Summer of Soccer
Multiple Opportunities To Soak Up The Beautiful Game
Story and photos By Reid Neureiter
For the GPHN
One might call the months of June and July the summer of soccer, as the sport dominates the airwaves with major international soccer tournaments being played around the world, and our own Colorado Rapids making a recent surge in the MLS standings.
Park Hillians are notorious for their soccer-phile tendencies, and first up is the Women’s World Cup, being held in France through the month of June and into July. The world No. 1-ranked U.S. Women are the tournament favorites, having thrashed Thailand in their opening match on June 11 by a record-setting 13-0 margin, knocked off Chile with a 3-0 victory in Paris on June 16, and a 2-0 win over Sweden on June 20. Also favored are the French hosts (ranked fourth in the world), along with second-ranked Germany, and third-ranked England. Dark horses include Australia and two-time finalists, Japan.
The Denver Metro Area is home to two important members of the dominant U.S. women’s squad. 25-year-old Lindsey Horan is the starting central midfielder for the United States and a product of Golden, Colorado and the Colorado Rush soccer club. Horan first made national soccer news in 2012 as a high schooler, when she decided to forego a college scholarship offer to turn professional, signing a six-figure contract with the French team, Paris-St. Germain FC (“PSG”). Horan played for three years in the French pro league, scoring 46 goals in 56 appearances, and returned to the United States in 2016 to play for the Portland Thorns of the Women’s National Soccer League. Her success continued there, as Horan was named the 2018 WNSL player of the year. Horan scored her first World Cup goal in the US’s opening match against Thailand.
Also from Colorado is 21-year old star forward Mallory Pugh, who hails from Highlands Ranch and played soccer for Mountain Vista High School. Pugh was named the 2014–15 Gatorade National Girls Soccer Player of the Year and Colorado Sports Hall of Fame 2015 High School Female Athlete of the Year. Following in Horan’s footsteps, Pugh gave up an athletic scholarship, turning professional in 2017 with the Washington Spirit of the WNSL. Pugh also got her first World Cup goal for the United States in the drubbing of Thailand.
The Women’s World Cup semifinals are scheduled for July 2 and 3 in Lyon, France, with the final set for July 7 in the same city.
Viva Mexico
Concurrent with the Women’s World Cup is the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup, the biennial international men’s soccer championship of the North, Central American, and Caribbean region. The tournament is primarily being held in locations across the United States.
Denver hosted a double-header of matches on June 19 at Broncos Stadium at Mile High, with Cuba falling to Martinique 3-1, and an animated and heavily pro-Mexican crowd of 52,000 urging the Mexican side to a dominant 3-1 victory over Canada.
Although the United States is the defending champion from 2017, the U.S. men come into the tournament on the heels of two embarrassing losses in preparatory matches, falling to Jamaica 1-0 on June 5, and losing to Venezuela on June 9 in Cincinnati by the score of 3-0.
Having missed qualification for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia after a catastrophic loss to Trinidad & Tobago, the US men’s national team has a long way to go to match the success of its female counterpart. One Gold Cup semi-final will be held in Glendale, California on July 2, and the second semi-final on July 3, in Nashville. The Gold Cup final will be in Chicago, on July 7, the same date as the Women’s World Cup Final.
Kicking it at Dick’s
If you want to watch live professional soccer in the month of July, there is no better place than Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, just four miles north of Park Hill and home to the Colorado Rapids.
The 2019 Rapids started the year struggling, going the first 11 games without a win, and witnessing the firing of coach Anthony Hudson. Interim coach Conor Casey is a former Rapids star forward who is also a Denver native and South High grad. He seems to have turned the tide and, beginning with a 1-0 win over the LA Galaxy on May 19, the Rapids went five MLS games without a loss, including a dominant 3-1 home win over FC Cincinnati on June 1.
An intriguing addition to the Rapids this year is rookie and former University of Denver Pioneer star Andre Shinyashiki. With DU, Shinyashiki, who is originally from Brazil, was a record-breaking, goal-scoring machine, setting DU career marks for points (117), goals (51) and game-winning goals (19). In 2018, his senior year, Shinyashiki ranked first in the country in points per game (2.86) and goals (28). He was named First-Team All-American, Summit League Offensive Player of the Year, and was one of three finalists for the MAC Hermann Award (the soccer equivalent of football’s Heisman Trophy).
Shinyashiki has continued his scoring ways with the Rapids, netting the only goal against the Galaxy, and opening the scoring in the June 1 victory over Cincinnati. In an interview after the Cincinnati match, Shinyashiki explained what it takes to make the challenging transition from the college game to the pros.
“Everything is a little bit faster, a little bit stronger, the windows close a little bit sooner,” he told the Greater Park Hill News. “You have to be professional — coming in here every day and working hard, because that is ultimately what gets you on the field.
“If you want to make it as a young guy, you have to work more than the other people. Talent can only take you so far. Hard work is the most important thing.”
Shinyashiki’s past success with DU has made him a fan favorite at Rapids’ home games, and he celebrated the Cincinnati victory by posing for numerous selfies with fans in the crowd.
The Rapids host their traditional “fireworks” game on July 4 at 7 pm against the New England Revolution, and will be playing a special exhibition match in Commerce City on July 15 against the famous English Premiership club Arsenal at Dicks Sporting Goods Park. Both the Rapids and the Arsenal are owned by sports entrepreneur Stan Kroenke’s Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, which also owns the Los Angeles Rams, the Denver Nuggets, and the Colorado Avalanche.