USWNT bring fun, much-needed attention to NWSL with Victory Tour
Abby Wambach says the moment is at hand. International soccer's all-time leading goal scorer promises that, in the wake of the U.S. women's national team's 2015 Women's World Cup championship, big things are happening behind the scenes.
More sponsors are stepping forward and a potential expansion of the National Women's Soccer League are all reportedly on the docket. U.S. Soccer and the NWSL are working to capitalize on the national team's success and popularity, given the huge World Cup TV ratings, increased NWSL attendance and growing sponsor interest. The U.S. women's 5-2 victory over Japan in the World Cup Final averaged 25.4 million viewers, making it the most-watched soccer match in U.S. history, according to Nielsen.
For this week, though, it's all about a party.
The U.S. women have arrived Chattanooga, Tennessee to put on the second show as part of their 10-game Victory Tour. The second game against Costa Rica is set for 6:30 p.m. ET at Finley Stadium, which was an immediate sellout when the game was first announced.
There's no mystery about how this U.S. team will be greeted, given the record crowd the reigning World Cup champs drew Sunday at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh. More than 44,000 flocked to the Pittsburgh Steelers stadium and celebrated Wambach, Megan Klingenberg and the rest of the 23-woman roster like they had won the Super Bowl.
The Heinz Field crowd (44,028) set a record not only for a soccer match in Pittsburgh, but also for the largest crowd ever for a stand-alone domestic friendly for the U.S. women's national team. The previous record was set earlier this year in St. Louis, when 35,817 turned out to see the U.S. defeat New Zealand 4-0 at Busch Stadium.
There's no NFL team here in Chattanooga, and Finley Stadium holds about 20,000, but U.S. Soccer's main ambition is to put the women's national team in a wide variety of states and cities. This underscores the goal of promoting women's soccer through this wildly popular team, before coach Jill Ellis has to start seriously considering who she will take to the 2016 Olympics in Rio.
"As the games progress I think it will be more and more Olympic oriented. Right now, especially the first two games, we're just here to celebrate," said Christen Press, who scored a hat-trick against overwhelmed Costa Rica Sunday in Pittsburgh.
Costa Rica hardly seems capable of recovering from the 8-0 shellacking at the hands of the exuberant U.S. side, which was led by Press, Heather O'Reilly, who had a pair of goals, Klingenberg, Whitney Engen and Julie Johnston.
In what will be a farewell tour for Shannon Boxx, Lauren Holiday and Lori Chalupny -- who announced her retirement from the U.S. national team -- Ellis is giving special consideration to players who did not get much time in Canada.
Chalupny, 31, is a defender with 103 caps and 10 goals since making her U.S. national team debut in March of 2001 at age of 17. She's currently with the Chicago Red Stars in the NWSL and said she will play out the season with her club.
"It's been an amazing year. Winning a World Cup is any soccer player's biggest dream and I feel very fortunate to have had these experiences. That said, there is no better way to go out than as a world champion and this just seemed like the right time to put a cap on my international career," said Chalupny, who is set to begin work again as an assistant coach with Maryville University in St. Louis.
The retirement announcements and the celebratory nature of this tour left Ellis unapologetic about the offensive onslaught against Costa Rica on Sunday. Ellis, who was awarded a long-term contract last month that will likely keep her on through the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, said soccer fans in the U.S. are a force to be reckoned with and are eager to be entertained.
"I think certainly part of it is the team. But I also think it's our sport. Now you look at MLS stadiums, and even these past few weeks since the World Cup, you look at stadiums where we have NWSL teams, there are fans out there and they want to be entertained."
The U.S. will see the competition stiffen during its next pair of announced back-to-back matches. They face the 2015 Women's World Cup quarterfinalist Australia on Thursday, Sept. 17 at Ford Field in Detroit, followed by a second match against the Aussies on Sunday, Sept. 20 at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama. In October, Brazil will be the opponent. The first game will be Oct. 21 at CenturyLink Field in Seattle, and then on Oct. 25 at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando.
Meanwhile, the accolades for the U.S. women continue to roll in. Five players were selected to the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup All-Star Squad, including Golden Glove winner Hope Solo, defenders Julie Johnston and Meghan Klingenberg, and midfielders Megan Rapinoe and Carli Lloyd, who was the Silver Boot winner in Canada as the second leading scorer in the tournament.
