When word got out he was opening a soccer store in Solana Beach, Brian Enge heard from a local soccer enthusiast who said she’d liked to invest in the business.Kind of like Taylor Swift calling up a local garage band and asking if they needed a singer.Talk about an easy decision for Enge, who on Wednesday afternoon saw the Alex Morgan effect up close when some 25 lottery-winning girls from five local soccer clubs lined up outside the Soccer Post store, eager to meet the Wave and U.S.
“I just loving seeing the next generation come here today and just feel a little more inspired,” said Morgan, whose San Diego foundation will get some of the store’s proceeds during the upcoming World Cup. “You look at Sophia Smith, Naomi Girma, Trinity Rodman, Ashley Sanchez — that’s just to name a few,” Morgan said of four NWSL players who are, in order, 22 years old, 23, 21 and 24. “These players have come in and dominated both at the club and the international level. That is an important piece to us performing well at the World Cup and us having a complete picture.”
Morgan praised the growth of leagues in Europe and also Mexico, though Mexico won’t be one of the 32 countries participating this summer. She noted that in March, England’s top women’s league signed a broadcast rights deal with the BBC and Sky Sports. According to the Guardian newspaper, the payoff of about $10 million per year made it the biggest broadcasting deal for any women’s soccer league.