Before the explosion of women’s soccer, there was FC Gold Pride

The San Francisco Bay Area was once home to a dream team including Marta, Christine Sinclair, Camille Abily and Kelley O'Hara. But nobody cared enough to keep the club afloat

Running away from the cleat-melting turf at Hayward's Pioneer Stadium, the newly minted 2010 national soccer champions chanted Obama! Obama!" as they gathered around the champagne-filled coolers in the locker-room. Led by the likes of Brazil's Marta, Canada's Christine Sinclair and then-rookies Kelley O'Hara and Ali Riley, FC Gold Pride, the San Francisco Bay Area's representative in the short-lived Women's Professional Soccer league (WPS), defeated the Philadelphia Independence 4-0 in the final. As is customary for championship teams in the United States, they would be expecting their invitation to the White House soon after.

The day was 26 September 2010. On 16 November, FC Gold Pride announced they were ceasing operations because of high costs and low ticket sales.