No American sport has a reciprocal relationship between its players and its fans like women’s soccer does. It’s like there’s this unwritten responsibility for a pro player to inspire and interact genuinely with the next generation.
You see the snaking lines after games as the players authentically sign autographs and chat with the little girls — and those very players have stories how they once stood in lines themselves. And you see the crowds at national team games, such as the recent USWNT game in St. Louis, with shrieking girls wearing their favorite players’ jerseys and holding handmade signs — abbreviated love letters on posterboards.
There’s just a beautiful appreciation from the fans for the players. There’s just a beautiful appreciation from the players for the fans.
All of this made the recent news that much more devastating.
St. Louis native Becky Sauerbrunn, a homegrown superstar and stalwart on defense, won’t be able to play in this summer’s Women’s World Cup due to a foot injury.
This was, alas, Sauerbrunn’s likely last chance to represent her country and play for her St. Louis fans in the iconic tournament.
The Ladue High grad turned 38 this month. Four years and being 42 seem like two daunting roadblocks.
Earlier this year, I got to know the center back Sauerbrunn a bit, while interviewing her for a piece in the Post-Dispatch. She cherishes her connection to kids who play her sport. And she took honor in what came with the duty of being the USWNT captain.
It’s also the end of an era. For the past four World Cups, St. Louis girls got to follow one of their own. Current Maryville U. women’s soccer coach Lori Chalupny (Nerinx Hall) was on the U.S. teams in 2007 and 2015, while Sauerbrunn played in 2011, 2015 and 2019.
The team won it all in 2015 and 2019.
“When I got that news (about Sauerbrunn’s injury), I had to sit down for a little bit because I was honestly shocked and so heartbroken for her,” forward Alex Morgan said on a conference call after the USWNT roster was announced this past week. “But also for me and for the team because she’s just had a huge impact on me and so many players. I don’t think that there is a bad thing that has come out of a teammate’s mouth about Becky ever in her career, and that’s a testament to her as a leader, a person, a player, and it’s just terrible news to have right before a World Cup.”
The tournament begins on July 20 and ends on Aug. 20 in Australia and New Zealand. U.S. coach Vlatko Andonovski, who has made a pair of public appearances in St. Louis in 2023, unveiled a fascinating roster this past week. Morgan, of course, made it. This is her fourth World Cup. And midfielder Lindsay Horan did, too — she will likely wear the captain’s armband in Sauerbrunn’s absence.
And there’s the famed Rose Lavelle, who scored a famous goal in the 2019 title game, and Kelly O’Hara, a defensive player in her fourth World Cup (and won the 2009 Hermann Trophy in St. Louis as the nation’s top female college player). But Andonovski tabbed 14 players to their first World Cup roster (of the 23 total). And with injuries to star starters such as Sauerbrunn and Mallory Swanson, some 20-somethings (or even a teenager) could crack the 11.
St. Louis got to see the electric 18-year-old Alyssa Thompson in her first ever game and start. Thompson, who bypassed college to play pro soccer for Angel City FC, played in the April match at CityPark against Ireland. It’s hard to think Thompson will start in the World Cup, but she could be a firecracker off the bench if Mogran tires. Meanwhile, youngsters such as defensive player Naomi Girma (23) and offensive players Sophia Smith (22) and Trinity Rodman (21) will grow up in front of our eyes.
A photo of Smith circulated on social media this past week. It was her as a young girl at a soccer event with Abby Wambach, the USWNT’s all-time leading scorer. Wambach herself retweeted the photo with the words: “Now go on and bring that World Cup home!!!”
Without a St. Louisan to watch, local fans could become smitten with Smith. The Colorado native is a wonderful talent who, like her teammates do, respects the history of the game. On the conference call, Smith shared her emotions about losing Sauerbrunn, the only USWNT captain she has ever played with.
“It’s heartbreaking, honestly,” Smith said. “There aren’t really a lot of words because it’s just a big loss for us. Becky is someone that brings everything that a team wants, both on and off the field, she’s a leader, she’s a captain, she’s a prime example of how one person should carry themselves, not just on the field but through life. Not having Becky there is going to be different, it’s going to be a challenge, and it’s going to require a lot of players to step up, and I think that’s a test that we can accomplish if we stick together, and I think regardless, Becky will be there in spirit.
“She’s always still sending messages of encouragement, texts, she’s always cheering us on, but not having Becky is hard, and it’s something that we’re going to have to deal with. But I still think we have a great roster and people to step up in all these positions and win this World Cup.”
