Support for Eagle Women: "It's the People in the Stands
Support for Eagle Women: "It's the People in the Stands
Training hard in Loughborough the USA women's national team has some serious work to do.
Their buildup has been instructive, and featured some positives here and there, but they haven't executed as well as they'd want.
However, there's more to it all than that. What fans can do is support them no matter what, and push the players to raising the level of their play. Captain Kate Zackary said the support the team has experienced already is hugely important. Yes the Golden Gala raised a lot of money for the USA Women's Team program, but, said Zackary, the vibe from that event was important, too.
"To be frank, more than anything, it was just great to see a lot of the alumni and supporters at that breakfast we had the day after the game," said Zackary. "While it raised money, I think I, personally, what I took from it was just a heartwarming event. We had the Gala on the Thursday night, and all the players were buzzing after they felt really special that night. And then you layer in when we played the match and there were 15,000 people at that Fiji game. Then you go to the brunch after that, and that was sold out. I don't even remember how many people were there."
After that, fans heard at very late notice that the USA-Fiji scrimmage a week later would be open to the public. Fans showed up to Mount St. Mary's University to cheer the players on. The players, in turn, were able to make connections with fans.
This is what could make the difference.
"It's just the true impact, not just financially, but actually more emotionally," said Zackary. "We see how many people truly truly back this team to go and and do an amazing job at World Cup. So yes XV Foundation and everyone do a great job and getting people in the room, but it's the people in the stands who are empowering us to go off and do a really great job."
