The United States Women’s National Team (USWNT), currently ranked #2 by FIFA in the world, thrashed New Zealand 6-0 this week, bringing a very enthralling end to a productive October international window. The Stars and Stripes achieved this despite manager Emma Hayes fielding the least experienced starting XI that the national team has seen in 25 years.
And ti happened at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City, which is immediately a historic venue. CPKC, an 11,500 capacity ground, opened in March of last year as the world’s first-ever stadium built just for a women’s soccer team.
Yes, it’s the home ground of the Kansas City Current, the 2025 National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) Shield winners (best regular season record). Wednesday night’s win was the first time the USWNT had ever played at the facility. The existence of CPKC, and what it stands for further cements the United States of America’s place in the world when it comes to soccer/football.
And the world has taken notice.
“I always love coming to America,” Manchester United and England left back Luke Shaw said during a media round table to RG.org. “The facilities, I can’t big them up enough. Where we’re training at the moment- it’s amazing.”
America’s place as a leading footballing/soccer country in the world, is partially due to the USWNT being the most accomplished national side in the history of the sport. On the men’s side, we’ll see the USA took another level up on the men’s side with the 2026 World Cup.
North America is hosting, as a whole, as the U.S., Canada and Mexico are all teaming up. However, America will host an overwhelming majority of the matches, and this will be another major step forward for the sport in this country.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN.