SUNSHINE

fifty-five

It was their first home game of the 2023 season, and the fans showed up, almost every seat in the stadium full. Eventually the starting eleven took the field, the Pride on the other side of the Wall where her father and her boyfriend were sitting. It would be great during the second half to be on that side, for if they went down, the hype of the Wall was behind them in a supporting manner. She huddled with her back four, which consisted of Pressley, Kennedy, Sonnet, and Pickett. They discussed tactics and broke, getting lined up for the initial kick-off whistle, and when it came, it was finally game on at Exploria Stadium - and it was going to be a good one.

It was only about fifteen minutes into the game before Radcliffe faced her first shot on goal. O'Hara had gotten up the field and made a cross in, but too far from her to come out a snag from the air. Jonsdottir was on the other end of the ball, one-timing it from twenty yards out. She watched the forward's hips as she came into contact with the ball, and she was already moving to try and make the save off the upper ninety shot that was coming to her left side. She got fingertips on the ball, able to push it off the crossbar and back into play. She landed on the ground as the ball fell for Press at the top of the eighteen yard box circle, and she fired to the right side of the net before Kennedy could get a solid clearance. Radcliffe scrambled, getting into a full stretch and getting the ball in her hands right on the goalline before it hit the inside netting. She was finally able to take a breath as she got to her feet, Sonnett patting her back as she took the ball up to the edge of the box, rolling it outside to Pickett. She was getting a loud ovation from the home crowd for her heroics, and she could not help but smile.

It was great to be back playing in front of Orlando.

--

As the months went on, Casey and Alessio were as busy as ever. Casey was in and out of training with both the Orlando Pride and US Women's National Team as they geared up for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup in Australia. Alessio was busy with his corporation as well as running Howl at the Moon, having to go in every weekend in the evening. During the week it was not as busy, so he did not bother going in, but every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night, he usually was not home until just after five in the morning. Casey did not mind though, for most weekends she was home or away playing soccer with her club team, so she did not see him much anyhow. They made sure they had date night at least once a week to catch up with on another.

It was finally May, and they were heading into their last national camp before their send-off series against Mexico, Costa Rica, and New Zealand. It was finally nice enough to travel anywhere in the United States for games, so they would be playing against Mexico in Pittsburgh, Costa Rica in Kansas City, and New Zealand in San Francisco, and from there they would be traveling to Australia to settle in. She was bummed they were not playing in Orlando at all, but she was excited to finally be going to a World Cup. She had just missed the cut in 2019, but now she was starting, and she could not wait.

Her phone started ringing the morning she was supposed to be leaving with Emily and Alex to head to Pittsburgh. Alessio groaned, not wanting her to move, but she looked at her watch and saw it was a representative from US Soccer, Neil Buethe to be exact.

"I've got to take this babe." She groaned as she sat up, getting her phone from the nightstand. Alessio's arm still hung around her as she sat up, pressing the green button and putting it up to her ear. "Hello?" She greeted.

"Hey Ms. Radcliffe, Neil Buethe here. Sorry if I'm catching you at a bad time, I know it's early." Neil said on the other end of the line, and she sighed.

"No, no you're fine." She chuckled softly, running a hand through her hair. "What's up?"

"I just wanted to catch you before you were on the plane here to Pittsburgh. I'll get straight to the point. FOX Soccer wants to do an interview with you when you land, you up for it?" He told her, and she squeezed Alessio's arm, waking him up.

"Do you know what about?" She asked, looking at Alessio. He was now awake and intrigued with whatever conversation was happening.

"I have no clue, Rob Stone just sent me an email asking if they could get you." He answered. "So?"

"Uh, yeah, sure! Just let me know whatever information and stuff I need." She agreed, and she heard Neil typing away at a keyboard.

"I'll email it to you now. You'll have time to go to the hotel and get situated before you head over though, so don't feel you need to rush out of the airport when you land." He explained, and Casey smiled.

"Alright, cool. I'll see you when we land." She said, bidding farewell and hanging up, tossing her phone onto the bed in front of her.

"What was that about?" Alessio instantly asked.

"I apparently now have an interview with FOX Soccer when we land, and I have no clue what about. I've never done one of these, not with a big name broadcasting company anyways." She responded with a chuckle, rubbing her eyes. "Well I'm awake now."

"You'll be fine, sunshine. Just be yourself, they can't hate you." He told her, and she chuckled, pushing him playfully before getting up out of bed. "Where are you going?" He groaned.

"I've got to get in the shower. I'm supposed to leave in an hour and a half, and we've been laying here since we got up two hours ago." She answered with a laugh. He sighed rather loud, overexaggerating his mood toward the idea of her leaving the warmth of their bed. He knew he had to get up and going too, for he was driving all three of them to the airport so they would not have to worry about leaving a car at the airport for the next month or two.

She was in and out of the shower, then got completely ready, putting on her usual makeup before packing it along with the rest of her bathroom products she would be bringing with her. She double checked she had everything packed, and she made sure she had a couple more formal outfits as Alex had suggested. After she made sure she had everything, she changed into some USA attire, putting on a pair of Nike shorts with their World Cup shirts that everyone had received when they were named to the roster. She put on her USA jacket over, which had her last name vertically down the back very small near the back of her neck, and again under the USA crest that was over the left breast. This was one of the only times Casey actually packed a suitcase, but she still had her backpack with the essentials in it. They loaded everything into her Jeep, since his truck was only a two door with no room for other passengers, and of course he had to get a picture of what he called his 'future world champion', which she hoped was going to be true. She said goodbye to her fur baby, giving Atlas enough kisses to last a year.

"Before we go pick the other two up, I just want to say how proud I am of you and how much I love you, and I'm really sorry I'm not going to be able to make it at all." He told her before she got in the passenger seat. She gave him a big, tight hug.

"Babe, it's alright, really. I love you too, and I'm sure you'll be my number one supporter from right here." She told him, and he kissed her deeply.

"I definitely will." He said when he pulled away. He pecked one more kiss against her lips before opening the passenger door for her.

"We're taking my car. You really think you're driving?" She asked, taking the keys from him and skipping around to the other side of the Jeep, getting into the driver's seat. He stood there for a second as the vehicle started, Casey's music playing instantly. "Well come on!" She encouraged, and he laughed, hopping into the passenger seat to go with her to pick up Alex and Emily.

This was the beginning of what she hoped to be a very fun summer.