Inspiring tomorrow’s soccer stars

Local soccer club cheers on Team USA, Coloradans in World Cup

BY CORINNE WESTEMAN CWESTEMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Lindsey Horan and Sophia Smith were once hardworking Colorado youngsters with dreams of playing soccer on the international stage.

Now, Colorado’s future soccer stars are cheering them on as they help represent the United States in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup this summer.

Team USA, four-time World Cup champions, kicked o tournament play against Vietnam July 22 in New Zealand, winning 3-0 thanks to two goals by Smith and one by Horan. Its next game is scheduled for 1 a.m. MST Aug. 1.

On July 21, more than 100 local soccer players, their families and supporters packed into the Goldenbased Denver Kickers Sport Club to cheer on Team USA. e attendees were especially excited to see Horan and Smith — who hail from Golden and Windsor, respectively — do so well in the game.

Golden’s Mick McManus and his wife said their oldest daughter went to Golden High School with Horan, and recalled occasionally seeing her out practicing at the Rooney Road Sports Complex.

“I love seeing all the Coloradans have success,” McManus said. “I know Golden is very proud of Lindsey.”

Eleven-year-olds Rhys Patton, Colleen Caudill and Corrine Woodrich described how inspiring it was to watch the proverbial hometown heroines in the game.

Rhys and his dad, Eric Patton, said they’ve been following other World Cup games, but it was especially fun to watch Team USA with other local soccer fans.

Rhys said one of his big dreams is to be in the World Cup, saying he knows it takes “persistence and practice” to get there.

Colleen and Corrine said they love soccer because it’s a fun sport that teaches its players a lot about life. And, thanks to Denver Kickers, they’re learning exactly what it’d take to reach the professional level.

Club Director Terry Cooke played professionally in the United Kingdom and United States, including for Manchester United, Manchester City and the Colorado Rapids.

Now, he’s been the Kickers’ director for seven years, saying the club is a “hidden gem” with a lot of history behind it. e club, which is located along West 50th Avenue in unincorporated north Golden, was founded in 1956 and is one of the oldest men’s soccer clubs in the United States, according to Cooke. In more recent years, though, the youth program has really taken o , he described.

Along with youth and adult soccer programs, the club also hosts a variety of events, like seasonal dances,

Oktoberfest and World Cup watch parties. Cooke said it’s a great way for people to socialize o the eld, so the club’s members and supporters can bond as a group.

Plus, he continued, seeing local players like Horan and Smith make it to this level will generate new interest in the sport. It’ll also inspire current players to dream bigger and work harder toward their own goals e Denver Kickers Sports Club was planning additional watch parties for July 26 and the World Cup title match Aug. 20. For more information on the club or its events, visit denverkickers.com.

— whether soccer-related or otherwise.

“It takes a lot of dedication, hard work and sacri ce,” he said of playing professional soccer.