Becky Sauerbrunn didn’t want the spotlight.
She didn’t want the recognition, or the thousands of eyes trained directly on her as she stood at midfield with her arms clasped behind her back moments before kickoff Tuesday night. But this was her first game in her hometown of St. Louis in eight years—a chance to celebrate her long and decorated career with the U.S. Women’s National Team. And on this occasion, 22,294 adoring fans had descended upon CITYPARK eager to love her.
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“I really didn’t want to be celebrated,” Sauerbrunn said. “But I was reminded by somebody that it’s not about me. It is about everyone else that made me me. It’s about my parents, my brothers, my JB Marine club coaches—all of these people … seeing that ‘Oh, it was really worth it.’”
St. Louis saluted Sauerbrunn before, during, and after the United States’ 1-0 exhibition victory over the Republic of Ireland, as U.S. Soccer took the night to recognize Sauerbrunn for making 200 career appearances with the national team. Although Sauerbrunn may have been initially reluctant to be the center of attention in her return, it was clear how much the evening meant to her as she soaked up the cheers and applause during an unforgettable night at the new stadium in Downtown West. Homecoming queens don’t elect themselves, after all.
The upcoming World Cup is likely to be the last for the 37-year-old. Accordingly, U.S. Soccer did its part to make Tuesday feel like an important event. Before the match, a video played on the stadium’s big boards showing Sauerbrunn’s United States and Portland Thorns teammates talking about how much she’s meant to them as a player and as a person.
“As a leader, she is incredibly approachable; just a really well-rounded human,” said Tierna Davidson, an understudy of Sauerbrunn.
Remarks like that underscore how Sauerbrunn has meant so much to her teams. Her two World Cup titles, the Olympic Gold medal, the four National Women’s Soccer League Defender of the Year awards, and her 216 international appearances are all enormous accomplishments. And yet, Sauerbrunn has just as importantly demonstrated her value as a leader at every stop.
“Every time I’ve worked with Becky, I have appointed her—or helped appoint her—as captain of the team,” U.S. head coach Vlatko Andonovski said. “The reason why is because I trusted her, and I trust that she can lead the team to success. She knows how to lead the team. She knows how to help the players. I was very happy that she was able to celebrate her 200th cap in her city, in St. Louis. Even though the plan was for her not to play in the second game, we instrumented something because a legend like Becky deserves that.”
Sauerbrunn’s rapport with U.S. fans, too, was apparent every time her name was called Tuesday. An electric crowd at CITYPARK eagerly cheered for her from beginning to end. After she hit the crossbar on a header stemming from the first corner of the match, the building nearly erupted. On the field, Sauerbrunn’s homecoming was brief. She played only 30 minutes as the U.S. coaching staff tried to evaluate other, less established players ahead of looming World Cup roster decisions. But it still felt like an ideal send-off ahead of what is likely to be her final World Cup this summer.
Sauerbrunn stopped a few Ireland passes into the final third, making critical interceptions and illustrating why she’s still one of the world’s best defenders. After subbing out to a loud ovation, Sauerbrunn waved to the crowd before accepting a few hugs and high-fives as she walked to the U.S. bench.
“It was really special,” Sauerbrunn said. “That crowd tonight was unbelievable. It’s such a pleasure to play in atmospheres like this. To have it be my hometown—to have my moment where I can say thank you and goodbye—it was nice. I’ve been watching the CITY games on TV, but to play here and to hear the St. Louis American Outlaws, the crowd, the chants; it was truly a special environment.”
And a deserving send-off, indeed—especially after everything Sauerbrunn has done in her career. That includes traversing the U.S. domestic league gauntlet, helping to build the early history of the NWSL, and even playing a role in the initial NWSL collective bargaining agreement. Her role in U.S. soccer history—at all levels—is hard to overstate.
“My first games on the national team, we were getting maybe 8,000–10,000 fans and playing wherever they would put us,” Sauerbrunn said. “Now, we are playing on the most beautiful pitches in the world day in and day out, with great training facilities and the investment that we are getting. … Of course we had to fight for a lot of it, but the growth of the game is very visible now when you watch the games.”
Sauerbrunn’s contributions will be something she reflects upon proudly once her career is complete. For now, there’s still more story to write. In St. Louis this week, she began writing one of her final chapters. There was even time for a long-awaited and much-appreciated dinner with loved ones on Sunday night.
“My favorite place in St. Louis,” Sauerbrunn said, “is my mom’s house.”
