PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — What’s it like to watch in person as the U.S. women’s soccer team captures the World Cup? It leaves you speechless, said Sydney Cummings, captain of Brown’s 2019 women’s soccer team.
Cummings, along with the rest of her team, had the once-in-a lifetime opportunity to watch the semifinals and final match of the Women's World Cup in Lyon, France, last weekend. They also played in a series of friendlies with local club teams and took in the sights during the nine-day trip.
“I don't think that we could have imagined where we were sitting and how close we would be,” Cummings said. “We were so close that we felt like we could touch the players. Being surrounded by red, white and blue all around us was amazing.”
It was a big first for Brown forward Rebecca Rosen, who had never seen a professional soccer game before witnessing the U.S. women’s team triumph — first over England and then over the Netherlands in the final tournament game, which catapulted the U.S. team to its fourth World Cup title.
“Even just walking into the stadium, I kept getting chills,” Rosen said.
For sophomore defender Lauren Hinton, the trip was an exciting opportunity to see other women playing in the international limelight.
“It’s amazing to feel the energy in the stadium regardless of the results for either team,” she said. “It's inspiring to see these female soccer players have this life-changing experience of playing on this world stage.”
Beyond the excitement of witnessing some of the world’s best soccer firsthand, the team enjoyed its local games, visited historic sites, savored French cuisine and briefly immersed themselves in a new culture for many — which all added up to some serious team-bonding, Cummings said.
“Everybody stepped out of their comfort zone this trip,” she said. “It really made us closer as a team. Going through something outside of a soccer setting makes you closer because you realize that we are friends and not just teammates.”
Read more about their trip on the Brown Athletics website.