Bay Area soccer fans gear up for NWSL finale match
Bay Area soccer fans gear up for NWSL match
The Women's National Soccer League championship game will be played at PayPal Park.
SAN JOSE, Calif. - Gloomy skies and rain on Thursday morning didn't dampen the excitement in the Bay Area's largest city for the upcoming National Women’s Soccer League finale.
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan and NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman did the honor of hosting the league's flag at City Hall.
"We're so excited to be in San Jose for the 2025 NWSL championship," Berman said.
A few hours later and a half-mile from the flag-raising, Berman hosted her league's Media Day at San Jose's Civic Center.
There were lights, cameras and dozens of questions fired at Saturday's combatants — the Washington Spirit and Gotham FC.
"We're excited, super excited. I think it's going to be a really good game," said Spirit midfielder Heather Stainbrook.
Big picture view:
The finale is a rematch for these old adversaries. Washington won the last time the teams faced off, on penalty kicks.
Saturday will mark the second consecutive championship game for the Spirt, which lost last year's title against the Orlando Pride.
Some players, such as Croix Bethume, a two-time "Best of XI" award winner, said they're looking for redemption.
"The accolades are cool, but we have a game to win on Saturday," Bethume said.
The championship game is garnering attention from all quarters in the Bay Area. In San Francisco, it was soccer on the high seas as a floating pitch was launched at Pier 50 to spark interest.
"The league wanted to continue to push on the creativity and growth of the women's national soccer league. And they wanted to go big," said Brendan Hanna, managing partner at Skylark.
Dig deeper:
Women's soccer has become a big draw locally and nationally, according to NWSL officials. And Sports Business Journal reports game attendance topped 2-million for the first time last year.
"It's really cool for us to play in an atmosphere that is full and is loud and has a lot of energy," said Washington Forward Brittany Ratcliffe.
Forbes reports the league's revenue is up 125% from five years ago. Commissioner Berman said Saturday's tilt at PayPal Park in San Jose could see a full house.
"When you look at the history of professional women's soccer in this market, we knew this market would rally behind hosting this championship," Berman said.
Ahead of the big match, Adobe and Just Women’s Sports will host a free community celebration on Friday where fans can pick up merch, play soccer tennis and take photos with athletes, among other activities.
Dubbed "Free Your Fan with Kelley and Friends," the free event will include two-time World Cup champion and Just Women’s Sports host Kelley O’Hara, New Zealand Women’s National Team captain and NWSL standout Ali Riley, retired NWSL forward and digital creator Darian Jenkins, international sports presenter Duda Pavao and Just Women’s Sports host BJ Beckwith.
"Free Your Fan with Kelley and Friends" will be held at Parque de los Pobladores from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.
What's next:
The last lingering question left for the eventful weekend is set to be decided off the pitch. Washington's star forward Trinity Rodman could be playing her last game in the United States, as she may seek greater fortune after the championship game and play in Europe.
"As much chatter as there is in media and around the soccer world, I'm focused on Saturday and winning and then we'll make a decision," she said during an interview at Media Day.
Kick-off is at 5 p.m. Saturday at PayPal Park.