LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The four women's soccer teams that have converged on Louisville this week — two from Europe, two from the U.S. — will be competitors in the first edition of The Women's Cup, which begins at 5 p.m. Wednesday in Lynn Family Stadium and runs through Saturday with events around the city.
But they are, at the same time, on the same team in one respect. They want to see the women's game advance.
Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich, who will compete in Wednesday's first semifinal, have two of the most iconic and valuable names in European soccer. Their men's clubs are among the 10 richest in all of sports. They have fans all over the world. But their women's teams, while successful, don't match that level of glamor. For that to happen, the women's game needs to expand its audience, find fertile ground for growing fan bases and land more lucrative media deals that go with that kind of growth.
Didier Ollé-Nicolle, new coach of Paris Saint-Germain, shouts to his team during training at Racing Louisville's Lynn Family practice facility on Tuesday.
The Chicago Red Stars are a successful National Women's Soccer League franchise with some big names in American women's soccer on its roster, but they play in a city with some heavy hitters in pro sports and share the summer sports calendar with two popular Major League Baseball teams.
Racing Louisville FC would seem out of place with these other names. A first-year NWSL expansion side, they are a newcomer, yet they have many ingredients for women's soccer success. They are the only major league pro sports franchise in Louisville, and in their debut season, they rank second in the league in attendance.
This tournament, for the city of Louisville, is an opportunity to put its best foot forward in front of an international audience on behalf of its new franchise and on behalf of women's sports in general and women's soccer in particular. It's why Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer was there with the European clubs landed Sunday at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport and why organizers are hoping to see good crowds for the games this week.
FC Bayern Munich manager Jens Scheuer and midfielder Sarah Zadrazil speak with the media during news conference for The Women's Cup at Lynn Family Stadium in Louisville, Ky.
"We would like to increase our fan base in the U.S.," said FCB midfielder Sarah Zadrazil, a native of Austria who played her college soccer at East Tennessee State. "Obviously, it's big to come from Europe as a club, and FC Bayern is big in Europe. But to make it big in the U.S. is a big goal. We are proud to be here."
PSG figures to see jersey sales shoot up after adding a men's player of some note from FC Barcelona, but the women's club has made significant strides and has enjoyed strong support in Paris. It broke through for its first Division I championship in France last season after eight second-place finishes. The club is working under a new coach, Didier Ollé-Nicolle, after Olivier Echouafni departed following the championship season.
They are still formidable, however. Marie-Antoinette Katoto, a 22-year-old native of Colombes, France, has scored more goals than any player in the French league over the past three seasons.
Together, the four rosters account for 16 of the world's top 100 players, with potentially 10 available for play this week.
Racing Louisville is hoping for several things. First, to win. An expansion side with an opportunity against such well-known and established competition, playing on its home pitch, presents a golden chance to make an early name for itself. Second, it's a chance for the fledgling franchise to show off. Its facilities made an impression on the European visitors this week, and the club is serious about its mission.
"From the inception of this club, it's been about being the best and how can we set the standard for women's soccer," Racing captain Michelle Betos told an introductory news conference Tuesday. "These clubs have already done that in their leagues and in Europe, and the best way to do that is to learn and play against the best and with the best. On and off the field, it means everything to us. This is a really special place. On and off the field, it means a lot to our team. It means a lot to our league. It's the best facilities in America, and we're looking forward to some good games."
Racing Louisville captain and goalkeeper Michelle Betos talks with reporters during a news conference for The Women's Cup at Lynn Family Stadium.
And, third, it's an opportunity for the city, an opportunity that has nothing to do with what happens on the pitch but what happens in the stands. Clearly, if you're an expansion club like Racing and you rank second in the NWSL in attendance at just over 6,200 per game, you're getting strong support. But it can be better. For an event like this, the larger the crowd, the stronger the message that goes out on behalf of the city, a message about how it supports this game. But more than that, it's about how it supports women and women's sports and a franchise that began with the premise that it treat its players the right way.
It's a lot about little things you can't see, like where players live, or support beyond the paycheck, transportation, how their families are treated and health care on and off the field.
I know it's not the first time I've said this here. I apologize if you grow tired of hearing me say it.
Louisville, certainly, does not have the worldwide glitz of Paris or Munich or Chicago. But we can throw a party on a par with any of those. And in this event, the city not has something to celebrate but something that brings good reason to celebrate.
To be a part of it, click here.
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