CITY GETS KICK OUT OF CUP WIN
Crowd flocks to B’klyn to cheer on women
New Yorkers watching from nearly 4,000 miles away rejoiced Sunday to Team USA’s World Cup win in France.
“It was awesome!” said Gabby Cohen, 39, who watched the game on an outdoor screen under the Manhattan Bridge in Brooklyn with her husband Jeff, 43, and their 7-year-old daughter, Cece, and 5-year-old son, Max.
Cohen said her family came back early from the beach to make the big game’s 11 a.m. start time. “I couldn’t be happier for my kids to see some powerful women crush it,” she said.
The American women’s squad capped their tournament win with a comfortable 2-0 victory over the Netherlands. Star Megan Rapinoe, who drew fire from President Trump after stating she wouldn’t go to the White House if her team won it all, started Sunday’s scoring with a penalty kick in the 61st minute of play.
For Flushing, Queens, resident Michael Franco, 30, the big day was all about his 9-year-old daughter, Sarah, who felt the magic at the DUMBO screening. “I just introduced her to soccer,” said Franco, who carried an American flag as he watched the game with Sarah and his toddler daughter, Camila. “(Sarah) wasn’t excited in the house, but when she got here she was like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is so exciting, all these people here.’ ”
Hundreds of fans gathered under the bridge for the match. Most of them wore red, white and blue while cheering the home team from afar with chants of “U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!”
Long Island City resident Alex Robel and his 4-year-old daughter, Kendra, stayed close to home watching tournament games leading up to the championship match, but wanted to be under the Archway in DUMBO for Sunday’s finale. Kendra’s mom Yamile joined them for this historic contest.
“We wanted to see the final here to be with the crowd,” Alex said.
Kendra, wearing a tank top with “USA” printed across it, cited goal-scoring machine Alex Morgan as her favorite player.
Some onlookers, including Jina Mosley-Woodward from Philadelphia, stumbled upon the game day celebration in DUMBO by accident. They were glad they did.
“We had a free Sunday and decided to come up because we love Brooklyn,” said the 42year-old mom, who watched
the action with her 71-year-old mother as well as her husband and their young children.
“When we saw this was happening we decided to stay for the end,” Mosley-Woodward said.
Her 8-month-old son, Charlie, fell asleep right after the game ended, while her 2-yearold daughter, London, soldiered on.
For Kai Keegan, who came in from Landing, N.J., with her friend Stephanie Brink to watch the game, controversial purplehaired forward Rapinoe was the main attraction.
“I’ve been a Rapinoe fan for forever.” said Keegan, 38.
Keegan said Trump’s lashing out at Rapinoe after learning the 34-year-old team captain told Eight by Eight magazine she would decline an offer to visit the White House if Team USA won only added to the drama.
“I agree with her wholeheartedly,” Keegan said. “This guy is not on our side.”
Days after advice columnist E. Jean Carroll became the latest woman to accuse Trump of sexual misconduct, the president tweeted a “win or lose” White House invite to the women’s soccer team on June 26 in which he instructed Rapinoe to “never disrespect our Country, the White House, or our Flag.”
Bay Ridge resident and “The Cooligans” podcast host Christian Polanco threw Sunday’s viewing party. Asked how he felt about Rapinoe’s row with the president, the 36-year-old fan borrowed a white cap featuring a neon-haired figure taking a knee from his girlfriend and put it on his own head.
“This is how I feel about that,” he said.
Adam Payne, from nearby Brooklyn Heights, said the Rapinoe controversy didn’t figure into his enjoyment of the Women’s World Cup tournament. “It didn’t make me support her more, but it didn’t detract either.” said Payne, 42. “He’s such a divisive president that of course she’s going to be asked that… I also think that if the opposite was true and she said, ‘Yes I’m going to go, and I love this President,’ I would let that go as well.”
For Payne, this was a big win for all Americans.
“It’s nice because you can divorce these games from politics,” he said. “It’s a positive thing that as Americans we can support and be proud of.”
The president tweeted his congratulations to the women’s team — including Rapinoe — after their big win.
“Congratulations to the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team on winning the World Cup! Great and exciting play. America is proud of you all!” he wrote.