|
A year since the U.S. national team won a
fourth World Cup, Commissioner Lisa Baird said the goal was
simple -- to build on the momentum for the women's sport on a
tight timeline and show live sport can happen in the novel
coronavirus era.
"It was really hard to have this tournament be short," Baird
told reporters. "Four weeks is not a lot of time to win over not
only avid soccer fans but casual fans. I think we accomplished
that. We’re getting to that second level of casual fan -- that’s
what we need to do to be successful."
The announcement this week of a Los Angeles expansion team with
owners including Academy Award-winner Natalie Portman, tennis
champion Serena Williams and her husband, venture capitalist
Alexis Ohanian, added to the lustre.
Putting on a month-long tournament during a pandemic, however,
was anything but glamorous, with players living inside a
quarantined bubble, playing on a single-site without fans in
suburban Salt Lake City, Utah.
"No one had done this, going into this, not us, the NBA, the NHL
and the MLS," said Baird, who added that if the league has the
chance to get players back on the field once the tournament is
over "we will be doing so."
That is not to say everyone was intimidated. Dash midfielder
Shea Groom, who has scored two goals in the tournament, told
Reuters she quickly hit her stride in the "bubble" environment.
"For me this year -- whether it was going to be a regular league
season or the Challenge Cup -- (the key) was consistency," said
Groom.
"I’m not sure exactly what changed – maybe it’s the environment
and just being surrounded by different players -- but there’s
definitely been a freedom for me, feeling like myself again."
After powering past the Portland Thorns in the semi-finals, the
underdog Dash are ready to face the Red Stars, who are out for
redemption after a demoralising 4-0 thrashing in last year's
NWSL championship final to North Carolina Courage.
The Chicago team comes equipped with top talent including U.S.
national team goal keeper Alyssa Naeher, who has made 18 saves
during the tournament, and 2019 U.S. Soccer female player of the
year Julie Ertz.
The Dash take on the Red Stars in the NWSL Challenge Cup final
on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. ET (1630 GMT).
(Reporting by Amy Tennery; Editing by Ken Ferris)
[© 2020 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2020 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
 |
|
