World Cup Players Help WPS Set New League Attendance Record

A WPS-record crowd of 15,404 attended last night's WPS magicJack-Western New York Flash game at Sahlen's Stadium, besting the previous high of 14,832 for the inaugural league game in '09. The attendance figure was "the most for any game in any sport in Rochester since 1977." The Flash defeated magicJack 3-1 (ROCHESTER DEMOCRAT & CHRONICLE, 7/21). Streets around Sahlen's Stadium were "clogged for miles, and the lines of people waiting to get into the stadium did not dissipate until around kickoff" (ESPNW.com, 7/20).

The BUFFALO NEWS' Jerry Sullivan writes the game "was more celebration than soccer match." Most of the fans came to see U.S. women's soccer team F Abby Wambach, who plays for magicJack, "in her triumphant return from Germany." Wambach did not play due to injury and "apologized to the crowd" at halftime (BUFFALO NEWS, 7/21).