Photo Showcase: U.S. women 1, Sweden 1
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When Morrison Stadium opened in 2003, Bruce Erickson witnessed the big crowds that came with it and knew this day would eventually come.
“We knew if we were going to have a great facility like this, we were going to be able to get some really good events in here,” Creighton's women's soccer coach said.
On Tuesday, it finally got that big event: a U.S. women's national team game.
The U.S. fought to a 1-1 draw with Sweden in the international exhibition, but that's not what Erickson plans to remember.
He hopes that he'll recall Tuesday night as the first of many times Morrison Stadium drew a big-time soccer game.
“The feedback I've gotten is that everyone loves it, and this was before the teams got a chance to play,” he said. “I think their experience after this will be full of high praise, definitely.”
The game's attendance figure will certainly help Omaha's case for getting another national game — a stadium-record 6,493 fans packed into Morrison on Tuesday night.
That number alone was enough to impress U.S. forward Amy Rodriguez.
“I heard them announce how many people were here, and that's amazing to me,” said Rodriguez, the U.S. team's lone scorer on Tuesday. “It's exciting and it motivates you to play well.”
About three-fourths of the Creighton women's squad volunteered to join the events staff for the night.
For CU junior defender Tessa McKeone, working as an usher near midfield on Tuesday night was undoubtedly one of the better summer jobs she's had in awhile.
“I follow these players, and just seeing them play on the field you play on — to say, ‘Wow, there's Abby Wambach' — is pretty sweet,” she said.
Though she was clearly disappointed by her team's 1-1 draw, Wambach had nothing but praise for her time at Morrison.
“Oh man, this was awesome,” the U.S. star forward said. “This is really the perfect stadium size for the kind of fans we like to have.”
Elkhorn resident Brandon Boekhout said seeing Wambach and her big-name teammates was an opportunity he couldn't pass up.
Boekhout admits that he wasn't much of a soccer devotee until his three children started playing the game, and he arrived at the stadium more than an hour early with his 10-year-old daughter, Taylor.
“Everybody says there's nothing to do in Omaha,” he said. “But when stuff like this comes around, you can't miss it.”
In addition to strong facilities and a nearby airport, Tuesday's successful turnout is another big reason Erickson believes that Omaha will continue to be an attractive option for U.S. national teams.
He hopes that the game will garner some nice word-of-mouth attention for Creighton in the U.S. soccer community. After all, some high praise from an influential source may have been a reason the team wanted to play in Omaha in the first place.
Erickson refers back to 2007, when former U.S. women's team coach Tony DiCicco toured the stadium while in town for the Missouri Valley Conference women's tournament.
“He walked through here and said, ‘This is the model of what pro leagues should have,' ” Erickson said of DiCicco, who was ESPN's color commentator for Tuesday's game.
McKeone, the Creighton player, is confident that U.S. coaches and players will leave Omaha on Wednesday with the same observation.
“I think Omaha draws a good crowd at any sporting event we host,” she said. “I doubt this women's team has played in front of this many people in a long time.
“The players love it, the fans love it, Omaha loves it. It's a win-win all around.”
Staff writer Nick Rubek contributed to this report.
Contact the writer:
444-1201, max.olson@owh.com
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