Because we sat in the lower section at Heinz Field, we secured a front-row view as the American and Costa Rican national teams came out of the locker room and paraded onto the field. The crowd went wild as all 23 U.S. World champions were introduced.
The U.S. was met with little competition even with a heavily-edited lineup. It was great to see some new faces, Jersey natives, and some players from the earlier rounds of the World Cup take the field. U.S.’s first goal came quickly in the fourth minute–scored by right midfielder, Heather O’Reilly. The subs on the sideline danced in excitement! The next goal was scored in the 29th minute by Christen Press. In the 36th minute, Julie Johnston sent a perfect header into the back of the net. Press scored her second goal in the 45th making it 4-0 before half time.
The second half presented Costa Rica with a couple of scoring chances, but none were finished. Just a few minutes into the second half, Megan Klingenberg scored in front of her hometown. As celebration, she ran around the field waving a Terrible Towel (Pittsburgh Steelers towel) while a roaring crowd cheered her on. O’Reilly finished her second goal in the 59th minute. Whitney Engen put one in in the 63rd minute. Press completed her hat trick with a third goal in the 69th minute. The final score was an impressive 8-0! The team celebrated their win and thanked their ever-supportive fans while parading a banner around the field. The U.S. Women’s National Team certainly showed they earned their title as number 1!
