USWNT honors former captain Becky Sauerbrunn with bobbleheads, fireworks and a dominant win

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ST. LOUIS, Mo.—Former U.S. women’s national team defender Becky Sauerbrunn got a hometown hero’s welcome on Tuesday at Energizer Park ahead of, during and after the USWNT defeated Jamaica 4-0 to close out a successful international window.

Having retired from professional soccer last December after a 16-year career, the former U.S. captain returned not only as part of TNT’s broadcast crew covering this friendly, but also to receive a proper send-off.

“I’m not used to having a lot of spotlight on me for something like this, but it’s really about celebrating the people who got you here,” Sauerbrunn told reporters Monday.

For someone who’s never been entirely comfortable in the spotlight, Tuesday night must’ve been overwhelming — in a good way. Sauerbrunn was born in St. Louis and developed her game here as a budding talent until she left for the University of Virginia in 2003. Her hometown sent her off in style with a celebration that included fireworks, a very realistic bobblehead, a standing ovation and a birthday cake (she turns 40 years old on Friday — June 6) fit for a legend.

“You know you’ve made it when you’ve got a bobblehead,” U.S. head coach Emma Hayes told reporters in her pre-match press conference.

A commanding presence at center back, Sauerbrunn made 219 appearances for the U.S., anchoring the backline to two Women’s World Cup titles and Olympic gold in 2012. It’s quite a legacy for someone who never sought the spotlight. And it’s one the current USWNT squad deeply respects and hopes to carry forward.

As the team bid farewell to Sauerbrunn off the field, the next generation made sure she had no reason to worry about the future on it. Hayes’ squad delivered a dominant win, applying relentless pressure for 90 minutes, having 82 percent possession and allowing only two shots from the opposition.

Though the accomplished defender never scored for her country, she came very close two years ago at the same stadium that bid her goodbye.

On Tuesday, it was rookie Ally Sentnor who scored twice in the first half and Sauerbrunn’s close friend Lynn Biyendolo who added two more after she came on early in the second half. Meanwhile, the backline, Saurebrunn’s old territory, was anchored by captain Naomi Girma, a fitting torchbearer for the legacy she left behind.

“I know I just said nobody can (fill Becky’s shoes), but I think the next obvious person would be Naomi,” Biyendolo said. “The two things that they have in common are that they didn’t want the role, but it just found them. And I think that makes the best leaders, is somebody who just doesn’t want it, but it’s so natural at it.”

Girma, now the most expensive transfer in women’s soccer history, had a rocky start at Chelsea after joining in January, left sidelined by a string of injuries. However, she is back and delivering. With both a Women’s Super League title and the FA Cup under her belt, she is proving to be worth every penny. As former Chelsea manager Hayes put it, bringing her back “is like getting the Rolls-Royce out of the garage.”

Girma told ussoccer.com that she thinks “Becky was one of the best leaders this team has ever had.”

That kind of legacy doesn’t happen overnight.

Girma has taken on a lot of the leadership responsibility left behind by Sauerbrunn. (Visionhaus / Getty Images)

Listening to her former teammates after the match, it was clear: the trust and respect Sauerbrunn commands were built over years of grit, consistency and quiet leadership, beginning with her debut in 2008, when she earned her first cap against Canada at the Four Nations Tournament in China, playing with a broken nose.

“Becky is a legend, an icon,” Kerry Abello, who made her debut Tuesday, said after the match. “The game of women’s soccer will never be the same without her.” Abello was eight years old when Sauerbrunn debuted back in 2008. Like many new generation of USWNT players, she grew up admiring her.

On the pitch, Sauerbrunn was a tireless, dependable center back; off it, she was a steady leader who played a key role in collective bargaining negotiations with the U.S. Soccer, representing her fellow players at the table year after year, and helping the team achieve equal pay.

She was always calm and composed, even when somebody made a mistake. “Becky doesn’t get mad often, but if you mess up, like pass to the wrong player… she’ll give you this look,” Biyendolo said after Tuesday’s match. “That ‘I’m not mad, I’m just disappointed’ look. That’s the Becky look.”

Ask anyone who played alongside Sauerbrunn about the “Becky stare,” and they’ll know exactly what you’re talking about.

Hayes didn’t get the chance to coach Sauerbrunn — she took over the team in May last year — but her admiration also runs deep, especially for how the defender has shaped the next generation.

“It’s always nice when the people you leave behind talk about someone in such a way,” Hayes said. “I’ve got a locker room — not just the senior players, but less experienced players — that talk about her in the highest esteem, both as a leader and as a human being, and I don’t think you could want anything more than that in life.”

(Top photo: Bill Barrett / Getty Images)

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