Portland, OR (My Sportsbook) - After beating out U.S. sensation Mia Hamm for the 2003 WUSA Most Valuable Player award, Germany's Maren Meinert figured she'd be going back home to run her girls soccer clinics.

After the 2001 season, Meinert retired from international soccer after her team defeated Sweden in the European Championships and wanted to strictly focus on her professional career in the U.S.

However, Germany national coach Tina Theune-Meyer phoned the star midfielder in early September and asked her to reconsider and come on board to the 2003 World Cup. And that she did and Germany, on the eve of its semifinal match against the U.S. in Portland, has needed her every step of the way.

"She is a special player," Theune-Meyer told FIFA's website. "She has something."

What she has is a tournament-high six assists to go along with two goals at USA 2003. Meinert is considered one of the best soccer players in the world, but felt before the World Cup that she had accomplished everything in her sights.

"I think I had a good season with the (Boston) Breakers and people in Germany started thinking about bringing me back to the German team, but I was pretty sure that I wouldn't do it because I was fine with my retirement," Meinert said.

After finishing sixth in the WUSA with nine goals and 10 assists for Boston, Meinert assumed she'd be going back to Germany to run an all-girls soccer camp. She also started a sports clinic for overweight children.

Germany has blistered through the world championships, averaging five goals per game en route to an undefeated path to the semifinals. Meinert has been the anchor of an electrifying offense that includes Birgit Prinz, the tournament's leading goalscorer. Kerstin Garefrekes, Bettina Wiegmann and Sandra Minnert are nothing to scoff at either.

Even though Meinert is considered the orchestrator of the offense, her 30 goals in 86 international games rank her third on the team behind Prinz and Wiegmann. In the WUSA, she is tied with Canada's captain Charmaine Hooper for the career lead in points with 81.

Meinert was a member of Germany's 1995, 1997 and 2001 European championship teams. She was also a key member in helping her country win bronze at the 2000 Olympic games in Australia.

Despite being talked out of retirement once, Meinert insists a second talk won't be necessary. She's content with hanging up the boots after this year's World Cup.

"I think I am ready to start a new life that doesn't include playing soccer," said Meinert. "I made the first soccer school just for girls in Germany because we don't have one there. It is all waiting for me when I come home."

With Germany's best team in years, she may not be coming home just yet.