Meet Me In St. Louis
I wouldn't trade my World Cup experience for anything, but I have to confess that it was nice to be on the field for a home game when the U.S. took on Mexico yesterday in St. Louis. I wasn't sure what to expect heading into the game. There has been a lot of negative press surrounding the team in the aftermath of the loss to Brazil and the ensuing Hope Solo soap opera. I was a little apprehensive about whether the fans might stay home in protest or come out booing with nasty signs.
In the end, there were a few nasty signs, very little booing and a boisterous crowd of 10,861 strong that overwhelmingly supported the USWNT. Mexico had cheering sections throughout the stadium which added some flavor, but they could not match the volume of the the U.S. fans. The shrill post-match cheering and autograph seeking hit a level I haven't personally witnessed post-Mia. And speaking of Mia, there were tons of kids and adults wearing U.S. jerseys, but very few of them were Mia's. Lori Chalupny's #17 was definitely the jersey of choice as St. Louis honored their hometown hero, but I saw plenty of Wambach, Boxx, Solo and Lilly kits as well. I'm hoping that's a good sign that this is no longer "The Greatest Team You've Never Heard Of".
It took about 20 minutes for the U.S. to shake off the cobwebs from the long trip back from China and nearly two weeks off, but they recovered from an early deficit to put on an entertaining 5-1 win.
Hope Solo did not dress for the match, but gamely supported the team from the bench in street clothes, hopefully a positive step in closing this chapter in USWNT history.
After the match, Abby Wambach acknowledged that she hadn't had an opportunity to read the statement Solo issue before the match, but said, "As a team, we're just ready to move forward."
The next move is to Portland, where the U.S. will meet Mexico again before finishing off the series and probably the year on Saturday in New Mexico.
Comments