U.S. should feel right at home in Vancouver

VANCOUVER— The United States will have an overwhelming crowd advantage when it attempts to lift the Women’s World Cup final on Sunday at BC Place.

Within minutes of the team defeating Germany 2-0 in Tuesday’s semifinal in Montreal, tickets for the final on secondary marketplaces such as StubHub skyrocketed in price, with the vast majority of purchasers from the United States.

It is expected to be the biggest crowd advantage in men’s or women’s World Cup history for a final that does not involve the host nation, and it’s a boost the U.S. is delighted to accept.

“This really is like a home World Cup for us, and there is no question that the support has been a big advantage,” said midfielder Kelley O’Hara, who scored the second goal against Germany. “But it is cool in that because we are in Canada there is slightly less pressure than if the event was in the States. It is perfect.”

According to a StubHub analytical report prepared on Wednesday afternoon, 88 per cent of tickets sold for Sunday’s game on their site had been purchased by U.S. accounts. A further 11 per cent had been snapped up by Canadians, with just one per cent combined for all other nations.

However, many of the tickets purchased from Canada are still destined to end up in American hands.

“There is a big community of Americans who live in the (British Columbia) area and this is our chance to show some national pride,” said Daniel Hallows, a software professional who moved to Vancouver from the Bay Area seven years ago. “I know literally dozens of expats who are coming to the game. The last time we got to show American pride like this was at the Winter Olympics in 2010.”