USA vs. Mexico Women's Soccer Game

Back on Sunday, June 5th, Chrissy and I ventured to Harrison, NJ, to witness our first ever professional soccer game.  Chrissy isn't exactly a soccer fan, but she can get excited over just about anything, making her a fantastic traveling companion.
I was super excited to finally get to see the US women's team play, especially in their final game before the 2011 Women's World Cup in Germany. A banner was setup for fans to sign as a good luck present to the team. Also, before the game, legendary goalkeeper, Brianna Scurry, was signing autographs. Not only did we get autographs, but we also had our picture taken with her.

Following the autograph session, we found our way to our seats in Red Bull Arena. And let me tell you, they were some pretty fantastic seats. We were 7 rows back off of the field just to the left of midfield. As Chrissy described it, we could have gotten hit by a ball if it was kicked our way. It was cool getting to watch the teams warm-up and then witness the national anthems. Following the anthems, Kristine Lilly, the Queen of Caps (international appearances) was honored because she retired in January after a 23 year career.

Mexico kicked off to start the game, which began pretty slow. Passing wasn't great on either side, and very few shots were actually taken. I was just enjoying the atmosphere and taking lots of pictures. The score was 0-0 at the half. Team USA came to life in the second half, finally. Abby Wambach had some good attempts on goal, though nothing hit net. Numerous shots were taken, but the Mexican goal keeper, who was all of 16 years old, made some outstanding saves. It wasn't until the 91st minute that Cheyney scored a goal for the United States. It came just in time, considering there were only 4 minutes of stoppage time.
Following the game, the US team was presented with the signed banner and Rampone and Wambach were interviewed. The team's coach was also interviewed and also happened to sing a few lines of "Dancing in the Dark" by Bruce Springsteen (how fitting considering he is a Jersey native). All in all, it was a great experience and I can't wait until I'm in Germany for the Women's World Cup final in July.