For the first time since 18,000 fans packed PayPal Park to see Bay FC’s inaugural game on March 30, the women’s professional soccer team will return to action in San Jose on Sunday night.
The club will host Seattle Reign FC for a 5 p.m. kickoff that will be broadcasted locally on NBC Sports Bay Area and streamed for free on NWSL-plus.
Here are four questions ahead of Sunday night’s match:
1. Will Bay FC continue to show an improved attack?
For the first time, Bay FC will be with its full roster of attacking superstars as Racheal Kundananji, who was acquired for a world record transfer fee of $800,000 from Madrid CFF in February, is expected to make her first start for the club.
She debuted as a substitute during the club’s first home game two weeks ago, when she scored the game-tying goal in stoppage time before Bay FC gave up a heartbreaking goal in the final moments to lose to the Houston Dash, 3-2.
Bay FC has scored four goals in three games, and each game they’ve looked more and more creative on the attacking end. They dominated most of their last match while holding nearly 60% possession.
“My philosophy is to enjoy this beautiful game, enjoy having the ball and express yourself,” head coach Albertin Montoya said. “Let’s go forward, let’s attack, and respect each other. That’s something the team has done very well. They truly enjoy being around each other. That’s going to help us down the road.”
2. Can they hold a lead?
After three games, Bay FC is 1-2, with both losses coming in the final minutes of games they once led.
They’ve scored first in all three games and have played phenomenal in the first half, using a counter press to try to win back possession as soon as they lose the ball rather than retreating into a defensive position. It’s been very effective, but it’s also put an emphasis on fitness, and the players have tired out by the end of games.
3. Four players were away from the team for the last two weeks; what impact will that make?
Montoya hinted that he might use a different starting lineup on Sunday to reward some of his players who stayed with the team the last two weeks, while the NWSL had an international break to allow players to perform for their countries.
Four Bay FC players, including Asisat Oshoala, Racheal Kundananji, Savy King and Scarlett Camberos, were playing for Nigeria, Zambia, the United States and Mexico, respectively, during the international window. Oshoala and Kundananji helped their respective countries qualify for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
While those four players missed nearly two week’s worth of training sessions, Montoya said other players stepped up and he might reward them with additional playing time on Sunday.
“Those are tough decisions,” he said.
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4. How many fans will show up to PayPal Park?
To sell out a women’s soccer game with 18,000 people opened some eyes in the local soccer community, where many folks had seen previous renditions of women’s professional soccer in the Bay Area that would lure no more than a few thousand people to a big match.
Veteran right back Caprice Dydasco has played professionally for nearly a decade and said she’s never seen anything like it.
“I think this is the first team where I felt like people know about us, and they recognize us around the city, which is really awesome,” she said. “I remember my first couple of years playing in Washington D.C., I would go to a local coffee shop and they’d be like, ‘what is that, are you guys a club team?’
“To see people at the farmers market and even at the game in the stands, people wrapping themselves in Bay FC gear, I think that’s really cool. They’re proud of being a part of this club and proud of what we are putting out there. And I think as long as we keep improving and making the games memorable, fans will keep coming out, and it will only get better.”
As of Saturday, tickets were still available for Sunday’s game for as low as $13 for standing room only and $17 for reserved seating.
The club will be celebrating “Women’s Empowerment Night,” with former Facebook CEO Sheryl Sandberg, a Bay FC board member and strategic investor, expected to be in attendance for a pregame speed-networking event from 4 to 4:30 p.m. PT.
Bay FC will honor women-owned businesses and women in sports throughout the evening.