The Women’s World Cup is underway in Germany, where Pacific Palisades resident Ali Riley has started for New Zealand in games against Japan, England and Mexico. ‘The World Cup is the biggest female sporting event in the world,’ Riley e-mailed the Palisadian-Post from Sinsheim. ‘The atmosphere is amazing and the fans are super into it. A good surprise this year is how competitive every game has been. I don’t think there is any team that does not deserve to be here.’ Riley, 23, has dual citizenship and has been on a New Zealand national team since 2006. She is also a mid-fielder for the women’s professional soccer team, Western New York Flash. ‘No one in the Southern California Olympic development program showed any interest in Ali at a young age, even when she was highly sought-after by college teams,’ said her father John Riley. ‘So the opportunity to play for New Zealand was a real breakthrough.’ Riley, who is just 5’4′ tall, played for New Zealand’s under-20 team and then on the national team at the 2007 Women’s World Cup and 2008 Beijing Olympics. ‘The international experience has really raised her game,’ John Riley said. ‘But once you play for a full national team you cannot switch.’ Riley was named the Women’s Professional Soccer 2010 Rookie of the Year, and most commentators said she would be a shoo-in for the U.S. team if she were eligible. Although New Zealand lost its first 2011 World Cup game to Japan, 2-1, this was considered a good showing because Japan was ranked fourth and New Zealand 24th. Against 10th-ranked England, the Kiwis led 1-0 at halftime before losing, 2-1, and ending their chance to move on in the tournament. Playing against Mexico on Tuesday, New Zealand trailed 2-0 before scoring in the 90th minute and then again in stoppage time to salvage a 2-2 tie. ‘While making a mark on the world stage as both a team and as an individual is always a goal in these tournaments, it is also important for us to be pioneers and help develop the game back in New Zealand,’ Riley said. ‘Girls don’t have the same soccer opportunities there as they do in the U.S. We feel that part of our job is to promote ourselves as role models and motivators so we can inspire the younger girls to reach for new heights in the sport.’ Early in Riley’s career, as a seventh grader, she was turned away by a local club team when she tried to make the switch from AYSO. Eventually making a club team, she also played for Harvard-Westlake, leading the team to the Southern Section Division I final in 2006. As co-captain of the Stanford team in 2009, Riley helped lead the Cardinals to a 25-1 record and reach the NCAA College Cup finals for the first time in school history. In 2009, she earned All- American honors and was recognized as the PAC-10 Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Riley was named the Nike International Young Women’s Player of the Year in 2006 and 2008 and the Oceania Football Confederation’s Player of the Year in 2009 and 2010. The OFC awards are based on individual performances at FIFA and OFC events, plus personal characteristics such as leadership, fair play and impact on teammates at the club and national level. ‘I plan to play soccer as long as possible,’ said Riley, who graduated with a major in psychology. ‘I am also interested in sports marketing, and maybe working for Nike or FIFA one day.’
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