For many people in the Malibu community, a summer vacation to Hawaii, the East Coast, Europe or a cruise to Alaska or Mexico can be the norm.
Malibu High School Athletic Director Chris Neier took a different route when he brought his family to Vancouver, British Columbia, to watch the United States play in the FIFA Soccer Women’s World Cup. It was a family vacation that they will never forget.
“It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the girls and my family to go to a World Cup, to see women’s soccer and enjoy the caliber of play,” Neier said. “The support that the U.S. gave to the women was amazing. It was a great experience and my family had a blast.”
Neier’s wife, Bobbi, grew up a huge soccer fan and played the sport during high school and college. Chris and Bobbi have raised daughters Ashley, 10, and Maddie, seven, around the sport, with both girls heavily involved in AYSO.
With the FIFA Women’s World Cup taking place just north of the border in Canada, Neier decided to take his family to Vancouver and a side trip to Whistler, British Columbia, from June 11 to 23 to experience one of the world’s greatest sports spectacles up close and personal.
The Neiers rented a house just outside of Vancouver in the small town of Kitsilano, a mere 20-minute bus ride away from BC Place Stadium, which hosted the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.
In and around the stadium were fans of different nationalities, as well as a large throng of Americans who were eager to see the U.S. women compete for their first title since 1999. The Neier family saw four World Cup games in pool play spanning three different days.
Day one featured a doubleheader with Switzerland defeating Ecuador, 10-1, and defending champion Japan nipping Cameroon, 2-1.
Then it was on to day two when the United States national team played Nigeria before a sold-out crowd of red, white and blue flag-waving American fans.
“That was really fun,” Ashley said. “All the way to the game, everybody was honking their horns.”
Dressed in their patriotic colors, the Neiers watched the United States defeat Nigeria, 1-0, on a first-half goal from star Abby Wambach, courtesy of a corner kick from Megan Rapinoe.
“It was really cool. The crowd was just screaming,” Ashley said. “It was like a wave. People from the end who saw the goal started to stand up, and then everyone else stood up. It was cool they scored that goal to secure a spot in the round of 16.”
One of the coolest moments for the Neier family occurred when Bobbi was seen on the stadium video scoreboard, her face glittered and decorated in our country’s colors. Her “15 seconds of fame” resulted in a plethora of texts and phone calls from family and friends back in the States who were watching the game live on television.
“It was the first half of the game and I look up at the big Jumbotron and I see my wife’s face there. Well, that was a TV feed of the whole game for everyone to see,” Neier explained. “My wife’s phone exploded with text messages and her Facebook was blowing up. Her whole face filled the screen. It was really cool and a great experience for her.”
Immediately following the game, the Neiers took a bus to a nearby restaurant where Neier watched his beloved Golden State Warriors win the NBA title for the first time in 40 years. The day couldn’t have gone any better.
“The highlight of the trip was when the U.S. women won their game, 1-0, and then we went to a restaurant to watch the Warriors win the NBA championship,” he said. “I’ve been a Warriors fan since I can remember.”
The trip was capped off when they watched host Canada defeat Switzerland, 1-0. Other highlights included the family running into former U.S. men’s soccer star, Alexi Lalas, and Canada’s Kadeisha Buchanan who earned the Best Young Player award for this year’s World Cup.
Meanwhile, Maddie enjoyed her time playing in the kids’ “fun zone” prior to the games.
“Everything was awesome,” said Maddie, whose favorite player is U.S. goalie Hope Solo. “The scrimmage was fun and I scored. It was like 30-0. It was me and the rest were college people. I was mostly a goalie, and I was fine with that.”
Upon returning home, the Neiers watched the United States win the World Cup with a dominant 5-2 victory over Japan.
A few days later Bobbi and Ashley drove to L.A. Live next to Staples Center to see a victory rally for the American squad.
“It was cool to see my idol, Christie Rampone, and see (Golden Ball award winner) Carli Lloyd too,” said Ashley. “I also saw the (World Cup) trophy. That was a fun experience.”
For the Neier family, it was a vacation worthy of a championship celebration.