As World Cup approaches, work remains for gender equity in women’s soccer

• June 30, 2023

LOS ANGELES — With less than a month until the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, the excitement from fans is real.

The popularity of women’s soccer has exploded in the past decade, but for many within the sport, there is still work that needs to be done in order for women’s players to reach an equitable space with their male counterparts.

On Thursday, BMO hosted a gender equity in soccer panel at BMO Stadium that included Angel City forward Christen Press, former USWNT head coach and current president of the San Diego Wave FC Jill Ellis and BMO head of loyalty and sponsorship marketing Sonya Kunke. Former USWNT defender Danielle Slaton moderated the discussion.

The panel discussed the issues surrounding women’s soccer and the strides that have been made to make the sport more global.

Women’s soccer at the national level has sustained viewership growth in the past decade, but viewership of domestic leagues in the United States has grown dramatically.

According to a report by Samba TV, viewership of the NWSL’s championship game in 2022 saw a 453% spike compared to the championship in 2021.

Ellis believes that the popularity of women’s soccer took off in 2015 when the USWNT defeated Japan 5-2 in the FIFA Women’s World Cup to capture the team’s third FIFA Title.

Press was on that 2015 team and said the popularity of both the players and the sport changed after the win.

“Our lives changed overnight. When you’re playing in a World Cup, you’re in a bubble. You’re fully focused on performance. And so we left for the tournament living one type of lifestyle and we came back and everything was changed,” Press said.

The NWSL has benefited from the success at the global level, but Ellis believes that there is still more to be done from a resources standpoint.

“Players get on domestic flights. They don’t charter, they spend nine to 10 hours traveling,” Ellis said. “We’re suddenly increasing the number of games, but are we increasing the care for these athletes? In terms of resources, are we increasing the oversight of performance?”

Delivering more resources for players also means creating avenues for more funding.

For Kunke, that is where BMO and other companies can step in.

“I never thought I would be working in the position I am today,” Kunke said. “Getting to do what I do, which is using money from our companies to support phenomenal teams and innovating around them too. … It’s a phenomenal community impact.

But for women’s sports to get to an equitable place in a male-dominated industry, it’s going to take people from all backgrounds to invest and contribute to the growth of the sport.

Ellis said one way for investors to be allies is not to look at the sport as “women’s soccer,” but as just soccer.

“I also think it’s so important that we get our sport to a place where it’s not seen as a women’s sport,” Ellis said. “If we can get men to honestly believe that this is a good business financial investment, it’s not charitable. This is gonna be a legitimate business industry.”

Ellis also emphasized that the NWSL needs to be able to create its own identity as well.

“I don’t want us to be the MLS. To have this, we’ve got to be our own league, our own lens and we shouldn’t look at that as our model,” Ellis said. “And this is what I love about the World Cup is we get the chance to say that women’s soccer, women’s football is the global game.”

The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup will take place in Australia and New Zealand starting on July 20. Press is currently recovering from an ACL injury which she sustained in a match last season and it is still unknown when she will be back with Angel City or the USWNT.

“It has been a unique recovery journey,” Press said in an ESPN interview in May. “I’ve had some setbacks and I’ve had some ups and downs. I think that’s normal. I think this took a bit longer than I had hoped up until now. But I’m in the final stretch of my recovery. I’m starting to feel like myself again, getting my body back. Hopefully I’ll be joining the team soon.”

Related Articles

​ Orange County Register 

Will Clippers create a new Big 3 with a trade for James Harden?

• June 30, 2023

The NBA free agency period starts Friday afternoon, but the Clippers already are rumored to be making moves that could set themselves up for a title run.

But there are so many moving parts to a proposed deal that would bring 10-time All-Star James Harden to the Clippers, it could take a day or two to figure out whether 1.) it would work with the new salary cap rules and 2.) how much would the Clippers be willing to give up in return?

On Thursday, Harden exercised his $35.6 million contract option for the upcoming season, enabling both he and the Philadelphia 76ers to work together to find a trade, ESPN reported. Citing unnamed sources, the Clippers and New York Knicks were mentioned as possible landing spots for Harden, a veteran point guard who would fit the Clippers’ championship plans.

The Clippers and Sixers reportedly have been in contact this week about a potential trade (or separate trades) that would send Harden and Tobias Harris to L.A. for multiple role players, according to YahooSports. The Clippers mentioned in the report were Marcus Morris Sr. and Norman Powell, but it could include Robert Covington or a combination of young players, such as Terance Mann, Amir Coffey and Brandon Boston Jr., along with several draft picks.

But it is believed that Philadelphia will want value for Harden and that could mean the Clippers would have to possibly send additional role players, such as Terance Mann, or be willing to break up the tandem of All-Star wings Paul George and Kawhi Leonard.

George has been the subject of trade rumors this offseason, with NBA Insider Marc Stein the first to report that the Clippers were exploring trade options involving the eight-time All-Star. Another report said the Portland Trailblazers and Clippers “briefly” discussed swapping George for Scoot Henderson, the No. 3 pick in last week’s draft.

However, Lawrence Frank, the Clippers’ president of basketball operations, said after last week’s draft that his intention was to continue to build around George and Leonard.

“What we are trying to do is see how we can put together the best team around these guys and, you know, we look at the different things, what worked, what hasn’t worked,” Frank said. “… We’re trying to maximize these two and figure out ways that we can get better.”

