Samantha and Kristie Mewis

17, 19 / MIDFIELDERS / Hanson, Mass.

Achievements: Samantha (left), a senior at Whitman Hanson Regional High, and Kristie, a sophomore at Boston College, became the first sisters to represent the U.S. at a World Cup, in 2008, when they played on the U-17 team: Samantha was a reserve, while Kristie scored twice in five starts to win the Bronze Ball as the tournament's third-best player. (That season, Kristie was also named the U.S. Soccer Young Female Athlete of the Year.)

First Steps: To Melissa Mewis, it sometimes seemed that her daughters never left the backyard. "They played so much, we still can't seem to get the grass to grow," she says with a laugh. That obsession was nurtured, in 1999, when the U.S. hosted—and won—the women's World Cup. "A lot of what they did was rewatch videos of the national team playing," says Melissa.

Evokes: Kristie, an attacking left midfielder, recalls three-time Olympian Kristine Lilly, with her ability to get to the end line and, as U-20 coach Jill Ellis puts it, "really sweet left foot." Samantha, a holding midfielder, has a style of play (rangy, with supreme passing skills) and build closer to that of Aleisha Cramer, the '99 National High School Player of the Year, who made nine appearances with the senior national team.

Coach's Comment: "Sam has good range in her passing, good vision," says Ellis. "She's playing against girls who are two and three years older than her, and she doesn't miss a beat." Kristie, says Ellis, is a creative player with great one-on-one ability. "Her service in the box is as good as I've seen on the left side."

What's Next: Samantha will still be eligible for the next U-20 World Cup, in 2012. Kristie, meanwhile, could move on to the U-23 team, which is composed of the top college players. Both have a good chance to make the senior national team in the next cycle.

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