WNT danger-woman Marissa Sheva looks set to have a major impact on the Ireland WNT's inaugural World Cup campaign.
And while she mmay not have grown up in her grandparents’ Tyrone or Donegal, she was surrounded by a small piece Ireland that translocated to the east coast of the United States.
Philadelphia became home for her family and many other Emerald Isle exiles, forming an Irish-American community, one which she feels increasingly in touch with when she dons the green jersey.
When we spoke to her before the Ireland WNT departed for Brisbane, she spoke of how she's connecting to her own Irishness since in linking in with the squad.
“My grandparents emigrated to the States and so I grew up in the Philadelphia area where there's a huge Irish American community, so I feel like I got to be really involved with that growing up”
“They did an amazing job of making sure that myself and my cousins all had a great Irish-American upbringing and I felt really involved with that community.
“Obviously it's nothing like being in Ireland and growing up in Ireland, but I feel like the more that I've been with this group, the more that I've been able to really get in touch with that and just be more excited about my Irish upbringing.”
6 July 2023; Marissa Sheva of Republic of Ireland in action against Pauline Peyraud-Magnin of France during the women's international friendly match between Republic of Ireland and France at Tallaght Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
Getting to grips with Irish football folklore of old, Sheva is ready to make some more history at the Women’s World Cup this week.
“I heard a little bit about [Italia 90] and I was actually doing some Googling myself”
“The girls were talking about it a lot and you know recently we got to hear from some former Irish women's national team legends. I had chills because it was just incredible to hear from the women that made this possible.
“None of this happens if there aren't women who are willing to make sacrifices and not get paid and put up with a lack of resources and facilities and all of that. So for them to still be able to perform to the to the extent that they did.
“I’m feeling really, really honoured to be part of this group, but also feeling a lot of respect for the group of women that came before us.”
Acknowledging those that paved the way, Sheva explains that she is looking ahead to this summer’s tournament being “super accessible and very visible” for the next generation.
Fab send-off in Knocka for Ireland hero Denise O'Sullivan this evening! — Cork Beo (@corkbeo) June 27, 2023
Hundreds have come out to @OSullivanDenise's mam's house this eve to wish her the best of luck in the Women's World Cup ☘️ pic.twitter.com/dUJ9si6Cb4
Marissa Sheva- ready to hit the ground running
Coming straight from the midst of the NWSL season means it’s a hectic time for the 26-year-old, but bar shaking some tiredness she feels they are well prepared
“The support has been incredible, both just you know, from Irish fans, the FAI, we really do feel the support. So I'm feeling really lucky to, for this to be my first camp to be our send off camp and I'm really looking forward to heading to Australia from here.
14 July 2023; Marissa Sheva of Republic of Ireland during the women's friendly match between Republic of Ireland and Colombia at Meakin Park in Brisbane, Australia, ahead of the start of the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
Sheva looks certain to play a huge role in Ireland's World Cup campaign. She brought plenty of danger to Ireland's attack in that marauding first 15 minutes against France in Tallaght, and she was among the first XI when Ireland played Colombia in the abandoned game last Friday.
The Washington Spirit forward and the rest of the Irish WNT insist they fear no one in their path.
“We have a really tough group, there's no ifs, ands or buts about that, but I think that if anything our two in matches against the States showed that we're capable of competing with anyone” she says.
“We're not fearful of our group, we're excited to play the best and I think our staff has done a tremendous job of planning our matches against some of the top teams in the world so that we are ready.
