SISSI

 The Queen of Soccer

 ''For Brazil , Sissi is the best in the world. For us, Sissi is the queen of soccer.''

-1999 Brazilian coach Wilson Oliveira Rica

By: Rich Fernandez - Bay Area Sports Drive Soccer

Email: rfernandez@bayareasportsdrive.com

Many of the greatest soccer players in the world have worn the jersey number 10.  In the history of soccer,  names like Diego Maradona, Pele, Zinedine Zidane and Ronaldinho are known worldwide as some of the finest players with a ball at their feet.  Another player recognized for her soccer mastery and who also wore the number 10 is Sisleide Lima do Amor, better known to the world as just "Sissi." 

Sissi was born in Esplanada , Brazil, and at the age of six was already kicking the soccer ball around with her older brother Paulo and her father.  When Sissi couldn't find a soccer ball to kick around, she started using the heads of her dolls, which made her mother worry.  Finding anything available to use as a soccer ball was common in their Brazilian neighborhood, but it was usually boys doing that and not girls!  In Brazil soccer was a men’s game and meant for men and not women.  Even with this prejudice, Sissi wasn't deterred and played as much as she could and had no problem finding boys to play soccer with.  Even with her mother’s worries, Sissi found support from her father, who told her to follow her dreams just as long as she finished school.  At the age of 14,  she played in her first real games, playing for a number of women's teams and even making some money at the same time.  By trade, Sissi was a school teacher, but that practical profession soon gave way to her passion and love for soccer. 

Sissi was chosen to play on the Brazilian Women's National Team for both World Cup and Olympic competition.  Her trademark shaved head prior to the 1999 Women's World Cup was a result of a promise she made to God to provide housing for her family in Brazil .  That promise was realized in June 2001!  When the Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA) was formed in 2001, after all of the buzz surrounding the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup, the Foreign Allocation Draft sent Sissi to the San Jose CyberRays.

While Sissi was still going to be playing the game she loved, she now found herself in unfamiliar waters with many different and difficult challenges.

"The language was the hardest by far!"  Sissi said.  "I almost went back home three weeks into my stay because I missed home so much," Sissi went on to explain.  "I walked off the plane and didn't speak a word of English.  Slowly I learned, but I was homesick for quite some time."

Brandi Chastain, a member of the US Women's National Team and former opponent of Sissi, was now a teammate of hers on the CyberRays.  Could this have posed a difficult situation for Sissi and the CyberRays?

"No, Brandi is my idol, so it was an adjustment being a fan of hers to being a teammate," Sissi explained.  "She is my mentor and continues to be to this day.  I am so excited to speak English now, so I can talk with her and text her when something exciting happens!  She is an awesome woman both on and off the field!"

Sissi, Brandi, and the CyberRays won the Founders Cup Championship in their first year together.  During her time with the CyberRays, you would often find Sissi doing charity work, visiting hospitals, and helping those in need.  After each home game for the CyberRays, Sissi, along with her CyberRay teammates, would go to 'Autograph Alley' and sign autographs, take photos with and talk with fans and the many young girls who dream of one day to be professional women's soccer players like them. Unfortunately, after just three full seasons, the WUSA closed its doors and left Sissi without a job and team to play for.  Where would Sissi go? What would she do? You better believe that whatever Sissi would do, it was going to be associated with soccer, teaching, and helping others.

Currently, Sissi is the Head Coach for the Las Positas College Women's Soccer team in Livermore, CA.  She also has been a coach for the Diablo Valley Soccer Club (DVSC) for three years, just taking over the DVSC Fusion U-13 Girls team this past season, and is helping coach at Clayton Valley High School.  Sissi continues to give to the community, and in 2002 was the Humanitarian Award Winner for her work with cancer patients.  Sissi also is an active volunteer and foster parent for Contra Costa County Adoptions and Homefind Unit.  With such a busy schedule and many commitments, how does she juggle it all?

"Being a parent has been the best thing that has ever happened to me," Sissi answered.  "I wish I would have done it sooner.  I have to juggle my schedule like all the other parents do.  I am very organized, so that helps," Sissi explained. 

For many the adoption process is a source of joy; being able to adopt a child into your family and help him or her with a better life is why many do it.  Where there is joy, there is also pain that comes with the lengthy adoption process; it makes all the hard work pay-off. "The process to adopt my son is almost complete.  My daughter's process has just started," Sissi said about her adoption process.

"My daughter is a sick baby with a genetic condition called VCFS [Velocardiofacial Syndrome], and she has just one kidney. That is diseased, so I'm learning how to be a coach one minute, a mom the next, and a nurse the other."

VCFS might be referred to by other names, including Shprintzen Syndrome,Craniofacial Syndrome, or Conotruncal Anomaly Face Syndrome. The name Velocardiofacial Syndrome comes from the Latin words "velum," meaning palate, "cardia," meaning heart, and "facies," having to do with the face, thus incorporating the most common features of cleft palate, heart defects, and a characteristic facial appearance. 

Velocardiofacial syndrome is the most common syndrome associated with a cleft palate. It is estimated that 1 in 2,000 to 5,000 children per year are born with velocardiofacial syndrome, and over 130,000 individuals in the United States have this syndrome.  Other common findings include minor learning problems and speech and feeding problems. 

"I can't say enough about fostering," continued Sissi.  "I wish everyone could open their home to just one child.  That is how we can change the world, one child at a time!  If I can do it, anyone with a loving heart can find the time to do it!"

Sissi is still living her dream by teaching soccer and helping those in need. Does she plan to don cleats again and play?  What message does she have for young girls out there who dream of playing soccer in the Olympics or World Cup?  Does she still follow the Brazilian Women's National Team?  Find these answers and more about Sissi's amazing soccer career in our next issue of BASD magazine!  

PLAYING EXPERIENCE

AWARDS

Special thanks to Sissi for making this article possible.

NOTE:  Medical facts taken from The Heart Encyclopedia

            Some information on Sissi taken from the San Jose CyberRays 2003 Media Guide

            Other information on Sissi obtained via an interview with Sissi