Adria Vitale knew the U.S. women’s soccer team was staying at the Loews Hotel in Center City, where she works as an assistant manager of a fitness center. As much as she tried to pretend it was just business as usual, it wasn’t.
Because, for the former star soccer player at St. Maria Goretti High, there was no greater thrill.
Athletes Brandi Chastain, Julie Foudy, Aly Wagner and the rest of Team USA were in town to participate in the 2003 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Last Thursday night’s contest at Lincoln Financial Field marked the first time in 35 years that Philadelphia has hosted a U.S. soccer match.
The team’s choice of hotel ended up being a spectacular bit of serendipity for number-one fan Vitale.
She was absolutely starstruck when Chastain walked into her gym, Balance Spa and Fitness, to ride the stationary bike.
"My eyes widened and my hands started to shake," said Vitale, who was a First Team All-Catholic soccer player at Goretti.
Chastain is recovering from a broken foot, so Vitale helped the athlete tape her foot to the bike. As much as she wanted to ask the players for their autographs, Vitale had to stay professional.
Luckily, she struck up a friendship with one of the team’s head trainers, who said she could help the fan with her request. All Vitale needed to do was tape Friends and Will and Grace for the squad, who would be busy playing Nigeria at the Linc while the shows aired.
Since Vitale had a ticket for Thursday night’s game, she assigned the taping duty to her parents and younger sister, Angela. On Friday, Vitale brought the tape as promised, along with her 1999 Team USA soccer jersey. Later that afternoon, the squad presented her with her very own autographed Team USA jersey, along with official team pins and an official coin.
"It was a total dream come true," said Vitale, who also received a Team USA thank-you card for helping the players with their workouts.
Just as rewarding was watching Team USA beat Nigeria, 5-0. Vitale sat just seven rows off the field as she and 31,552 other cheering fans witnessed Mia Hamm become the all-time points leader in World Cup history.
"I love watching them play," said Vitale, who wore her number-9 Hamm jersey to the game. "There is something about each player that I truly admire. They are all my favorite players."
A current Goretti soccer player, sophomore Jamie McElhone, also was among the crowd at the Linc. She named Hamm as her favorite member of Team USA.
"She is a really good soccer player who never gives up," McElhone said.
The Thrills on Thursday night were not just for the fans. The teams had the opportunity to play in a brand-new, state-of-the-art stadium. The Linc debuted in August by hosting a soccer match between Manchester United and FC Barcelona.
When the FIFA — the governing body of international soccer — decided to move this year’s World Cup from China to the United States due to SARS concerns, it created an opportunity for the Linc to book another major event.
The World Cup, which started Sept. 20, runs through Oct. 12 with games taking place in Washington, D.C.; Columbus, Ohio; Foxboro, Mass.; Portland, Ore.; and Carson, Calif. Philadelphia hosted two opening-round double-headers, which featured Sweden’s win over Korea and Team USA’s shutout of Nigeria. The four games drew more than 100,000 fans combined.
After coming off the field, the Team USA players had nothing but positive reviews of the Linc’s facilities.
"The playing surface was great," Cat Reddick said. "Even with the football season that’s going on right now, it was still well done."
Chastain, who watched the game from the sidelines, was just as impressed.
"It’s a gorgeous stadium," the injured defender said. "I’ve noticed that the football fields are a little bit harder than the soccer fields and I think that’s because you have big guys running on them. That gets the fields a little more compact."
Now that the World Cup has left town, local soccer fans will continue watching all the action live on television. Angela Vitale is using the international competition as a learning experience.
"From watching the games, I learned how they pass and what to say to the girls when I get on the field," said Vitale, a senior who also plays soccer at Goretti.
Meanwhile, the World Cup competition has renewed sister Adria’s interest in the game. After closing out her college career at Lock Haven University last fall, the local athlete decided to take a break from soccer. But on Sunday night, Vitale came out of retirement and scored a goal in her United German Hungarian semipro league game.
She plans to keep watching Team USA’s progress, especially now that she has a personal connection.
"Go, USA!" Vitale said. "They have a great squad with a lot of depth."
