Excitement, Disappointment for Soccer Star's Family As World Cup Ends

With the clock running out in the Women’s World Cup final on Sunday between the United States and Japan, Rob Lopez nervously stared at his television and waited.

The match was in overtime.  As the U.S. clung to a 2-1 lead against Japan, Lopez hoped his daughter, former soccer standout Stephanie Cox, might play as a reserve for the U.S. team.

Suddenly, Cox started warming up on the sideline.  Watching from his Elk Grove home, Lopez cheered.

“About time!  They must really want to win this game,” Lopez said, drawing hearty laughs from family members watching alongside him.

It would have been a perfect ending for the Lopez family—a U.S. victory and a late appearance by Cox, who played twice as a substitute in this World Cup after starting every game four years ago. 

Yet the game ended in disappointment.   Japan eventually won the World Cup on Sunday by beating the U.S. in a penalty shootout.  And Cox did not play, as U.S. coach Pia Sundhage chose a different substitute in the final minutes.

Still, Lopez and his family were excited by the opportunity to glimpse one of their own.  More than a dozen relatives representing several generations packed the Lopez home on Sunday, some wearing replicas of Cox’s U.S. team jersey.  Even her cousin, three-month-old Nathaniel Fowler, wore a pint-sized jersey with Cox’s number on the back.

Most of the family had followed Cox and the U.S. team throughout the tournament.  Jeremiah Lopez, the soccer player’s brother, tuned in for every World Cup match—even if it meant watching at work.

“I’m very proud,” said Lopez, who manages a gym in Orangevale.  “I’m always bragging about her to my employees and people at work, saying ‘that’s my sister on TV.’ ”

Paul Krieg, Cox’s uncle, also watched the match on Sunday.  The week before, he'd attended a live World Cup match in Germany and nearly saw Cox play in the Americans’ win over Brazil. 

While sitting three rows back from the field, Krieg nearly fell from his seat when it appeared Cox might enter the match.

“We saw three players get up from the bench and one had a long ponytail like her,” said Krieg.  “We were like, ‘Is it Steph, is it Steph?’  But it wasn’t.”

Going from starter to substitute hasn’t been easy for Cox, for the week of July 8.  Rob Lopez said although his daughter worked hard to make the team, it’s been difficult to watch her accept a backup role.

“I think Steph is good enough to play, good enough to start,” he said.  “It is tough for me as a dad to see her get to that level and have to come off the pine.”

Sunday’s game was the toughest for Cox’s relatives, who watched as victory slipped away from the U.S. while Cox remained on the bench.  Watching the medal ceremony half a world away from his living room in Elk Grove, Lopez finally got to see his daughter on television as the Americans accepted their awards for second place.

And though he knew Cox was probably upset by the loss, it could have been worse.

“I feel for her,” he said.  “It would hurt her more if she was in the game when they lost, but for her, it’s like, 'Well, I couldn’t help my team from [the bench].' "