ESPN+ has found a format that works for series that dive into the history of our favorite sports. We’ve seen it with Peyton’s Places covering the NFL, we’ve seen it with Vince’s Places covering basketball, Rowdy’s Places covering combat sports, Big Papi’s Places for baseball and even Eli’s Places which took a look at the world of College Football. Now, Abby Wambach is back as she continues to explore the world of soccer with Abby’s Places.
The ninth episode, titled “The US Versus the World,” Abby takes a look at international competition and how the United States national teams have fared against the rest of the world.
The episode opens with Wambach meeting with former US Men’s National Team player Kenny Cooper Jr. to watch the finals of the She Believes Cup. She explains how dominant the US Women’s Team has been, winning four World Cup titles since the tournament began in 1991.
Together, Wambach and Cooper talk about how important it is for young players to get a chance to see the best players in the world do their thing in person. They also talk about how the best players on the National Team are often the younger players, which gives them hope for the future.
After a brief history lesson on the US Men’s National Team’s World Cup history, including an upset of England in the 50s, Abby meets with former US keeper Kasey Keller at the National Soccer Hall of Fame. Together, they check out some of the museum’s exhibits, including both of their jerseys on display.
They discuss some of Keller’s time as a professional player before there was an MLS in the US. Keller talks about his experience playing in the Premier League and Bundesliga and how he didn’t get any recognition from American fans until he played for the National Team.
Abby then meets with Claudio Reyna, one of the greatest American soccer players ever. Together, they talk about his experience playing for the national team as well as some of the history of the World Cup. Reyna also shares a bit bout how nervous he gets watching his son play and how much worse it is for him than actually just playing a game himself.
They then take the field and reenact some of The US Men's National Team’s most memorable goals. They both prove that they’ve still got some skills on the pitch, though the reenactments are not quite as exciting as the originals. Of course, as they wrap up, they take their selfie together.
This was not exactly the most exciting episode of Abby’s Places. It wasn’t so much of a look through the history of the World Cup and other international play as it was and interview on the experiences of a few players. Until Abby took the field with Reyna, it was also just sit down interviews. It was informative, but far from the most entertaining installment of this series.
You can watch Abby’s Places on ESPN+ now. Fans can subscribe to ESPN+ for just $6.99 a month and can cancel at any time.