June 24, 2015 11:58 PM
The first and only time the U.S. women’s national team came to Pittsburgh, it beat Iceland, 3-0, at Heinz Field in September 2004 after winning the gold medal at the Athens Olympics that summer.
Missing from that crowd of 6,386 was then 16-year-old Meghan Klingenberg. While the budding soccer star at Pine-Richland often traveled around the country with her family to see national team games, when the women’s team came to her home turf, she had her own soccer tournament or family event that kept her from the exhibition, her mom Kristen Klingenberg said.
Come August, she’ll have a chance to make up for that missed opportunity — this time on the field as a defender for the U.S. instead of in the stands as a fan.
The current FIFA Women’s World Cup quarterfinalist U.S. women’s national soccer team will play Costa Rica in its first post-World Cup match at 1:30 p.m. Aug. 16 at Heinz Field.
“It’s something that I’ve always asked for, and something that I’ve always wanted,” Meghan Klingenberg said. “I thought it would just be so cool because I know how great Pittsburgh fans are, and I know how much they love sport. And I know especially if there is a hometown kid on the team that they’ll show up in force and be an incredible crowd.”
The match will air on Fox Sports 1 with tickets on sale at noon Wednesday through ussoccer.com and 1-800-745-3000 as well as Ticketmaster ticket centers in Pittsburgh. Prices range from $28 for end-line seats to $250 for on-field seats. Ultimate fan tickets — which include a jersey, stadium tour and on-field seats — are available for $550.
Jimmy Sacco, executive director of stadium management at Heinz Field, kept in contact with U.S. Soccer after that 2004 game, eventually getting the call about a month ago asking if the stadium was up for playing host again
“We’re out lobbying all the time to bring things to Heinz Field,” Mr. Sacco said. “We’re not only excited for Heinz Field but for the city of Pittsburgh for two reasons: first to get the event and [second] to be the first game after the Cup.”
U.S. Soccer director of communications Neil Buethe said Pittsburgh had been on the top of the list for a while and having a player on the team from the area was an added incentive.
“The first match after a big event like the Olympics or the World Cup, especially if we’re fortunate enough to win the tournament, is a huge opportunity for fans to come out and celebrate the team in person,” he said. “So when we look at a lot of different venues, we want to make sure we’re picking a good location, a city that would really embrace the team. And Pittsburgh definitely fits into that category.”
Ms. Klingenberg hasn’t played in the Pittsburgh area since her high school days and is ready to be a tour guide for her teammates, who she said don’t believe her when she talks about how great her hometown is because most have never been there.
“I want to show off my city to my teammates,” she said. “I want to show off my city to the world because I know how great we are. I know how great the fans are. I know how great the city is, how clean, how good the food is. I know where are the cool spots are.”
And if Pittsburgh can show off its best side that weekend, Ms. Klingenberg said she hopes the game will be the first of many big matches in Pittsburgh.
“If Pittsburgh fans show up in force, and if they come out as they usually do, then we’ll have an awesome crowd,” Ms. Klingenberg said. “And if we have an awesome crowd, then the U.S. women’s national team will come back. And to me, that’s the ultimate goal, and that’s what I want out of this.”
Megan Ryan: mryan@post-gazette.com, 412-263-1722 and Twitter @theothermegryan.
First Published June 24, 2015 11:24 AM
