BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. u2060-- Nearly an hour after her Chicago Red Stars team defeated the North Carolina Courage 2-1, once she'd finished signing autographs for the hundreds of fans who stayed long after the last whistle to meet their heroes, two-time World Cup champion Morgan Brian let the media in on a little secret: Women's soccer in America is so much more than just a sport.
"It's a movement," Brian said. "Women are a force, and we're creating a movement."
Tough to argue with her on a record-breaking night at SeatGeek Stadium, where 17,388 turned up on Sunday to welcome 12 World Cup competitors back to their National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) teams, including eight members of the champion U.