Local families cheered on U.S. Women's Team in Canada

The girls hoped they would stand out — and they did.

As the five girls from West Orange County took to the streets of Winnipeg, Canada, they distinguished themselves from the other supporters of the United States Women’s National Team by going in red, white and blue from head to toe. They donned T-shirts, scarves, headgear and necklaces, but it was likely the red, white and blue tutus that did trick.

For Isabel and Olivia Nuetzi and friends Callie, Reilley and Rymer Rizzo, watching the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup on television just wasn’t going to cut it. 

Instead, parents Tracy and Jim Nuetzi and Tracey and Bill Rizzo took the five girls north of the border, where they took in four matches — including two featuring the girls’ beloved U.S. Women’s National Team — during group play between June 8 and 15.

So, when they donned their all-American attire on one day in particular, the five local girls became magnets for attention, with photographers from ESPN W and Getty Images asking for photos to capture the girls’ enthusiasm.

“It was really excited because a lot of people were asking to take pictures of us because we were all dressed up,” said Isabel Nuetzi, 13. “It was really cool to be able to go and support our country. … It was really cool, also, how there were so many USA fans there.”

The trip was the culmination of the girls’ growing love for soccer — but they weren’t the only ones who were excited about it.

“The minute I heard it was in Canada … it got on my radar,” Tracy Nuetzi said. ”I’m like a crazy sports fan, anyway, and we just came up with the idea that we were going to dress them from head-to-toe in red, white and blue. … (The girls) were just amazed with the whole atmosphere (in Canada).”

The Rizzos and Nuetzis live near one another — the Rizzos in Keene’s Pointe in Windermere and the Nuetzis in Windsor Landing in south Ocoee — and have grown as friends, in part, because of their girls’ love for the game of soccer. The families, who were on vacation together last weekend, watched as a group as the United States topped Japan, 5-2, in the World Cup Final. 

The girls play soccer competitively and also share a healthy obsession with their heroes of the pitch. Tracy Nuetzi said her girls have, on a few different occasions, been able to meet members of both the women’s national team and the men’s team. The general accessibility and friendliness of the stars from both teams — the girls have met goalkeeper Hope Solo, Alex Morgan and the men’s team’s Michael Bradley, among others — has helped foster their passion.

“They can name every woman on the team and tell you their number,” Tracy Nuetzi said. “They got (to see the players) up close, and they became frenetic about (the team) — they loved everything about it.”

In addition to seeing the two matches involving the U.S., the two families took in two other matches during Group D play. While the crowd and people milling around the stadium were mostly there to support the United States, there were pockets of supporters from Sweden, Nigeria and Australia, which gave the girls some cultural exposure, also.

“The people from Nigeria, they had all these drums and they would play the same song (throughout the match),” said Olivia Nuetzi, 10.

The stars of the team, including Carli Lloyd — who scored a hat trick during the final on Sunday and led the team throughout the tournament — have become role models for young girls such as the Rizzos and Nuetzis. In a sports landscape largely dominated by male athletes, it has been a welcome addition to longtime women’s soccer and women’s sport supporters to see the women’s national team capture the attention of the nation.

“It’s the most amazing thing, and even the male athletes are tweeting about it and saying all these wonderful things,” Tracy Nuetzi said. “It’s empowering.”

For a young player such as Isabel Nuetzi, a student at Gotha Middle School, the girls are an inspiration of what she could accomplish one day.

The girls agreed the experience of traveling to Canada was unforgettable, and they were struck by how many people had converged on Winnipeg for the games. 

The 15.2 rating that the final received showed the girls weren’t alone in their enthusiasm. It was an overnight rating that bested some of the ratings for contests in the most recent NBA Finals, Stanley Cup Final and World Series.

And, although few expect soccer to overtake the NFL anytime soon, soccer giving football a run for its money one day is something young Olivia wouldn’t rule out.

“I think one day, instead of having football be America’s most watched sport, I think it will be soccer,” Olivia said.

Contact Steven Ryzewski at [email protected].