This browser does not support the Video element.
ORLANDO, Fla. (FOX 35 ORLANDO) - A mural of U.S. Women’s National Team Players Alex Morgan and Ashlyn Harris now decorates downtown Orlando as part of a new U.S. Soccer campaign.
The “WNT Everywhere” campaign wants to increase the visibility of the 23 players on USA's 2019 Women's World Cup Team. The goal is also to encourage people across the country to support them as they head to the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup in France this summer.
Local artist Samantha Shumaker was commissioned by U.S. to paint a mural of Morgan and Harris on the side of the Seacoast Bank building in Orlando.
“I wanted to make them look like superheroes,” she said. Shumaker said she painted the mural in a week and used an abstract concept to capture the players. “Soccer is a very high energy sport so I wanted to capture that high energy… I wanted to get the colors and also get lightning bolts to represent that,” she described.
Shumaker is one of 11 female artists across the country who were commissioned to paint murals of the players. Murals were also painted in San Francisco, Cincinnati, Philadelphia, New York City, Denver, Chicago, Los Angeles, Portland, and Atlanta.
Each city represents a meaningful place for players, such as a players’ hometowns, club team locations, or college towns. Harris, a Satellite Beach- native, and Morgan were featured in the Orlando mural because they both play for the Orlando Pride.
The players recorded special video messages for the campaign which can be unlocked when someone uses the new U.S. Soccer app and scans the USA Soccer crest next to the murals.
The U-S Women’s National Team hopes to win its 4th overall and 2nd consecutive World Cup title this summer.