U.S. WOMEN'S SOCCER Goalie who made biggest save regains focus for another World Cup

She had fallen out of shape and was looking like a has-been.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Briana Scurry knows all about a defining moment. Every athlete seeks one, and she's had one of the grandest.
Four years after her penalty-kick save against China was the difference in winning the World Cup, Scurry is back on the firing line. It's been anything but an easy journey from 1999 to today's U.S. team opener against Sweden.
By far the best American goalkeeper ever, Scurry fell in disfavor when she lost her discipline, got out of shape and began looking like a 29-year-old has-been. For most of the period after the World Cup triumph until late last year, Scurry had become an afterthought on the U.S. soccer scene.
"My demise was losing track of what was important in that seven or eight months after the World Cup," Scurry said. "I was making appearances and not keeping tabs on my training and my diet. I lost my focus, which is one of the worst things an athlete can do."
Too comfortable
And maybe after her stellar play in '99, including the big save against Liu Ying, Scurry had gotten too comfortable. After all, there hadn't been any real challengers for her job for years, and still her r & eacute;sum & eacute; was outstanding.
"I would not give up that moment for anything in the world," she said. "I am thankful at every opportunity for making that save. It's something everybody dreams of, like hitting the World Series-winning home run with two outs in the last inning.
"To fall from that high to the low I was at, I now have such a great appreciation for everything that has happened to me: the friendships, the experience with this team, the opportunity to play and know these people."
Scurry knew her career as an international star was in danger when she saw Siri Mullinix -- the other goalkeeper on this team -- Lakeysia Beene and Hope Solo surpass her in the eyes of coach April Heinrichs. Mullinix, in particular, improved greatly while Scurry was sliding.
With the World Cup a distant thought in 2000 and 2001, Scurry concentrated on guarding the net for the WUSA's Atlanta Beat. She wasn't a standout in that role, either.