chastain’s international career spanned two decades and is highlighted by a 1996 Olympic gold medal and 1999 and 2003 World Cup titles. She now serves as a color commentator for both NBC and ABC, is a volunteer assistant coach at Santa Clara University and the developer of ReachUp!, a foundation formed to empower girls through sports and mentorship.

While it can be difficult for an injured player to feel involved with the team, Chastain shares the tactics she used when injured to stay an active team member and continue contributing even when she couldn’t play. Staying connected is up to the individual. It’s important to do everything you can do physically and show your teammates that you’re getting better and learning on the sidelines. You want your teammates to know that by the time you are physically ready to play again, you will have taken advantage of every opportunity to grow as a player, in spite of your injury.