The last time we were at a San Diego Wave FC game in Mission Valley, 16,000 spectators wondered why team president Jill Ellis called the National Women’s Football League the unsatisfied best team in its class.
The April 29 matchup between undefeated The Wave and undefeated Orlando, which Pride won 3-1, left the auditorium at Snapdragon Stadium in silence on Saturday night.
Now back home after two wins and one loss in three straight away games, the Waves (5-3-0, 15 points) face the Portland Thorns (4-1-3, 15 points) in Game 2 – Local club.
This time, the two-star line-up will showcase the strength of the NWSL and the humbleness of Ellis, who grew up in England and won two world championships as Team USA coach.
Both teams fielded world-class players, making this game a preview of the World Cup, especially for Team USA.
Tide forward Alex Morgan, 33, is ranked No. 2 in FIFA, while her US teammate, Thorns forward Sophia Smith, 22, has won regular seasons and tournaments. A year later, MVP leads the NWSL in goals and assists.
Team USA will be counting on Morgan and Smith this summer for their third consecutive world title.
American quarterbacks Naomi Gilma, 22, and Crystal Dunn, 30, of the Waves and Thorns, respectively, fill inside the roster.
The Waves goaltender Karen Sheridan and Thorns midfielder Christine Sinclair also have their passports covered in travel stamps thanks to the travels of Team Canada, currently ranked sixth in the world.
Thorns midfielder Hina Sugita, 26, appears to be on the cusp of his second World Cup appearance. She plays for the Japanese team that finished 11th.
If American coach Vlatko Andonowski is looking for a 6-foot linebacker who can win in the air and get along with Morgan, he can write to Tyler Konik, who is a two-way player who has played in seven exhibition games since last summer.
American candidates for the 2027 World Cup include 17-year-old Thorns midfielder Olivia Moultrie and 18-year-old Tide forward Jaydin Shaw. Two years into his NWSL career, Portland Linebacker Sam Coffey is the 90-minute hitter this season.
Football is a worldwide game, and it would be a mistake to think that the depth of competition and the power of the stars in the NWSL will make its champion the de facto world champion.
For example: Barcelona in Spain’s top league has a record of 28 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss, and beat their rivals 118-10. FIFA named 29-year-old Barcelona midfielder Alexia Putras the best player in the world in the past two years. Her teammates are British stars Kira Walsh and Lucy Bronzi. Drinks have been free in British pubs since the national team won the UEFA final in front of 87,000 fans at Wembley Stadium last summer.
The Dutch telecast on June 3 will give Wave fans the opportunity to compare NWSL teams to the best clubs in the European leagues. In the Champions League final, Barcelona will face Wolfsburg, whose star Alexandra Pope leads the German team, which ranks second in the FIFA rankings.
The people of San Diego know what major league sports are. In 1965, local voters approved public funding for the construction of San Diego Stadium in Mission Valley. The NFL and Major League Baseball soon followed suit.
It’s no secret that football in Major League Soccer (the premier men’s league in the United States) does not meet the best international standards. That’s a credit to MLS Mission Valley, which is still thriving three decades after its launch. Elsewhere, men’s football has been the most popular sport for decades.
No football fan will argue that the best men’s leagues are in England, Spain, Germany, Italy and France. As long as the situation improves, MLS could rank somewhere between 10th and 15th in the world if you take into account the second English league and leagues in the Netherlands, Mexico, Argentina and Brazil.
American women, by contrast, are grappling with growing challenges from overseas. England is one of them on the rise. At the U-20 World Championship last summer, the Netherlands and Japan beat the USA.
In front of many in San Diego, the World Championship will showcase where Team USA stands, four years after Morgan, Ellis, Dunn and many others associated with the NWSL lifted the trophy in France.
The 18-year-old Wave star says she is “very lucky to be in an amazing city like San Diego”; The Wave takes over Angeles City on Saturday afternoon.
Dulkemper will play the UKG Challenge Cup against OL Reign in Seattle on Friday; Sheridan still represents Canada at the Women’s World Championship
The president of San Diego Wave FC has warned Alex Morgan’s American team will face a dangerous club, but the knockout could take a “friendlier” path.
The November 11 game, which will air on CBS, will feature the top two teams from the NWSL, the league that includes the San Diego Wave Football Club.
The NWSL Coach of the Year and former England captain believes the Cup rookie will come out of the tournament as the best striker in the world.
Waves goaltender Karen Sheridan, who was named to her country’s squad on Sunday, said she was thrilled to be able to play with her teammates and friends in San Diego and maybe have coffee.
Post time: Aug-07-2023
