July of 2011, I happened upon the U.S. World Cup match against Colombia. Never before had I seen these women play together, and from that game onwards I was hooked. They all had something great to offer, but those who initially stood out to me were Abby Wambach and Megan Rapinoe. Though I’d seen several soccer games in my life, I had never seen anyone take the field quite like these two. It was as if getting the ball from Colombia players was a life or death deal. Wambach was on fire when she charged towards possible goals, scaring those in her path. If she was afraid of making mistakes, I didn’t see it. Rapinoe had the same attitude and scored her first World Cup goal as a substitute for Amy Rodriguez, along with a famous singing-into-the-sports-microphone goal celebration at the same time.
After watching that first match, I researched all of the players on the USWNT team, first to see where they were from, and when I came to Abby Wambach I was blown away upon discovering that she was from Rochester, New York, the Kodak city, only a few hours from my hometown! How cool that someone who grew up only a few hours from my hometown was living her dream across the pond playing soccer, and for the United States no less?! Since finding this out I have paid much closer attention to her career. I was also excited about Rapinoe’s diverse set of interests off the field, including travel, yoga, and playing guitar. Not to mention her courageous decision to publicly come out as gay to Out magazine during the 2012 Olympics. A great example and heroine for LGBTQ athletes (and all kinds of people) of all ages. Her awesomeness never ceases.
After watching that first match, I researched all of the players on the USWNT team, first to see where they were from, and when I came to Abby Wambach I was blown away upon discovering that she was from Rochester, New York, the Kodak city, only a few hours from my hometown! How cool that someone who grew up only a few hours from my hometown was living her dream across the pond playing soccer, and for the United States no less?! Since finding this out I have paid much closer attention to her career. I was also excited about Rapinoe’s diverse set of interests off the field, including travel, yoga, and playing guitar. Not to mention her courageous decision to publicly come out as gay to Out magazine during the 2012 Olympics. A great example and heroine for LGBTQ athletes (and all kinds of people) of all ages. Her awesomeness never ceases.
Despite their World Cup loss, I was excited by how hard the USWNT worked, by their serious this is it, now or never gear that kicked in when they played. Intrigued to learn more, I followed them diligently online during the following school year, watched every single Olympic match they played the following summer, and followed their games online again when I went away for study abroad in 2012. There is an intense level of athleticism the U.S. women (and several other teams across the globe) strive for that I admit, I will never come close to understanding. I am a fan in training...my knowledge of the game’s complex strategies and fancy footwork is (for now) non-existent...I have the basics down.
I do feel safe saying that I understand the drive behind that kind of dedication. I know what it feels like to do something and just know without being told that what you’re doing in that moment is what you want to do for the rest of your life. As a musician (I’m a bassist) I have been taught to respect that kind of passion in others and am also extremely inspired by it. I recognize that same force in the faces and work ethic of several of these players and as a result, feel excited and obligated to support whatever will increase their chances of having successful and wholesome careers in soccer. It is exactly that kind of system I would seek if I were in their shoes (or should I say cleats?). Plus, soccer is just really freaking fun to watch. The National Women’s Soccer League or NWSL is an opportunity for women to pursue their dreams of playing soccer at the professional level. I have been watching the WNY Flash games since arriving home in May from study abroad (I couldn’t get the online streaming system to work in Spain) then had the chance to see them play Seattle Reign FC in person on August 7th!
I do feel safe saying that I understand the drive behind that kind of dedication. I know what it feels like to do something and just know without being told that what you’re doing in that moment is what you want to do for the rest of your life. As a musician (I’m a bassist) I have been taught to respect that kind of passion in others and am also extremely inspired by it. I recognize that same force in the faces and work ethic of several of these players and as a result, feel excited and obligated to support whatever will increase their chances of having successful and wholesome careers in soccer. It is exactly that kind of system I would seek if I were in their shoes (or should I say cleats?). Plus, soccer is just really freaking fun to watch. The National Women’s Soccer League or NWSL is an opportunity for women to pursue their dreams of playing soccer at the professional level. I have been watching the WNY Flash games since arriving home in May from study abroad (I couldn’t get the online streaming system to work in Spain) then had the chance to see them play Seattle Reign FC in person on August 7th!
My friend Nick Calidonna drove us to Sahlen’s Stadium in Rochester (I bought the tickets, he did all the driving and paid for food) where we got to see four USWNT Olympic Gold Medalists play; among some great international players and intense up-and-coming-athletes we saw Abby Wambach, Carli Lloyd (WNY Flash), Megan Rapinoe and Hope Solo (Seattle Reign FC) take the field. When we arrived we caught the last few minutes of warmups from the barricades separating the fans from the path leading to the locker room. As the teams finished and ran off, a few little kids across from us yelled out to Rapinoe. The super-cool midfielder gave them a, “heck yeah!” face and intense high-fives as she walked by (awesome).
