US women's soccer team to begin 5-game victory tour with Rose Bowl match
PASADENA, Calif. (KABC) -- The U.S. women's soccer team will play at the Rose Bowl in August, kicking off their World Cup victory tour, U.S. Soccer announced Tuesday.
They'll face Ireland on Aug. 3, and tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. on Saturday, July 13 on ussoccer.com. Their 5-game tour continues with matches on Aug. 29, Sept. 3, Oct. 3 and Oct. 6, with opponents and venues still to be determined.
U.S. Soccer says when the team hosts Ireland, it will be the fifth U.S. Women's match at the Rose Bowl and first in 17 years. The match also marks the third at the Rose Bowl since the U.S. won the groundbreaking 1999 Women's World Cup.
Fans at the Rose Bowl on Monday celebrated the team's win.
"I think it's just a great achievement overall and it's just a long time coming," local soccer fan Jorge Ramos said.
On the other side of the country, the team was returning to the U.S., bringing home their fourth World Cup trophy. The players - donning black T-shirts with "World Champions" etched in gold lettering - were all smiles as they were met with cheers at Newark Liberty International Airport, where they were also welcomed by a banner that read "Congratulations Team USA!" The team's victory marks a record four World Cup titles, and the second straight for a dozen of the players.
The team once again received a warm welcome Tuesday on "Good Morning America," where they answered questions about their historic victory and discussed their fight for equal pay. FIFA President Gianni Infantino proposed to double the prize money for the victors of the next Women's World Cup to $60 million. But the men's projected prize is $440 million.
"They're athletes. I mean, sex shouldn't have anything to do with it - your skill set and your professional abilities - it doesn't matter," local soccer fan Sabrina Riegel said. "They should be paid equally and treated equally."
The players are now world leaders in the push for gender equality in the workplace, having sued the U.S. Soccer Federation for equal pay and treatment vis-a-vis the men's national team. With a lesbian coach and several lesbian players, including World Cup MVP Megan Rapinoe, they're a proud symbol of LGBTQ inclusion. And they have stood firmly behind Rapinoe after she said she'd refuse to visit the White House if invited by President Donald Trump.
Far from being daunted by these off-the-field roles, the players seem to relish them.
"I feel like this team is in the midst of changing the world around us as we live, and it's just an incredible feeling," Rapinoe said after the team's 2-0 victory over the Netherlands in Sunday's title match in Lyon, France. The team won all seven of its matches, scoring 26 goals, allowing just three.
The team and the USSF have agreed to mediate the lawsuit now that the World Cup is over.
The championship team will head to Los Angeles on Wednesday, where they'll attend one of the biggest nights in sports: The ESPYS. The sports awards show will be held just hours after the team's ticker-tape parade through New York City.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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