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Rich Manning remembers when Sydney Leroux scored an overtime goal against his Utah Utes in their first Pac-12 season. He won't forget how Hope Solo stopped the long home-field winning streak of his previous school. And he's proud to have coached Alex Morgan as a teenager.
The U.S. women's national team has captured the interest of a lot of Americans by advancing to Sunday's World Cup final vs. Japan. No Utahn could feel more attached to their performance than Manning, the Utes' longtime coach. He's completely confident about a U.S. victory Sunday in Vancouver, and he recognizes the potential significance of the Americans' first World Cup title since 1999.
"This group has been in the shadow of that first generation, with Mia Hamm and the others," Manning said. "It's just been a heavy, heavy shadow and burden to bear."
The Americans can add to the USWNT legacy of '99 and create their own distinction by beating Japan. By playing an Olympic send-off exhibition game against Canada at Rio Tinto Stadium two years ago, Abby Wambach, Megan Rapinoe, Morgan and the rest of this team stirred soccer interest in Utah — notably, with me. I've loved following these players, ever since.
When I say I admire their toughness, I'm not disregarding Solo's domestic violence issues. When I say this team is attractive because the players have a lot of personality, that's not a sexist observation. They're just fun to watch, as the stunningly high TV ratings for their semifinal victory over Germany suggest.
And man, they battle out there. They showed that competitive nature throughout the game against Germany. Ute midfielder Katie Rogers marveled about how the Americans came together in the semifinals, withstanding Germany's pressure. "They have so much confidence, individually and as a team," she said.
They've played that way for a long time — in the Pac-12, in many cases. Leroux beat the Utes in 2011 by delivering the game's only goal for UCLA on the Utah campus. She's among seven U.S. players from schools in the conference, although the others' careers predated Utah's Pac-12 membership.
Manning's teams competed against Stanford's Kelley O'Hara and Christen Press in nonconference play, and he was a Santa Clara assistant coach in 2000, when Solo defeated the Broncos 2-1 as a Washington sophomore and ended Santa Clara's 32-game home winning streak.
Manning's memories of Morgan are more favorable. A decade or so ago, while coaching the Utes, Manning worked with an Olympic Development Program team that included Morgan, who's from Southern California. She was a late arrival to soccer, as an athlete who loved other sports. Her development is "incredible," Manning said. "It just goes to show you that the best players at 15, 16, 17 aren't necessarily the best players later."
Manning remembers Morgan as humble in those days, and loyal to her local club. And now she's an elite player, with skill and toughness. "She's always smiling and happy," Manning said. "You don't see that other side of her — kind of the mean killer."
This is an intriguing time for the USWNT, led by former UCLA coach Jill Ellis. Rogers appreciates how reserves and unheralded players have contributed to the team's success. Manning likes how Ellis has made increased use of younger players, and the way Morgan Brian, Julie Johnston and Meghan Klingenberg have responded.
He's been saying this U.S. team features the program's best defense in a long time, and the World Cup results have supported his belief. The rematch with Japan, which beat the Americans via penalty kicks in 2011, offers the chance for a nice conclusion to this four-year cycle.
As a soccer player, Rogers has enjoyed her conversations this week about the World Cup with "random people," previously not in tune with soccer. Undoubtedly, an element of patriotism during the Fourth of July weekend drives interest in this team, beyond sports. Yet a victory Sunday can only help promote soccer and women's sports in general.
Ninety minutes — or more — will determine this team's place in history, and in our hearts.
Twitter: @tribkurt