Another slice of sporting history will be served up in Auckland on Saturday. For the first time, the New Zealand women’s football team will play at Eden Park.
Ferns captain Ali Riley issued a rallying call to fans ahead of game one against the United States inWellington on Wednesday, asking New Zealanders to climb aboard a rapidly-expanding bandwagon at the start of the most exciting year in the sport’s history in this country. Those in the capital obliged, with a record crowd of 12,508 turning up in the sunshine, a number which should surely be surpassed this weekend.
In six months, 32 of the world’s best sides will jet in to New Zealand and Australia, each in search of football’s Holy Grail, the Fifa Women’s World Cup. By every measure, the United States are favourites to claim an unprecedented third consecutive crown.
Watching them play is worth the admission price alone. The audacious skills of Rose Lavelle, the pace and penetration of Trinity Rodman, the clinical and incisive goal-scoring of Mallory Swanson and the chance to see true footballing royalty in superstar striker Alex Morgan shouldn’t be passed up. It’s akin to the Argentinean or Brazilian men’s sides strutting their stuff in our backyard.
New Zealand’s hopes for July aren’t quite as lofty as those of the US. They’ll aim to win a World Cup match for the first time, progress from the group stages for the first time and make their home tournament one to fondly remember for the team and their fans. Every minute they spend on the grass between now and then is crucial to achieving those goals.
Football Ferns captain Ali Riley with fans at Sky Stadium in Wellington. Photo / Photosport
There are some inside the Ferns environment who believe there’s a negative sentiment in some quarters towards these matches. Yes, these games fall outside a Fifa window, preventing the involvement of several frontliners, but that simply opens the door for others. Two players debuted for New Zealand in Wellington with half-a-dozen more potentially given that chance on Saturday.
And even without their core roster, game one was anything but the bloodbath many predicted. A depleted New Zealand squad kept the number one side in the world goalless at halftime. There was a significant flexing of muscles by the US after the break to eventually prevail 4-0, but New Zealand certainly aren’t the first (and won’t be the last) side to be on the wrong end of an American goal-scoring blitz. In the last 18 months, they’ve netted twice as many in a match on four occasions.
Saturday is the ideal dress rehearsal for the World Cup opener. When the Ferns run out on the same patch of grass against Norway on the evening of July 20, they’ll need the weight of the nation behind them, just as their rugby counterparts did late last year.
Why not warm up the vocal cords and work on your football chants while watching the world’s best this weekend?
