U.S. Soccer Victory Comes in a Sea of Red, White and Blue
Painters frantically emblazoned American flags on the faces of 2,000 fans hours before the Rose Bowl gates opened Saturday. Vendors scored brisk sales of mini-flags. Even American flag capes were in style on this hot day in Pasadena.
The 90,185 people who made history as the largest crowd to ever view a women’s sporting event turned the stadium into a virtual sea of red, white and blue wearing flag-themed shorts, T-shirts, banners, hair and even sunbaked cheeks.
Throughout the championship game with China it was the American flag that streamed triumphant as the revved-up crowd of families, young soccer players and sports fans vibrated with an energy that seemed to turn on patriotism as much as their love for soccer.
They transformed the match and the postgame celebrations into a giant Fourth of July party of sorts. Even President Clinton, who attended the game, got into the spirit with his red tie, white shirt and blue suit.
Down in the stands, Rachel Stelzer, 17, watched the crowd pack in for the day’s first match, between Brazil and Norway. “This is going to be insane!” shouted the visitor from Ohio.
Said fan Sara Esparza, 15: “We get to express how we feel about soccer. We love it!” The teenager had come to the game from Tucson with 13 of her soccer teammates.
Even teenage boys were caught up in the excitement.
“I’ve been watching the women’s team for two years,” said Jeremy Rathjen, 13, of Flagstaff, Ariz. “It’s just as good as watching the men,” he added, wearing a flag draped over his shoulders as a cape.
“This is great for women’s soccer. This is great for soccer, period,” said Bob Petro, 46, of the San Luis Obispo area, sporting the letters USA on his face.
One woman dressed as the Statue of Liberty started the crowd in the wave, as six young people who tied a flag around their waists ran around the stands urging fans to join.
Right after the game, Clinton made a courtesy trip to the Chinese team’s locker room before paying an emotional visit to the American team.
Holding their tournament trophy above his head as the women cheered and hugged him, the president said:
“I think everyone in the whole stadium was weeping. It was the most exciting sports event I believe I’ve ever seen.
“We learned a lot today about soccer, about women athletes, about courage and endurance, and above all genuine sportsmanship. I cannot thank you enough. It’s a gift which you have given to the United States which is even bigger than this . . .” His final words were drowned out by cheers.
But the day was not a case of every heart beating true for the red, white and blue.
A large contingent of Chinese fans also packed the stands in a sea of red flags and T-shirts.
The mood between the two rivals was friendly, as many American spectators stopped Chinese supporters to snap pictures of them.
Toward the end of the first match, a group of Chinese fans unfurled a massive Chinese flag and the crowd around them roared and chanted: “USA! USA! USA!”
A few minutes later a security guard confiscated the flag and onlookers--American and Chinese fans alike--started to boo: “Give it back! Give it back!”
A dozen Chinese employees of United Airlines flew in from Chicago on Saturday morning and took a cab from Los Angeles International Airport to the Rose Bowl. All wore red hats and white, red-lettered T-shirts. They carried a huge Chinese flag and had its image reproduced on their faces.
“I love soccer, and I’m here to cheer for my country,” said Ben Xiong, who with his colleagues planned to fly back to Chicago right after the match.
For many, the long stretch of goalless play was almost too much to bear.
“Come on, we need a goal!” yelled Danielle Murphy, 26, of Burbank, grabbing onto her hair. “I’m so nervous I can’t do anything until we get a goal.”
Throughout the game, spectators were reluctant to talk to reporters and take their eyes off the field.
“I can’t turn around,” Murphy said when questioned. “I don’t want to miss anything.”
When Brandi Chastain’s kick won the World Cup, the tense crowd exploded. “We’re No. 1!” the fans screamed.
And later, when the Chinese players received their silver medals, American spectators applauded enthusiastically.
The same positive mood carried over to the postgame celebrations.
Unlike the men’s 1996 World’s Cup final--when raucous fans forced the closure of Colorado Boulevard by climbing light poles and burning newspapers like sparklers--Pasadena’s famed street this time was packed with more well-behaved revelers, who jammed the sidewalks and restaurants late into the night. Police reported no serious trouble.
