CHESTER, Pa. -- Union rookie Eric Bird had never before requested a day off in his life when he nervously phoned head coach Jim Curtin to ask for one.
But his nerves proved to be silly. Curtin didn’t even need to hear the question before granting Bird permission to fly to Vancouver to watch his girlfriend, Morgan Brian, play in Sunday’s World Cup final.
“I was hinting at it at first and he started finishing my sentences for me,” Bird said Tuesday shortly after returning from Canada. “He was like, ‘You’ve got to go to that.’ So I’m really thankful for him letting me go.”
The long trip was certainly well worth it, as Bird was one of 53,000 delirious fans that packed BC Place to watch the U.S. women’s national team storm to a memorable 5-2 thumping of Japan and lift their first World Cup trophy in 16 years.
And, of course, it had special meaning to Bird, who watched his girlfriend of two years finish off a remarkable World Cup performance in which the 22-year-old emerged as a crucial piece to the midfield despite being the youngest player on the team.
Not that her breakout tournament ever surprised him.
“I think that she’s a person that rises to the occasion and thrives in that type of environment,” Bird said. “She’s been playing soccer her whole life. I don’t want to say it’s nothing new to her but she’s very experienced for how young she is. I was expecting her to do well.”
Bird, who’s dealt with injuries this season and has yet to make his MLS debut, met Brian at the University of Virginia, where both were soccer stars. They started dating going into their junior years and continued their relationship after college as they both turned pro this year — with Bird getting drafted in the second round by the Union and Brian going No. 1 overall to the NWSL’s Houston Dash.
Bird said watching Brian play “definitely” gives him more nerves than what he feels before his own games, especially when he watched her nasty head-on collision with Germany’s Alexandra Popp in the semifinals.
But Bird’s confidence in her never wavered and he was thrilled to see her get a chance to start in the quarterfinals after Lauren Holiday was suspended for yellow card accumulation — a role which she didn’t relinquish even after Holiday returned to the lineup and one that ignited an attack that had been dormant to that point.
“Obviously I’m a little biased,” Bird said. “But I was excited when the yellow cards happened because I knew she’d get a chance, and I knew that once she gets a chance and she’s actually playing a position that’s somewhat familiar to her, that she was going to run with it and do really great. And that’s exactly what she did.”
Bird isn’t the only Philly athlete with ties to the USWNT. Eagles tight end Zach Ertz is dating center back Julie Johnston, another one of the team’s young breakout stars, and Holiday is married to former Sixers point guard Jrue Holiday.
But, of course, the biggest Philly connection of all is South Jersey native Carli Lloyd, who reached legendary status when she scored a whopping three goals in 16 minutes to lead the Americans to the championship.
For Curtin, who has two soccer-loving daughters and a son, seeing someone from “right over the bridge” do that was a special ending to a special tournament.
“That’s something you probably dream of as a kid and can replicate in the backyard,” he said. “But then when it comes true on that stage, it’s probably a pretty amazing feeling.”
As the fact that 25.4 million viewers watched Lloyd’s heroics in the final — the second best TV rating ever for a soccer game in this country, behind only the men’s World Cup final between Argentina and Germany last year — was icing on the cake for Curtin and so many other Americans that are helping to grow the game.
“The soccer naysayer is a thing of the past,” the Union coach said. “The game is here, no matter what people say. Obviously the nationalism is a part of it and a part of people’s excitement for the sport. … The game is growing exponentially in this country, and it’s cool to be a part of the growth and to be a part of the game at this time.
“When I can bring my daughters and son to a sold-out restaurant that’s showing the women’s game and have the atmosphere it did, it’s a cool thing.”