Hansen helped with jersey sales as 19,203 people made their way into Rio Tinto Stadium on Saturday afternoon for the Royals’ inaugural home match against the Chicago Red Stars. The sellout crowd obscured the red stadium seats, turning the venue yellow for the first time.
“Kudos to Utah for showing up and supporting us,” Royals captain Becky Sauerbrunn said after the 1-0 loss to Chicago. “I think it was something special today. I feel like I was part of something special. It was disappointing that we didn’t get the win to add to the wonderful day, but to play in front of a crowd like that, this is why we play soccer.