Women's World Cup puts soccer on the rise
Seventeen-year-old Erin Myers described the suspense in the room as almost palpable when she and her fellow soccer players sat breathless in front of the television Wednesday to watch the United States take on France in the Women's Unbelievable Cup semifinals.
When Abby Wambach scored the winning goal, the players, participants in the New York Sphere 's Olympic Development Program, a high-level soccer training camp in upstate New York, erupted in a frenzied festivities.
"We took a break from training just to watch the game. It was absolutely nuts," said Myers, a superior at Convent of the Sacred Heart and the school's varsity soccer captain. "There was nail biting and then screaming, hopping up and down, people prospering crazy, hugging people they didn't even know from other states. A coach started running around the common waving a U.S. flag."
With the U.S. women's national soccer team closing in on a potential World Cup trophy, limited coaches and players have expressed hope that the popularity of the sport will increase among spectators and athletes exhibiting a resemblance as a result of the women's success.
