From Kansas,
Oghenevwaire Sarah Enamutor Writes
The autumn air will carry something special this October as the United States Women's National
Team embarks on a three-game farewell tour that perfectly captures where women's soccer has
been and where it's heading. From honoring retiring legends to making history at the world's first
stadium built specifically for women's professional sports, October will serve as both a
celebration and a statement.
History will be made on Wednesday, October 29, when the national team plays its inaugural
match at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. This is not merely another venue début; it is a
symbolic return to a location that embodies the aspirations of the women's game. CPKC Stadium
is the first privately financed stadium purpose-built exclusively for a professional women's
soccer team in the world, opening its doors in March 2024. The venue represents more than
architectural achievement; it embodies a fundamental shift in how women's sports are valued and
invested in.
A celebration of two careers that contributed to the definition of an era will precede the
USWNT's arrival in Kansas City. The match against Portugal in Chester, Pennsylvania, on
October 23, will be in honor of Alex Morgan, whose influence extends beyond statistics and
trophies. Three days later, the focus shifts to Alyssa Naeher in East Hartford, Connecticut. A
tribute match will be played in East Hartford in honor of the legendary goalkeeper Alyssa
Naeher, a Connecticut native who retired from international soccer last fall.
The progression of these three matches creates a compelling narrative storyline. Beginning with
Morgan's celebration, the tour moves to Connecticut to celebrate Naeher's steadfast excellence,
before ending in Kansas City at a venue that represents the future these players helped make
possible. The sequence acknowledges that women's soccer's growth required both the magnetic
personalities who drew attention to the sport and the consistent performers who proved it worthy
of that attention.
The USWNT's arrival in Kansas City also highlights the city's emergence as a women's soccer
epicenter. The Current's NWSL predecessor, FC KC, played its first game on a high school
football field in Overland Park, back in 2013, a humble beginning that makes CPKC Stadium's
grandeur even more remarkable. The timing couldn't be more perfect. As the USWNT continues
its evolution under Emma Hayes, playing at CPKC Stadium sends a clear message about
expectations and ambitions. This team doesn't just want to win; it wants to elevate the entire
women's soccer ecosystem.
When the USWNT takes the field at CPKC Stadium on October 29, they will be playing in a
venue that represents the realization of dreams that players like Morgan and Naeher could only
imagine when their careers began. On a stage built specifically for women's soccer, the past and
future of American women's soccer will merge in a moment that captures perfectly where the
sport has been and where it's determined to go.
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