You could see Head coach Albertin Montoya holding back tears when he looked up at the crowded press room after Bay FC’s rousing home debut.
Despite losing 3-2 in stoppage time, there were still sounds of jubilation bleeding in through the closed doors as throngs of fans stayed behind to shower his players with adoration as they walked back to their makeshift locker room.
“It felt like a win before the game and during the game,” Montoya said of the expansion side’s first game at PayPal Park on Saturday. “Eighteen thousand fans. We haven’t seen that in the Bay Area [for women’s professional soccer] ever.”
It’s true. Outside of the occasional times the U.S. Women’s National Team have played in the area, the highest level of women’s soccer had been limited to the college game and semi-professional scene up until now. Neither draw crowds like this.
“We really wanted to get that W for the fans,” Montoya said, his voice cracking. “You’re going to see so many young players inspired by the game today. It’s only going to get better.”
Not even the rain could dampen Bay FC’s big night. Before a ball was even kicked, the stadium was packed and then some, with fans pouring out onto the concourse and lawn.
From San Francisco, all the way to Sacramento—here they were, witnessing the coronation of the Bay Area’s first professional women’s soccer team that’s likely to stick around this time. One backed by more money and star power than their landlords—the San Jose Earthquakes—could only dream of mustering. After starting off as just a new logo eight months ago, Bay FC have finally arrived.
So even in a loss, there was also a win. Eighteen thousand on hand to see world record-signing Racheal Kundananji’s National Women’s Soccer League debut and electric 93rd minute goal, which nearly salvaged a point for the hosts until Houston Dash midfielder Havana Solaun chipped in a game-winning goal at the death.
“This was my first time playing in front of this many supporters,” Kundananji said. After her goal, the forward proudly draped a Zambia flag over her shoulders. The 23-year-old forward had only started training with her team last week and still doesn’t know all of her teammates’ names.
Fellow international signing Deyna Castellanos made a similar splash more than 70 minutes before, hitting the top bin to open the scoring. “That was one of the best moments of my career,” she added. High praise from someone who played for Athletico Madrid and Manchester City.
Both are a testament to the NWSL’s recent push to regain ground in the global women’s game after the last World Cup saw the USWNT overtaken by the likes of England and Spain.
This season, the league added two new expansion sides (Bay FC and Utah Royals FC) and increased each teams’ salary cap by nearly 40%. As a result, a record number of international signings and coaches have arrived, with Bay FC leading the charge.
Once the team is fully up to speed, fans might see, for the first time, a starting front three of forwards all from the African continent: Kundananji, Asisat Oshoala (Nigeria) and Princess Marfo (Ghana).
“What you’re seeing happen is a collective recognition that investing in women’s soccer is an investable business proposition,” NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman told me at halftime.
She added: “I remember when people were shocked by the [$54 million expansion fee] that Sixth Street paid for this team. But they’re looking pretty smart now, because just a year later, we’re seeing franchise values grow exponentially and there’s no reason to think that’s going to slow down.”
So forgive Montoya this time for seeing things glass-half-full. There will be ample opportunities in the future to skewer the coach for letting back-to-back games slip in stoppage time. For now, after everything he and the generations of talented Bay Area women have been through, making it to this point is a victory in itself.
“It’s about time. We’ve always had good football, just not the support,” he said.
Notebook Dump:
1.) Midfielder and San Jose-native Joelle Anderson captained Bay FC in its first ever home game. Montoya said it 100% had to do with her playing against her former team, Houston, which drafted her in 2021 out of Pepperdine.
2.) Montoya said Houston coach Fran Alonso approached him after the game and admitted that the Dash team “couldn’t stop [Kundananji] and didn’t know what to do.” The Zambian forward replaced Oshoala in the 61st minute. Imagine them starting together in the future.
3.) Despite the midfield and defense conceding three goals, Montoya said he’s actually fixated on the team making better decisions in the final third. Critics might look at the two recent losses and say the coach should have battened down the hatches but credit to him for wanting to entertain the fans.
Up Next: Bay FC hosts last year’s finalists Seattle Reign FC on April 14th after the international break.
About the Author: Kevin V. Nguyen is a business and sports journalist. He has covered soccer for The Guardian, The Sacramento Bee, and The San Francisco Standard. Follow him on Twitter @KevinNguyen_89
