The Magic Of an NWSL Championship
Have you ever seen 17,000 people come together to watch women’s soccer in a city neither team is from? I got the privilege of attending the 2022 NWSL Championship in Washington DC. I’ll have to admit it was one of the coolest things I have ever seen. When the Portland Thorns and Kansas City Current took the field, the stadium was the loudest I had heard in a long time. It was magical.
Audi Field, the Washington Spirit, and the NWSL put on quite the show. They started with a free, public fan fest. There were player autograph sessions, skills challenges, and giveaways from sponsors. It was great to see how companies like CarMax, MasterCard, Nationwide, and Ally Bank are committed to investment in women’s sports. Just Women’s Sports, a media company put on a pre-game show. The Warm-Up was hosted by Ali Riley (Angel City FC captain), Kelley O’Hara (Washington Spirit defender), and Autumn Johnson (tv reporter). They did a phenomenal job. Riley and O’Hara played soccer at Stanford together and have such a fun friendship. Their dynamic matched perfectly with Johnson, making for a very entertaining pre-game show.
image courtesy of Catherine Burke
It was the game itself that made the night. I have been to a few NWSL games before, all in Louisville, Kentucky, home of Racing Louisville FC. As much fun as I had at those games, the stadium was never very full, and the crowd was never very loud. That just made the Championship game even more exciting. When I first walked in and glanced out at the crowd and the field, I was in awe. I don’t have a lot of friends/family who love women’s soccer like I do, but suddenly I was in the presence of 17,000 other fans. I made small talk with the people around me and didn’t feel like I was talking to a wall. It was amazing. The crowd was excited the whole game, with every pass, shot, and foul you could feel the mood of the crowd shift in some way. The fans were split between Kansas City and Portland, with a few neutral fans sprinkled in as well. I told everyone I spoke with, that all I wanted was a good game. I am an Angel City fan through and through but love all women’s soccer.
My favorite part had to have been the Sophia Smith goal and subsequent celebration. At only 22, she had just won League MVP, and some people questioned if she’d deserved it. That’s what made her very simple, shrug celebration so perfect. At the end of the night, she was named Finals MVP as well. It was the perfect full circle moment to wrap up an amazing game.
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