The game itself was great...nonstop competition for control over the ball from kickoff to the end. Flash goalkeeper Adriana Franch caught everything I saw come towards her and midfielder Angela Salem did really well at playing keep-away. In fact, all the midfielders were really tough in this game. Next to Rapinoe, Jessica Fishlock is probably the fastest runner I’ve ever seen in soccer. Besides their numbers (Fishlock is #10, Rapinoe #15) the two look very alike if you’re watching them from far up in the stands. They are both midfielders, have short, shocking-blond hair, are about the same height and wear neon yellow cleats. Otherwise it’s easy to tell them apart, I think Fishlock has a more aggressive tone to her playing.
The game itself was great...nonstop competition for control over the ball from kickoff to the end. Flash goalkeeper Adriana Franch caught everything I saw come towards her and midfielder Angela Salem did really well at playing keep-away. In fact, all the midfielders were really tough in this game. Next to Rapinoe, Jessica Fishlock is probably the fastest runner I’ve ever seen in soccer. Besides their numbers (Fishlock is #10, Rapinoe #15) the two look very alike if you’re watching them from far up in the stands. They are both midfielders, have short, shocking-blond hair, are about the same height and wear neon yellow cleats. Otherwise it’s easy to tell them apart, I think Fishlock has a more aggressive tone to her playing.
Knowing that purchasing jerseys supports the league, I bought a beautiful red and white WNY Flash jersey during halftime, which I now treasure and wear every time there’s a game. During the second half, these little kids behind me wearing FC Barcelona shirts continued discussing every single call made throughout the game in gritty detail, as they had been doing since the beginning of the first half, so when I was confused about an offsides call against Adriana Martin at 52 minutes I asked them to clarify it for me, and they did so quite well(thank you, young experts!). One minute later we all jumped and cheered for Western New York as Carli Lloyd scored with a super-smooth assist from Abby Wambach! I was so excited to be a part of this celebration!
In the hopes of getting autographs or pictures (or high-fives!), Nick and I left the stands about a minute before the end of the second half. We walked past the barricades where we’d stood before, this time waiting in the dark by the path leading to the Reign’s bus. A few minutes later, eager screams erupted from where we’d stood before the game as the players came off the field and, a while later, came our way...this was when we realized we had no pens or sharpies. I forgot about this completely as I watched these women ignore their own exhaustion so they could sign fan guides and jerseys and shake hands with lots of people, including people who looked to be my age (early 20s) and parents with kids younger than 10. One lucky little girl got her goalie mitts signed by a smiling Hope Solo, and a group of excited girls to my left got to talk to Flash defender Amy Barczuk. We saw Wambach and Lloyd wave and smile as they ran by (I’m sure they signed tons of media guides earlier in the line), and Rapinoe gave awesome high-fives to a few more kids on her way to the bus.
Nick and I left with no autographs, photos nor high-fives, but with some awesome memories. We saw classy players from all different stages in their careers put forth their best efforts together, both on and off the field. I did not stop talking about it the whole ride home. I still haven’t stopped talking about it. I loved the experience so much I hope I get to go see more games next season! If you’ve never watched soccer, try it. It’s great. Especially women’s soccer. Don’t worry if you watch it and you have no idea what’s going on, as I said that’s still me for half of every match I watch (I had to ask little kids behind me what was going on with that one offside call, remember?). Fans can make a huge difference and I’m hoping to be part of that difference in making the NWSL last as long as it can (forever, please?).
In the hopes of getting autographs or pictures (or high-fives!), Nick and I left the stands about a minute before the end of the second half. We walked past the barricades where we’d stood before, this time waiting in the dark by the path leading to the Reign’s bus. A few minutes later, eager screams erupted from where we’d stood before the game as the players came off the field and, a while later, came our way...this was when we realized we had no pens or sharpies. I forgot about this completely as I watched these women ignore their own exhaustion so they could sign fan guides and jerseys and shake hands with lots of people, including people who looked to be my age (early 20s) and parents with kids younger than 10. One lucky little girl got her goalie mitts signed by a smiling Hope Solo, and a group of excited girls to my left got to talk to Flash defender Amy Barczuk. We saw Wambach and Lloyd wave and smile as they ran by (I’m sure they signed tons of media guides earlier in the line), and Rapinoe gave awesome high-fives to a few more kids on her way to the bus.
Nick and I left with no autographs, photos nor high-fives, but with some awesome memories. We saw classy players from all different stages in their careers put forth their best efforts together, both on and off the field. I did not stop talking about it the whole ride home. I still haven’t stopped talking about it. I loved the experience so much I hope I get to go see more games next season! If you’ve never watched soccer, try it. It’s great. Especially women’s soccer. Don’t worry if you watch it and you have no idea what’s going on, as I said that’s still me for half of every match I watch (I had to ask little kids behind me what was going on with that one offside call, remember?). Fans can make a huge difference and I’m hoping to be part of that difference in making the NWSL last as long as it can (forever, please?).
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