“You could feel the noise,” remarked Emma Hayes as she reflected on the 32,303 fans who turned up at SoFi Stadium for yesterday’s clash against Brazil. This surprising claim comes even though the attendance doesn’t even reach 50% of the Inglewood venue’s 70,000-seat capacity—expandable to 100,240 for major events. Still, the electric atmosphere served as a huge boost for the USWNT, inspiring Hayes to send out a special request to her passionate supporters ahead of their next match.

Technically, it wasn’t the noise in such a large stadium that made yesterday’s match attendance quite a milestone figure in US Soccer’s history. Well, that’s because the venue hosted its first-ever women’s professional sporting event. The match also served as a trial run for the stadium’s new grass surface, which is being evaluated ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. As for the numbers, the figure 32,303 simultaneously stands as the second-largest attendance for a USWNT match in the Los Angeles area.

But mind you, it is after excluding the iconic 1999 Women’s World Cup Final held at the Rose Bowl. This is what left Hayes and Co. very proud of their ardent fans, who were praised for their unwavering support. “The fans in this team has always been tremendous,” Emma admitted while speaking in the aftermath of the clash.

“I said to some of the players at the end that I’m so proud that we have a team that’s so representative of the United States. I look across the crowd and there’s so many people looking at our team and going, ‘I can see myself down there.’ And I love that about us and something we’re really proud of.” added the 48-year-old.

The next match sees them again face Brazil, but at PayPal Park, San Jose this time. With fans having raised the bar of attendance in the opener, it’s only natural for the team to expect a similar atmosphere on Tuesday, April 8. In fact, judging by what exactly the former Chelsea boss is saying, it’s more than what was at SoFi Stadium!

“We’re going up north to a sellout. I’m really excited for that and feel a different type of pressure and it’s up to us to make that count against Brazil. I want the crowd to get on top of them, make it hostile for them,” urged Hayes to her fanbase, hoping their presence would make it difficult for the Brazilians to etch a comeback.

Honestly, it’s not the request but rather the person from which this is coming that we find peculiar. Then again, given the love and support fans have been showering on them, this is the least that Hayes can expect. Not to mention that it is due to the fans it helped them achieve more than just a win!

Emma Hayes and Co. expecting another record-breaking match vs Brazil!

A minute opener from Trinity Rodman, courtesy of Alyssa Thompson, and an hour-mark penalty scored by Lindsey Heaps, after a foul won by Lily Yohannes was enough for the American ladies to secure a victory. But with this result, USWNT has managed to achieve far more than they could have imagined. For starters, this marked their ninth straight triumph against Brazil, which turns out to be the longest streak that any team holds over the South American side.

Then again, not all stars were lined up in favor of the US. Despite the defeat, Brazil secured a peculiar feat against Emma Hayes and Co., winning possession in the attacking third 10 times in the first half alone. In fact, only two teams have managed more in an entire match against the Stars and Stripes ft. ladies over the past decade.

This is something that the 4x World Champions would be looking to change in the next fixture. Simultaneously, eyes also remain on Brazil as they will be looking to finally break the pattern of having the upper hand that the US has over them. Either way, one thing is clear; expect it to be an interesting game!