Cindy Parlow Cone grew up playing soccer. She played her first competitive match for the U.S. women's national team aged 17.
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At only 18 years old she won an Olympic gold medal after helping USA defeat China 2-1 at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia, in 1996.
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Three years later she became a Women's World Cup champion, after USA beat China (once again) 5-4 in the 1999 final.
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At nearly six feet tall, Parlow Cone (number 12) was an aerial target for Team USA.
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But the rising star's career was cut short after she suffered several concussions in matches spanning from 2001 to 2004. She's now the face of "Safer Soccer," which campaigns to raise the minimum age of heading the ball to 14 years old.
