Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark didn’t hesitate to declare her pick for the World Cup final between Argentina and Spain when asked about it before Indiana’s 108-88 home victory over the New York Liberty on Saturday.
“I’m cheering for Argentina,” Clark said.
Her reason is simple.
”I want (Lionel) Messi,” she said.
Clark has established herself as a WNBA star. She recorded a historic 45-point, 10-assist performance against the Seattle Storm on Friday. But, before she was dropping buckets as a pro in Indiana, she was scoring goals at Dowling Catholic High School in Des Moines, Iowa.
Clark played soccer during her freshman and sophomore years of high school. Clark scored 26 goals in her first season and was the only freshman named first-team all-state.
“I loved soccer growing up, and I probably could have played in college, too, but it was hard in the state of Iowa,” Clark said on Post Moves with Candace Parker and Aliyah Boston. “Soccer was during the spring and so was AAU basketball. I was leaving for some USA Basketball stuff, and would miss part of the high school soccer season. Then I’d came back and I felt like a bad teammate, so I eventually gave it up after my sophomore year. But I loved it.”
Clark has the most career assists per game in Fever history with 8.3 per game. She credited soccer for her passing abilities.
“The best thing it did for me was obviously foot speed, but also reading angles. That’s what soccer is — getting your body in the correct angle, leading people on passing, putting the ball on the perfect spot where they can run onto,” Clark said. “That helped me as a passer, understanding angles and leading people, manipulating where I want them to go. And it helped me get in incredible shape for basketball.”
Clark received her sixth technical foul against the Liberty. If she receives two more, Clark will automatically be suspended for a game. Temper has long been a work in progress for the maturing 24-year-old.
“I got quite a few yellow cards, I know that’s probably not very shocking,” Clark said, referencing her days playing soccer. “And it was dumb — in the state of Iowa, if you get a yellow card, you got a 15-minute timeout.”
It’s uncertain how Clark’s life would’ve panned out if she had committed to soccer. But “basketball turned out OK,” she said.
Clark wanted to attend Sunday’s final, an opportunity she called “once in a lifetime,” but said it was “tough” following a back-to-back. The Fever defeated the Seattle Storm, 110-107, on Friday. They maintained their momentum and captured a victory against New York on Saturday.
For Clark, hopefully Messi achieves the same outcome and leads Argentina to its second straight World Cup.
When is the World Cup final and where can you watch it?
You can watch the World Cup final on Sunday, July 19, at 3 p.m. EST on Fox.
Where will the World Cup final take place?
The World Cup final will occur at New York New Jersey Stadium (MetLife Stadium) in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Significance of an Argentina vs. Spain World Cup final
Messi, arguably the greatest soccer player of all time, will have to defeat a well-rounded Spain team led by 19-year-old star Lamine Yamal. The young Spaniard is viewed as Messi’s heir at Barcelona. Messi played at Barcelona for 17 years. Yamal is in his fourth professional season with the Spanish club.
It’s the first time the 39-year-old Messi will face Yamal. First time on the pitch, at least. In 2007, Messi took a photo with an infant Yamal as part of a charity calendar with UNICEF.
Joshua Heron is an enterprise and Fever reporter. Follow him on Twitter at @HeronReports. Get IndyStar’s Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Caitlin Clark Fever newsletter. Subscribe to IndyStar TV: Fever for in-depth analysis, behind-the-scenes coverage and more.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Lionel Messi, Argentina has a fan in Caitlin Clark ahead of World Cup final
Reporting by Joshua Heron, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Joshua Heron, Indianapolis Star | USA TODAY Network
