CINCINNATI (NewsNation) — With the U.S. Women’s Soccer team preparing to face Vietnam on Friday night, the city of Cincinnati is preparing to cheer on two of their own.
Goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury and midfielder Rose Lavelle both call The Queen City home, and there’s no shortage of excitement in one of the United States’ recent soccer hotbeds.
Kingsbury is making her World Cup debut Friday night. As one might imagine, her mother, Char Bledsoe, is bursting with pride.
“It’s been a long nine years of just grinding it out and not giving up and moving forward,” Bledsoe said. “But now, this is the big stage and just thinking, ‘Wow, this is her dream come true. And here it is.’”
As those who watched the last World Cup in 2019 may recall, it was Lavelle scoring the goal that put the U.S. up two-nil over the Netherlands that iced the final for the U.S. Since then, Lavelle has become a star in Cincinnati — as well as in Seattle, where she plays for OL Reign.
Vietnam is making its World Cup debut against the United States, the heavy favorites to win the tournament for an unprecedented third time.
Few believe Vietnam has a chance. The national team is very similar to Thailand, which the Americans thumped 13-0 in the opener at the World Cup four years ago in France.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
English (United States) ·