20.) The Atlanta Beat Swag In the Hotel Shop. The hotel was nice enough to put some Beat merch out in its store.

19.) “It was the U.S. against the world and the world won” – Christine Sinclair after the United Nations’ emphatic win.

18.) Liquid Nitrogen Mango Margaritas. More like liquid nitrogen mango slushies with a slight kick but they were still pretty memorable.

17.) Very Nearly Asking Marta For An Autograph. And then I remembered the obvious: I didn’t bring a pen.

16.) FC Gold Pride Brings the Atmosphere. Without a doubt the most raucous fans of the night were actually the Gold Pride players who were in town for their match against the Beat on Saturday. Buehler was a particular favorite.

15.) Paul Riley’s ‘0-0!’ During Tuesday’s training session, Coach Riley’s Abby’s XI was having some difficulty finding the net. So he looked over to the folks with notepads and voice recorders and yelled out “Expect 0-0 tomorrow!”

14.) Ramona Bachmann’s Flair. She may not be a complete package yet, but Bachmann sure is fun to watch. She can even make picking up a ball look cool as she bobbled it a couple times mid-air before a throw-in.

13.) KB And Her Light Breakfast. Karen has only a tiny muffin and a tiny container of yogurt on her plate. “Is that really all you’re eating for breakfast, Karen?” She looks down as if to remind me of her phenotype before answering curtly, “Where would it all go anyway?”

12.) The 30-Second Sequence between Marta, Bachmann and Cristiane. I might need the help of replay to help recall the moment, but there was a series of passes in the second half that was pretty awesome. Marta got the ball at her feet, did like a million step overs then dished it out wide to Cristiane who did the same amount of step overs. Then Cristiane passed it to Ramona Bachmann who joined in on the act and flashed some fancy moves of her own.

11.) Marta’s Excellent English. Marta’s English is actually quite good for someone who doesn’t seem to speak publicly without the help of an interpreter. She showcased some of it while signing autographs for adoring fans and chatting with teammates in the lobby.

10.) Hope Solo’s “Robert Green” Heckle Towards Karen Bardsley. At the Pick ‘Em Event, Solo taunted KB with a “Robert Greeeeen”. To be fair, Bardsley would likely have preferred a botched save to a broken collar bone.

9.) A-Rod and Cheney’s Goals. The kids are alright. The next generation of American strikers seems to be just fine as both players scored two trademark goals. Rodriguez burned a defender with her pace and then played a chipped ball in to the far corner. Cheney met a HAO cross and powered in a header from inside the box. Hopefully Cheney can carry some of this momentum into Boston.

8.) HAO’s Moment With Bachmann. Bachmann appeared to have tried to tackle the ball away from O’Reilly and HAO didn’t take too kindly to it. The look she shot Bachmann was a classic “Ok really, you must be kidding me right” glare. Awesome.

7.) Abily et Bompastor Sont Las Meilleur Amies. Never one to brag, Camille Abily had forgotten how many goals she had scored while on loan with Paris Saint Germain in the off-season. Sonia Bompastor politely reminded Camille that she was actually among the top goal-scorers in the French Feminine Division despite only having played a couple of games on loan. Why was this? According to Camille, “It’s so easy to score in France!”

6.) Aya Miyama’s Enthusiasm. As she was warming up on the sideline, Rodriguez had nearly scored. “Let’s go, A-Wod!” Aya shouted adorably.

5.) Sonia Bompastor’s Unfailing Good Manners. After talking for a few minutes she ended the conversation by saying “I’m Sonia. Enchantee.” Yes, yes you are.

4.) Amy LePeilbet’s Unfailing Good Manners. She totally didn’t have to stop and chat while en route to Starbucks but she did anyway.

3.) The Fans. Upon asking who her favorite player was, 12 year-old Asia answered “Marta. I love the way she moves with the ball”. Her 2 year-old brother D.J. much preferred Sonia Bompastor’s hard-nosed defensive work in midfield, however.

2.) Michelle Akers! Everyone’s childhood hero made a triumphant appearance at the game. She shared an embrace with Abby and Hope pre-match. Torch. Passed.

1.) The girls. There were these two girls (13 years old maybe, 14 at the latest) who had made the trip from Greensboro, North Carolina to watch their favorite athletes play. After each player signed their homemade sign they said, “Thanks, I’m going to remember this for a lifetime”. They also managed to track Abby Wambach down and were literally crying when she gave each of them one of her cleats. This is why we do this.

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• Soccer, Sports, WPS

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