Photos by Steve McCrank
It was a different audience from the average Galaxy game.
Here’s the take of columnist Jill Painter.
Here’s a sampling of the reaction to the game.
Washington Freedom Coach Jim Gabarra on the atmosphere:
“It was great; obviously a world class stadium. I was very pleased with the product on the field. From my experience, the level of play was better than that of the WUSA inaugural game.”
Sol Coach Abner Rogers’ assessment of the game:
“To open up the inaugural season and come out with a victory is very pleasing. There were times when we played very well, but fitness was a bit of an issue for both teams, as you could see. It is only going to get better. I was definitely happy. We dodged a few bullets; even though we came out with a good victory, it was very beneficial.”
Sol midfielder Shannon Boxx on the atmosphere surrounding the game:
“People are excited. They had a fun time. It was an exciting match both ways. People have to realize it’s just going to get better. This is just our first game. We’re going to get better as a team. D.C. is going to get better as a team.”
Abby Wambach on how the Freedom are coalescing:
“We’re still trying to learn about each other. It’s going to take time. We have a good coaching staff in place that is not freaking out. We have experienced players on the field that aren’t freaking out. We just have to take it one step at a time. And we might have to suffer some losses and learn some tough lessons. Obviously, one of our main objectives today was to shut Marta down and I think we did a really good job of it.”
On how the WPS compares with the WUSA:
“Apples to oranges. Different time, different players, different feel. The WUSA was great for what that was worth; it was a stepping stone to where we are now. We have our own professional league again and more than anything that is the most important thing.”
On how it feels to play competitive soccer again:
“I feel like a little kid, like I’m learning for the first time again. I don’t know if it’s because I haven’t played on a consistent basis for eight and a half months I just feel so blessed to be out here – to be able to run around and get sweaty – to play with people that I care about.”
On the atmosphere:
“It exceeded my expectations; I didn’t think there would be this many people here. I think the Sol put on a great game, a great venue. Fortunately for them they came out with a win and it will probably keep some people coming back to this venue.”
Washington Freedom goalkeeper Briana Scurry on how the team played in only its third full game together:
“We’re still getting to know each other and figure out how each other plays, tendencies and whatnot, but I thought we played pretty well considering the short notice. It was tough for both teams to play a week earlier (than other WPS teams), but it was good in the sense that now we have a game we can look at and say ‘what do we need to work at’ for the next game.”
