by Rod Hughes

As with most sports in Latin America, women “got no respect” except the pretty ones captured by TV cameras during pro men’s games. But when Shirley Cruz, a star with the Costa Rican Women’s All Star team went to Olympique of France as a pro, people started to pay attention.

But the absence of “Shiri” Cruz left a big hole in the All Star lineup. That is, until ace striker Katherine Alvarado caught the spotlight with five goals during the International Soccer tourney including a neat free kick against Chile.

Her jersey reads “10″ and this may be a good omen for the country’s few rabid women’s soccer fans, since 10 is also the common perfect score on most Costa Rican schoolwork. She hails from the tiny farming village of Pejibaye in the north of Alajuela province, up where the pineapple grows, and her rise to relative fame is even more remarkable for that.

Keep an eye on her…