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Published on 09/01/1997 All articles from this issue

The breakfast of soccer champions

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By Pete Borello

Town Crier Staff Writer

Anna Kraus and her Central Valley Mercury teammates are reaching celebrity status.

After all, it's not everyday you get pictured on a cereal box.

General Mills has put the Mercury on a Cheerios box for becoming the first girls' soccer team to claim back-to-back national youth championships.

The Mercury won its second title Aug. 2 in Phoenix, Arizona. The San Jose-based club team beat the Cincinnati Cardinals 3-0 to claim the Under-17 division championship.

Soon after, General Mills decided the Mercury would go well with Team Cheerios - a new line of the cereal that salutes amateur athletes.

"They typify what the whole Team Cheerios search is for," said Larry Krutchik, a spokesman for the cereal. "The Mercury has not only won titles, but the players have also won awards for fair play."

Team Cheerios boxes featuring a team photo of the Mercury on back were shipped to stores across the nation in mid-August.

"It's so neat," said Kraus, a senior at St. Francis High School. "When I saw the box in the store, I had to look at it twice. I still can't believe that's us on there."

When Kraus went to the check stand to buy a few boxes, the store cashier was a bit stunned, as well.

"She looked at the box and then looked at me and said, 'is that you?'" Kraus recalled.

Kraus, a Mountain View resident, was the starting sweeper on both championship teams.

She also helped St. Francis win the Central Coast Section title last winter.

The other local player on the Mercury, Rachel Hoffman of Los Altos Hills, joined the team this past season.

Unfortunately, she won't be pictured on the box, though, because the photo was taken a year ago when the squad won the Under-16 division crown.

Hoffman, a senior a Gunn, starts at halfback for the Mercury.

On Aug. 26, the entire Mercury team was honored by Team Cheerios at a pre-game ceremony at Winter Field in San Jose.

Pro soccer star Eric Wynalda of the San Jose Clash participated in the event.

He spoke about the importance of teamwork and amateur athletics.