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Philippines stuns New Zealand for first-ever World Cup win. Its heroes? Californians

Jul 25, 2023

AUCKLAND, New Zealand — One short decade ago, the Philippines women's national team was a certified soccer minnow. It trained in mismatched kits on chewed-up fields and often didn't even qualify for qualifying tournaments. It exited the 2013 Southeast Asian Games with zero goals scored and nine conceded to Vietnam and Myanmar. It soon went idle for over a year, without a coach, amid allegations that stolen credit cards were used to book players' plane tickets.

All of that, and more, was the context for a stunning Women's World Cup upset Tuesday: Philippines 1, co-host New Zealand 0. It framed the joyous tears and unbridled celebrations that greeted the final whistle. Goalkeeper Olivia McDaniel punted the ball skyward, then cried. Goalscorer Sarina Bolden, flanked by teammates, streamed onto the field in ecstasy.

And in Illinois, at around 2:30 a.m., the team's original architect, Butchie Impelido, went bonkers.

Source: Yahoo Sports

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