TAMPA -- Olympic gold medalists. National team players. World Cup veterans. All at Riverfront Stadium.
Sunday's crossover match between the USL Super League's Tampa Bay Sun and NWSL's Gotham FC is quite the exhibition of women's soccer talent.
With several players boasting NWSL experience, the Sun are eager to give more of their roster an opportunity to compete against the powerhouse that Gotham has become. The team made the NWSL semifinals last season and won it all the year prior.
Gotham's roster features Rose Lavelle, Tierna Davidson and Emily Sonnett, who were on the Team USA gold-medal squad in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The Sun's Erika Tymrak claimed two NWSL championships with the Kansas City Current and was named the league's rookie of the year in 2013 -- also the NWSL's inaugural season -- before going on to play with the Utah Royals and Orlando Pride.
Tymrak noted the impact that the NWSL has already had on American soccer, highlighting why this matchup is important to a first-year team such as the Sun.
"You're looking at stadiums that are sold out, you're looking at the pay gap finally being closed, and players getting more exposure when it comes to advertisements and marketing," Tymrak said in reference to the NWSL opening doors for women.
The NWSL, which expanded to 14 teams in 2024, set a record high in average attendance last year (11,250), according to the Sports Business Journal, while also surpassing 2 million total in the regular season for the first time.
The league also signed a new collective bargaining agreement that increased the salary cap. The minimum annual salary for NWSL players will go from $48,500 this year to $82,500 by 2030. And while no one in the NWSL is raking in Messi money, a dozen or so players were making $250,000 or more in 2024.
The USL Super League debuted last August with eight teams, with multiple cities already tabbed for the first wave of expansion. The league's minimum annual base salary is in line with the minimum the NWSL offered in 2024, around $38,000.
Tymrak emphasized the importance of having access to multiple women's leagues in the United States.
"Some players aren't in the position to go move their entire life across the world, so having another league here gives more opportunity for homegrown players," she said.
Sun team captain Jordyn Listro played in the NWSL beginning in 2020, competing for the Orlando Pride and Kansas City Current.
"I'm definitely excited about the game, I think it's a great crossover," she said. "It's a great opportunity to showcase our talent and to be able to compete against them."
Gotham won its first NSWL championship in November 2023. Midfielder Domi Richardson spent six seasons with the club before signing with the Sun.
"I'm excited to play against (my friends) and bring a good game to Tampa. It's a big opportunity for us," Richardson said. "We just expect to compete and have a high level from both sides and bring energy to the stadium and have a good showing."
On Wednesday, a friendly between the USL Super's League's Fort Lauderdale United FC and Gotham displayed that high level of competition the two leagues offer with a close result; the NWSL squad prevailed, 2-1.
A new addition to the Sun, Parker Goins, played with the NWSL's Racing Louisville FC and said Sunday's matchup gives her a chance "to work hard and prove why I should be on the field, whether it's coming off the bench or starting."
The game sets the Sun up for the rest of their spring slate, as they aim to make a playoff push.
"We're using (the matchup) as a stepping stool for the rest of the season," Goins said.