the Los Angeles area Soccer Fern The women's football team from New Zealand has been captained by Ali Riley for the last five years. Natalie Portman owns the glitzy nightclub Angel City. Women Football World Cup fans can buy New Zealand vs Philippines Tickets from our website.
She explains to Dana Johannsen why she isn't scared to speak out for what she believes in, both on and off the game, ahead of this year's Fifa World Cup. In the summer of 1999 in the United States, Ali Riley experienced a brief period in which time seemed to have stopped.
Riley, then 11 years old, could only hold her breath while watching the 1999 Fifa Women's World Cup final while crammed into the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, with 90,000 While Brandi Chastain took the crucial penalty shot, there was both optimism. The US Women's National Team would achieve historical win over China with a successful strike.
"I simply recall it being so hot and how anxious I was. One and all who was there that day still dialogs about how hot it was. It doesn't get any more dramatic than a penalty shootout, and I believe the entire stadium fell silent, recalls Riley, now 35."
"Then, it simply erupted."
Riley sat behind the goal and watched it all seem to happen in slow motion in front of her. As Chastain gently put the ball in the back of the net, she quickly tore off her jersey, spun it around, and then sank to her knees, pumping her fists in exultant triumph.
The picture that resulted, which captures an expression of unbridled ecstasy, may be the most famous portrait of a female athlete ever photographed.
For a generation of young American girls, including Riley, that moment sparked something within of them.
Riley explains that he and many other young people at the time "suddenly dreamt about doing something significant with our lives."
Riley is on the verge of a "full-circle moment" almost 24 years later. The Football Ferns captain is getting ready to captain her team in a domestic World Cup later this year after being inspired by "the 99ers" World Cup victory in her hometown.
Riley hopes the event, which New Zealand and Australia are co-hosting, will have the same impact on Kiwi children as it did on her. FIFA Women Football World Cup fans can buy Switzerland vs New Zealand Tickets from our website.
"I just really think it will impact so many different generations, for so many different reasons," says Riley, who is eligible to play for New Zealand through her Kiwi father, John. "To be able to see your national team play live in a World Cup, and all these incredible teams and global superstars of the game here in New Zealand," she adds.
We hope to see more girls playing soccer, either starting out or continuing, because that just bodes so well for how the squad might look in five to ten years. Also, it has the ability to alter how people view what women’s sport is about and what women are capable of.”
When the Football Ferns play the US team in two exhibition games this month in Wellington and Auckland, New Zealand fans will get a preview of what's to come.
With four victories apiece at the Olympic Games and the Fifa World Cup, the US is the most successful team in women's football.
Riley, though, believes that their strength is in what they have accomplished off the pitch, where several of their well-known stars have bravely taken on athlete activist positions and spoken out in support of social justice causes like Black Lives Matter and LGBTQI+ inclusivity.
In a legal dispute dating back to 2016 and 2022, the US women's national team won a US$24 million (NZ$37 million) equal wage settlement against the US Soccer Association later commanded by past master players Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan and Carli Lloyd.
In contrast to the men's Fifa World Cup in Qatar late last year, Riley anticipates players from all nations will take a leading role in speaking out on social justice concerns throughout the World Cup. Riley was inspired by what the US women had accomplished.
According to Riley, who will compete in her fifth World Cup in July, "I know the players at this tournament will be speaking out and standing up for issues and causes that are important to them, and that is something we wish we saw more of at the men's World Cup, and I think that too will inspire so many people."
"I think a lot of what I consider to be human rights is being labelled political right now, as we saw in Qatar, and people think we should keep out of it as athletes, which I strongly disagree with," the author said.
constant optimism
Riley, a player with enormous excitement and drive, has never had trouble finding her voice. She is what you may refer to as a talker. As a result of her effective communication skills, emotional intelligence, and unwavering optimism, she has been recognised as a leader wherever she has worked throughout her international career.
She led the Stanford University squad as a collegiate athlete to two National Collegiate Athletic Association semifinals and one final. She initially had the chance to play for New Zealand while she was in college after sending a highlights tape to NZ Football. She was then selected to play for the Under-20 team at the youth World Cup. Riley made her senior team debut a year later, while she was still a teenager.
Riley was a citizen of New Zealand even though she had never lived there. Her mother Beverly is an American of Chinese origin, while her father John, an economics professor, was born and raised in Christchurch before emigrating to the US after graduating.
Riley, who is now 35, has played for New Zealand in close to 150 games and has captained the Ferns for the last five years. Women Football World Cup fans can buy Women Football World Cup Tickets from our website.
She joined FIFPRO's Global Player Council recently, where she is one of 29 international players. The council provides a forum for discussion and influence over international rules, trends, and the long-term development of football.
After hopping between clubs in the US, Sweden, where her partner is still based, England, and Germany, Riley adds a distinctive perspective to the position. Her comeback to the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) in the US and signing of a contract with Orlando in 2021 were caused by Covid interruptions. The following year, she was traded to expansion club Angel City in Los Angeles.
Riley may have been annoyed by the trading system's nature, which allows clubs an invasive amount of control over players; as a result, she is adamant about pushing for its replacement. Still, it worked out in the end.
She finally had the chance to represent her city as she neared the end of her career.
The actress Natalie Portman, businesswoman Julie Uhrman, and investors Kara Nortman and Alexis Ohanian launched the glamorous club, which is changing the way that women's sport is conducted.
Serena Williams, Jennifer Garner, Eva Longoria, Gabrielle Union, Uzo Aduba, and Jessica Chastain are among the club's glittering roster of high-profile donors. The team has also seen significant financial success, bringing in more than US$35 million in sponsorship money in only one year in its first season.
With the team's mission to use sport for social impact, Riley thinks the team's values off the pitch are what make them the most valuable. The club devotes a lot of effort to helping out local organisations and is quite active in the community. Riley was prepared to assist with the hosting of a senior holiday celebration at the Los Angeles LGBT Center when Sunday magazine spoke with her just before Christmas. Riley had spent the day volunteering at a clothes drive for a women's group.
It is so motivating to be a part of something that is so much bigger than soccer and so much bigger than me as a player. In any case, you perform better when you play for something greater than yourself.
"I have been waiting for this team for such a long time, and to actually be a part of it, and to be a leader on the team, and to be given this platform to represent Asian Americans, and to talk about things that are important to me, and to not only have a platform at the club, but a sense of protection because my values align with the club's values."
"As a footballer, it can be a little intimidating to stand or kneel by oneself and speak about significant issues. This club not only supports us, but also provides us with resources and knowledge."
After a very public reckoning for the NWSL in 2021, Angel City has arrived. After allegations of discrimination, harassment, and abuse, five of the league's ten head coaches were fired or resigned in a couple of months.
Many people believe that Angel City, with its all-female leadership team and strong commitment to social reform, is the solution to the systemic cultural problems that reached a crisis point in 2021.
Riley is keen to clarify that the transformation has been driven by the players' collective voice, not by the voice of a single team.
"I hope we can set an example, but I don't think it's accurate to argue that a team with only one season of experience is the cure and will be successful. The team benefits naturally from being able to observe what has been happening in the league and attempt to do something different, but other clubs are also engaged in that activity.
I believe that [player welfare issues] are present at all levels of the game and in a wide range of nations, but in this league, the players had the courage to speak up, fight for change, and demand it.
"So, the players get the bulk of the credit, and Angel City is doing well by giving its players a voice."
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