And among the team’s newest additions is Japanese star Aya Sameshima, who is leading her nation in its first-ever World Cup final.
Two other Breakers players, Kelly Smith and Alex Scott, played on England’s national team in the Cup.
The sales escalation is a welcome relief for a league plagued by low attendance - Breakers home games attract around 3,600 fans - and professional marketing firms say the teams should capitalize on the national team’s success as players return to their home fields next week.
Regardless of the outcome of tomorrow’s match, the Breakers’ World Cup players will be welcomed home with a “See Extraordinary Heroes’’ game against the Western New York Flash on July 24. The Flash features the new national team star Alex Morgan, and includes the US squad’s current nemesis, Brazilian superstar Marta.
In the gripping match against Brazil, Marta scored two goals, and was the player fouled in the controversial call that earned Buehler, a defender for the Breakers, a red card that forced the US team to finish the game down one player. It’s unclear whether members of the national teams will be playing in this game so soon after the conclusion of the World Cup.
The matchup is part of a campaign by Women’s Professional Soccer to increase ticket sales and promote the players’ accomplishments in the World Cup, being hosted by Germany. Jerseys will be auctioned and proceeds from the game will go to Boston’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer organization.
However the timing of the World Cup makes it difficult for the Breakers to capitalize on team members’ accomplishments. The women’s season is down to its final month, with only four home games left. Many players will soon be preparing for the next major international showdown, the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
So, true to their grass-roots culture, the Breakers plan to focus on the fans’ experience inside Harvard Stadium, instead of spending money on new advertising and marketing campaigns off the soccer pitch.
