In just an hour we are there - Frankfurt - the site of the 2011 final Women's World Cup Match between Japan and the US. There is already excitement. People in the train station are doing face paint for fans and outside the station they are selling US and Japanese flags, as well as t- shirts. There is a street fair with American music and Japanese food right outside our hotel. We have a nice hotel within a few mimutes walk of the station. It was fortuitous or foresight that made me book the nicer hotels at the end of the trip. The girls are understandably tired.... 3 1/2 weeks traveling Europe is not easy on anyone and these are 13 & 14 year olds!
After a rest, we get ready for the game. We have been searching for face paint most of the trip. In digging out my US flag in my luggage I see my watercolors that I brought for painting (I have only painted one picture so far) but realize we can use them as face paint! I try it on myself and then the girls get themselves decorated.
There was a 4 ticket limit for the final match, so Jerry has to stay and watch the game in one of the many pubs/beer gardens around the hotel. All the buses and trains say "stadium" on them and we hop on one (turns out to be the slow train with all the locals but who cares!) There a other US fans and lots of Germans going to the game still wearing their German team colors....poor Germany, they were expected to win and they didn't even make it out of group play.
The game of course is sold out..when we get there, lots of people are holding up signs wanting to buy tickets.
The stadium holds 50k and it is full!!!!! We have pretty good seats and the opening ceremony begins.
The official song "happiness" is pretty good but it's about a girl who is happy because she found a guy who loves her. The girls and I agree women athletes deserve a more appropriate song....
So the game begins. I am so nervous..my stomach hurts and I cannot eat any of the pretzels and ice cream the girls buy. We take so many shots on goal and have great passes in the first half, but most do not score.
I have a speech I give to my players when I coach that the difference between winning and losing is very small. You just have to be a few seconds faster and you can win the ball, just an inch more accurate and you can score...a slightly quicker pass will be complete. It is hard to tell players they need to be winners...but everyone can try to be a few seconds faster or an inch or two bit more accurante. Well, tonight, we end up losing just by seconds, by inches. It is the undefined and elusive quality that can make the difference between winning and losing. Tonight we don't have it. Americans usually do....it is in our nature to individually be able to dig a little deeper, to go beyond ourselves, to believe in ourselves and believe in miracles ...to find against the odds that extra second and extra inch. Well, tonight the Japanese women have those qualities. I won't go in to the details of the game...you either watched it or read about it and, if you didn't, you probably don't care. But everyone should have watched it.
We lose.... and for maybe 1 minute or 2 it is disappointing. Then I realize how great a story for Japan in winning against the odds and after their recent disasters and suffering at home. And of course this successful tournament with all these fans and these historic games is wonderful for all women soccer players all over the world. We are all winners.
Nonetheless, most of the US team is crying after the game. Hope Solo gets two awards and she stands there trying to force back her tears. The US team begins to walk around the arena and thank the fans but they realize the gracious thing to do is surrender the field to the victors. So Japan is celebrated by everyone there. There is a great show of gold confetti and fireworks...
We stay to the end and get a shirt and shorts from the fan shop. It is a long ride on a super crowded bus back to the hotel. We get back at 1:30 a.m. We are tired......the worse part is we know we would not be tired if we had won.
-Mom, Coach and Tour Guid
Location:Frankfurt, Germany
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