Women's World Cup Journal: American fans invade Winnipeg

Throughout my travels at the the Women's World Cup, I'll be chronicling the color and atmosphere of the tournament on the blog and in the pages of the Inquirer. For more photos, videos and anecdotes, follow me on Twitter (@thegoalkeeper) and Snapchat (jtannenwald). 

WINNIPEG, Manitoba – Many American sports fans likely only know the capital of Canada's heartland for its recently-reborn hockey team.

For the next week, though, this city will be a soccer hotbed. With the U.S. team set to play two group stages games here, the local organizing committee has long been anticipating the arrival of thousands of American fans. Sunday's opener against Australia and Friday's crucial clash with Sweden at the city's 33,000-seat stadium are both sold out.

On Saturday, the hordes made their charge over the border. The buzz was there in the pre-dawn hours at Philadelphia's airport, when a group of fans passed around Sports Illustrated's latest issue with the American team on the cover.

With no direct flights from Philadelphia to Winnipeg, the easiest connection point for many travelers was Toronto. The morning flight out of Pearson Airport was liberally sprinkled with American jerseys, t-shirts, jackets and other attire – including one fan's giant plush Uncle Sam hat.

Alas, Winnipeg offered a less-than-ideal welcome. A hard, cold rain fell throughout Saturday morning and into the afternoon, leaving the city center's wide streets mostly barren.

Fortunately, it was easy enough to pass the time by watching Lionel Messi and his brilliant Barcelona teammates cast aside Juventus in the UEFA Champions League final.

Just before the final whistle blew in Berlin, the skies started to clear over Winnipeg. The timing was perfect to jump on a bus and head across town to the stadium, which was hosting a viewing party for the Canada-China game that officially kicked off the Women's World Cup.

The event drew a few hundred fans to a grassy area outside the gates, where a big screen loomed over a collection of folding chairs. Many of those in attendance were wearing Canadian red, or gear from local youth clubs. But quite a few Americans in town to watch their team came out for the occasion too.

That became clear at halftime, when the emcee on stage asked where the crowd had come from. The response from the visitors was almost as loud as the response from the home fans.

Jeanette Garza of Houston was wearing a bright blue U.S. jersey. Never mind that it was in the heart of enemy territory – she said she was there "to support the love of the game."

A few feet away, Kevin Gathje of St. Paul, Minn., was in a cluster of fans wearing Sporting Kansas City jerseys. They had driven up from the Twin Cities earlier in the day.

"It's the World Cup, it's a world event," Gathje said.

And as he admitted, it was also a welcome excuse "to get out of the hotel."