A brave new era dawned today in Atlanta when the Beat, Atlanta's entry in the new WUSA - Women's United Soccer Association - played its first ever match in front of 20,000 enthusiastic, LOUD fans under the hot Georgia sun.
Sure, the match ended in a 0-0 draw, but as a soccer fan knows, 0-0 doesn't equal boring. There were many things to watch for. One, of course, was to watch Brianna Scurry play against people she had been playing with for years on the U.S. national team. Another was Atlanta forward Sun Wen going against New York goalkeeper Gao Hong. Unfortunately, since Sun was still nursing injuries, she only played 10 minutes. In those 10 minutes though, she show her ball skills, thrilling the crowd who strongly supported her (despite how recent the events with the Chinese in the South China sea still were). Once, she did run on Gao. For them, however, it was nothing new as though they played together on the Chinese national side, they played on different teams in the Chinese domestic league.
It is tough on offenses early in the season. It is clearly easier to organize a defense more quickly than offense. Atlanta's defense looked rock solid, despite no widely recognized names amongst its members. Could this be Atlanta's version of the "No Name Defense" that stops everything that comes at it? Only time will tell.
Offensively, while they looked tentative, Sawa Homare looked in good form. She made some nice runs and took a lot of shots (some that I thought were a little far out). However, early in the season, it may not be a bad idea for her to take some shots. Cindy Parlow looked a bit tentative at times, but she showed that she is a talented soccer player and not just there because of her size and strength. Charmaine Hooper was all over the offensive end of the field wrecking havoc. Just how I love to play up front. I think I am going to like her.
All in all, I loved it. It is a wonderful experience and a great place to bring a family. Really, there were only two things I was NOT happy with. The long lines for drinks on "Beat Street" and the music on the aforementioned "Beat Street" from a local radio station. I didn't think it was appropriate considering the young age of many of the fans.
This was a very auspiscious beginning, both for the Atlanta Beat, and the WUSA. Hopefully the Beat will go on and get a goal next week against Philadelphia.