There are few football pitches in the world with such a view: synthetic lawns on the Brooklyn docks, facing the skyscrapers of Manhattan. Behind a goal, the Statue of Liberty, behind another, the Brooklyn Bridge. Yet it is the round ball that interests most Naomi. The 7-year-old is passionate about soccer and will not miss any match of the American team in this Mondial-2019.
"I want to see the girls play on TV, but my dad does not play girls' games often," she says, looking at him defiantly. Aaron Blischer, her father, reassures her: "We are going to watch the World Cup obviously".
Half of the field is occupied by women's teams explains Nate Stuart, the head coach of Park Slope United. "Three years ago there were only 12 players in the club, now there are 200. Here boys and girls often play together, we do not necessarily separate them and we realize that there are many They are very offensive girls in the field, they cause a sensation and they impose themselves, I believe that it is good for them in all aspects of their life to be dynamic and to have confidence in them ".
On the edge of the field, Aaron Blischer does not leave Naomi eyes. The little girl started playing football early in the year and her parents soon realized that the sport had given her a sense of team spirit and endurance. "I love how they get involved in the game and how aggressive they are, they play hard!"
On the neighboring field, it is the biggest who play, coached by Hillary Unchal, an Englishwoman who compares the passion of girls for soccer here compared to her country. "It's a young sport here, so when it started, it was not a boys' sport like in Europe, girls did not have to break so many barriers to play. of previous that said it was a boys' sport.
The only downside for football fans is the unequal pay between players and professional players. Emilia Garfield, 18, is appalled. "They should be paid more, they have better results than men and they are making more money, they have won the World Cup several times and they have not even been qualified last year. that girls are better.
The players of the national team take advantage of the exhibition of the World Cup to make their claims heard. Star striker Alex Morgan, millions of social media subscribers, made the front page of Time magazine. On March 8, International Women's Rights Day, she and her teammates filed a complaint for sexual discrimination against the American Soccer Federation.
Emilia and some of her teammates will soon fly to France. Their club organizes a trip to attend the semifinals and the World Cup final in Lyon, where the girl will celebrate, she is sure, the 4th crown of the American women.