![]() ![]() The malls filled again for Sunday’s Group A finale against Norway. “That's ultimately why we play,” Bolden said Sunday. ¿Quién hubiera imaginado que en 2015 en un centro comercial iban a poner una pantalla para ver la transmisión de un Mundial Femenil? ¿Quién iba a imaginar que iba a ser de fácil acceso, ver un Mundial Femenino?Įsto no para □□ /1SIaB4nnyP They exploded when Sarina Bolden scored the nation’s first-ever World Cup goal and clinched a stunning 1-0 win over New Zealand. Manila’s malls - which are less shopping centers, more so gathering places - filled for watch parties. ![]() And this month, that’s exactly what they did. They dreamed of qualifying for a World Cup, and capturing the imagination of a basketball-crazed nation. Many followed Long’s lead, and made it their mission to serve the country however they could. The national team, though, allowed them to reconnect. At the very least, they’d grown up disconnected from the land their family calls home. The roster began to fill with players who, to some, didn’t look or sound Pinay. “It's the pride and honor you have to represent your country anywhere,” Long said. By 2019, the national anthem would bring those tears to her eyes. She overcame injuries to dedicate massive chunks of her life to Filipino soccer. She moved to Manila and obtained dual citizenship. She’d joined the national team around 2016 and dove head-first into Filipino culture. Just overflowing gratitude for the support of pinoys who filled the Eden Park Stadium in Auckland New Zealand □□❤️ #FIFAWWC /TYszYN7yaJ She spoke about Camille Rodriguez, and Patrice Impelido, and Belay Fernando, and Buda Bautista, and others.Įmotional co-capt Hali Long. She gushed about Inna Palacios, “my best friend, my partner, my captain,” a reserve goalkeeper left off the World Cup roster, one of many homegrown players displaced by Filipino Americans. ![]() Before it could choke her, she rattled off names of former players and coaches. That’s when emotion welled inside Long, the Missouri-born daughter of a Filipina mother. She recalled the women who’d built the Philippines national team into what it was, so that she and dozens of other foreign-born recruits could build it into what it now is. Long, their captain, sank to her knees, and bowed her head, and cried - “but it was happy tears, proud tears,” she said.īecause she recalled the days when support for the team was scarce, when training gear and sometimes even soccer balls were non-existent. The loss saddened them, but didn’t sap their spirit. They gathered outside the team’s hotel hours before kickoff, then saluted players even after a 6-0 loss to Norway, which eliminated the Filipinas from the 2023 World Cup. They gathered at malls in Manila, or at homes in Missouri, to watch the Philippines women’s national team. It concluded here at Eden Park on Sunday in front of 30,000 screaming Filipino fans and likely millions more watching on TV. It began years ago with the Women’s World Cup impossibly distant. AUCKLAND, New Zealand - Tears began to trickle down Hali Long’s cheeks as her mind raced back in time, to the start of a magical journey. ![]()
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