CUB ROCK ICE VICE BABY THINK PINK KNICK OF TIME

The star of this summer’s FIFA Women’s World Cup was Megan Rapinoe, the pink-haired winger who managed to captain the US team, score goals, lift the trophy, and annoy Donald Trump, all at the same time. You can watch her at her day job, playing for Reign FC (reignfc.com) in Tacoma, from $10. A one-week stay at the State Hotel in Seattle, flying from Heathrow on Sept 27, starts at £1,361pp with expedia.co.uk. Put your hand on your heart and bellow “The Star- Spangled Banner”. Or take a knee, if you so choose. Why? Because we’re but days away from the return of American football – on Sept 5. Yes. And? Well, the 2019-20 edition of this sport of bumps, bangs, bruises and brutes happens to be the 100th season of the National Football League (NFL). Which is both a big number, and a fair reason to flick the focus of this page to US sports and holidays that go in search of them. More at nfl. com/100 and visittheusa.co.uk. Baseball is another American sporting religion, not least in the Windy City. The Chicago Cubs (mlb. com/cubs) lost their doomed air in 2016, when they ended a supposed 71-year curse on reaching the World Series and won a title they last took in 1908, but their old-fashioned Wrigley Field is as romantic as stadiums come. Tickets for the game with the Cincinnati Reds (Sept 16) start at $13. British Airways ays (ba.com) flies in for £330 return. Those who want evidence that violence still exists in this most even-tempered of eras need only seek an ice hockey game, where moments of sport sometimes break out amid the sessions of big men hitting each other. The St Louis Blues (nhl.com/blues; from $34) are the current Stanley Cup champions. The 14-night “Best of f Route 66” trip sold by americaasyoulikeit.com will take you to the city from £1,345pp, with flights. Watching the Knicks (nba.com/knicks) at basketball is a Very New York Thing To Do. They play at Madison Square Garden. You may see Drew Barrymore courtside. And if you’re in town on Oct 26, you can cheer them against fierce rivals the Boston Celtics ( from $137; empiretickets.com). A five-night break to the four-star Park Lane Hotel, leaving Heathrow on Oct 23, starts at £1,067pp via travelbag.co.uk. Why go to America fo for sport if America Am will come to you? London has ha been stagin staging occasiona occasional NFL games sinc since

2007 – and will do so again this year, with the Chicago B Bears tackling th the Oakland Raiders R at the new Tottenham Hotspur

Stadium (Oct (O 6). Tickets ha have formally s sold out but are list listed on resale site stubhub.co stubhub.co.uk from £207 £207.