Carly Hughes La Jolla, Calif. Why hasn’t Brandi Chastain been a starter in the USA’s last three games? In the Ireland game it was because she originally had a previous commitment, but what about the Brazil and South Korea games? Dean Caparaz: That’s a good observation, Carly. Brandi Chastain did not start for the U.S. women’s national team in the Brazil and South Korea games because of prior commitments to her other job forced her to miss training. Brandi is an assistant coach of the women’s team at her alma mater, Santa Clara. Her husband, Jerry Smith, is the head coach at Santa Clara. Brandi was on the sideline for a big game against North Carolina (Sept. 24 in Durham, N.C.) and for an important match against Evansville (Oct. 1 in Santa Clara, Calif.) instead of training with the national team. The UNC game was played on the Friday before the Sunday, Sept. 26, Brazil game, while the Evansville game was played on the Friday before the Sunday, Oct. 3, U.S. Cup match with South Korea. The Evansville match was important because Santa Clara had a large group of potential recruits — including U.S. youth star Aleisha Cramer — on campus that weekend. Brandi rejoined the national team in time to participate in both U.S. games as a sub. (If you have a question for a Soccer America Magazine editor, click “Q&A with SA Editors” in the left column of the home page under “Interactive.”)