US soccer seeks first title at Women’s World Cup since ’99
Associated Press
FRANKFURT, Germany
A week ago, there were so few people following the U.S. women’s World Cup team that they could hold their daily media sessions around a small table in their hotel lobby.
Now they need a ballroom.
The frenzy of attention surrounding the U.S. women ahead of Sunday’s final against Japan is something they’ve never experienced before, and it has the potential to fire them up — or heap even more pressure on what is already the biggest game of their careers.
“I don’t think it’s a distraction,” goalkeeper Hope Solo said. “We’ve had the mentality from day one that we came here for one reason. Our one and only goal was to win this tournament, and I think people are staying pretty true to that.”
But the challenge gets bigger with each day.
The Americans are used to playing in relative anonymity. Oh, Abby Wambach gets the David Beckham treatment when she goes home to Rochester, N.Y., and Solo has a long had a lengthy list of admirers. For the most part, though, only the most diehard soccer fans could have told you before the World Cup began what position Megan Rapinoe plays (midfield) or what color headband Alex Morgan always wears (pink).
Then, with one thunderous header by Wambach, the Americans went Hollywood.
Fans back home are captivated by the team’s grit and perseverance, and charmed by the players’ personalities. Wednesday’s semifinal against France — played during the middle of the day back home — drawing the fourth-highest rating of any Women’s World Cup game. Ever.
This is the Americans’ first trip to the finals since 1999, the last time they won soccer’s biggest prize.
Win, and they’ll be crossover hits like Mia Hamm, Julie Foudy and Brandi Chastain. Come up short, and all that buzz they’ve been hearing will fade to silence.
“We want all those things that have happened within the last ... few days to be worth it and to be meaningful,” Wambach said. “And the only way we can do that is to secure a win on Sunday.”