Detroit welcomed the 2015 World Cup champion U.S Women’s National Team to Ford Field on Thursday night, and witnessed a 5-0 USA rout over Haiti.
But the significance of the night wasn’t found in a scoreline; it was in the 34,538 ebullient fans – the largest-ever crowd on hand to watch a soccer match at Ford Field – lending their voices in support of the world champions and the beautiful game.
It was only the fourth soccer match played at Ford Field in its history.
It won’t be remembered as the most competitive soccer the city has hosted. By halftime, U.S. was ahead of the Haitians, 3-0, and they applied unrelenting pressure from open to close.
The atmosphere of the match was another proof that soccer is a light that’s burning brightly in Detroit.
And while national matches bring national attention, the passion for soccer in the city never dims.
Le Rouge scarves and shirts were scattered among the thousands of fans on hand to watch captain Carli Lloyd record a hat trick (6′, 36′, 69′), with an addition from Christen Press (33′) and Crystal Dunn (94′).
The US opened the scoring with Lloyd’s first goal, a towering header over two Haitian defenders off a cross from Dunn, and from there the floodgates opened. In the 33rd minute, Christen Press tapped in an easy redirection off another cross from Dunn, and three minutes later, Press was tripped up in the 18-yard box, making way for Lloyd to convert at the penalty spot.
The second half was more of the same, with Lloyd securing her third goal in the 69th minute, when, much like her first goal, Lloyd powered past the Haitian goalkeeper with another header.
Dunn scored her first-ever goal in red, white & blue with the last touch of the match to ensure a 5-0 win for USA.
It was a dominant performance from the U.S. women, who head to Birmingham, Ala, on September 19th to face Haiti one more time in the team’s Victory Tour.
Whether it’s a crowd of almost 35,000 at Ford Field or 3,500 at Cass Tech, soccer in Detroit is alive. And it’s not going anywhere.