If the Clippers keep George, they will need to look at some of their moveable contracts, including future draft picks, as a way to improve their roster.

Morris, who was part of the failed three-team trade that would have sent him to the Washington Wizards and brought oft-injured Boston Celtics guard Malcolm Brogdon to L.A., is a potential trade piece. Morris, who has one year remaining on a four-year contract that will pay him $17.1 million this season, saw his minutes dwindle at the end of the season.

Powell is an expendable player given the Clippers’ guard-heavy roster. The 30-year-old veteran has continued to be a productive player off the bench (he averaged 17 points despite missing 22 games), but trading Powell would allow the Clippers to get out from under the remaining three years of a five-year deal that pays him roughly $19 million per season. It would give the Clippers additional flexibility after they waived veteran guard Eric Gordon on Wednesday.

Gordon’s contract for the upcoming season would have been fully guaranteed on Wednesday, but the Clippers elected to let him go, making him an unrestricted free agent. The Clippers acquired Gordon in a trade deadline deal in February, bringing him back to the team that drafted him in 2008. He averaged 11.0 points and 2.1 assists in his 27-game second stint.

But Gordon didn’t turn out to be the good fit the team hoped he would be, and by waiving him, the Clippers saved approximately $110 million on their luxury tax bill, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks.

One guard the Clippers could re-sign is Russell Westbrook, an unrestricted free agent. Although past his prime at age 35 (by the time the season begins), Westbrook could demand much more than the $3.8 million the Clippers can offer.

It remains to be seen whether he would want to play with Harden again (they were teammates for one season in Houston and early in their careers in Oklahoma City), should a trade happen.

Last season, Westbrook left a favorable impression on the Clippers’ front office despite turning the ball over 3.4 times per game and finishing with his lowest scoring average since his rookie season. Westbrook not only took over the leadership role when George and Leonard were injured and unavailable during their first-round playoff series against the Phoenix Suns, but he was well-liked in the locker room.

Westbrook, too, was happy with the Clippers, saying after the season, “I love it here. I love the people, just the fans overall embracing not just me but my family and close friends. …  A lot of things have happened, but I’m grateful. I love being here.”

However, he also said that he looked forward to deciding his future as a free agent for the first time in his career. The Clippers signaled that they might be willing to move on from Westbrook, if needed, when they pursued Brogdon before expressing concern about a significant injury to his forearm.

The Clippers’ other free agents – second-year center Moussa Diabate (restricted) and center Mason Plumlee (unrestricted) – could find themselves back next season.

Plumlee gave the Clippers a solid presence in the paint, proving valuable especially when starting center Ivica Zubac found himself in foul trouble.

The Clippers signed Diabate to a two-way contract on Wednesday, making him a restricted free agent. Diabate, who was a G League all-rookie team selection, saw action in 22 games last season for the Clippers and averaged 2.7 points and 2.3 rebounds.

Related Articles

​ Orange County Register 

Summer’s first heat wave arrives in time for the weekend before July 4th

• June 30, 2023

Finally! Break out the sunscreen and beach towels.

The first heat wave of summer is arriving in time for the weekend leading up to the Fourth of July, forecasters say, with the streak of June-gloom cloud coverage burning off and some of the hottest temperatures of the year for parts of Southern California.

A high-pressure system is expected to start building over the region on Friday, with mountain and valley communities to see some of the highest temperatures, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Lisa Phillips. On Saturday and Sunday, those temps should climb into the triple digits.

Along the coastline in Los Angeles and Orange counties, temperatures will only see a slight increase, rising into the mid-70s on Friday and the high 70s and low 80s on Saturday and Sunday before cooling slightly by Tuesday, July 4th.

In inland Los Angeles, cities including Woodlands Hills and Azusa will see jumps from the mid-70s from Thursday into the mid-80s by Friday and into the 90s by the weekend, Phillips said.

Similarly, inland Orange County cities like Anaheim and Fullerton should feel 10-degree increases by Friday, reaching into the mid to high 80s.

San Bernardino and Riverside counties will sizzle, with highs reaching into the mid-90s by Friday and high 90s and low 100s by the weekend, said NWS meteorologist Stefanie Sullivan. Mountain temperatures in Big Bear and Lake Arrowhead will stay more consistent, hanging in the mid-80s for most of the weekend.

The heat wave will continue across the region for the weekend before a slight cooling trend begins Monday night and continues through next week.

Related Articles

​ Orange County Register 

Dodgers’ Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, J.D. Martinez voted to All-Star starting lineup

• June 30, 2023

DENVER — The Dodgers went 3 for 4 Thursday.

Three players were voted into the starting lineup for the National League All-Stars – first baseman Freddie Freeman, outfielder Mookie Betts and designated hitter J.D. Martinez. It is the first time the Dodgers will have three position players in the starting lineup since 1980, when four Dodgers started for the NL – Ron Cey, Bill Russell, Davey Lopes and Reggie Smith.

“It’s always special to be in an All-Star Game,” said Betts, who has been selected seven times and started four. “It means you’re doing something pretty good – no matter how I feel or what I say, I’m doing something.

“There’s a lot of guys gonna be there (from the Dodgers). It’s a testament to our team, our organization and the coaches and whatnot. But it’s always just special just to get to go to be amongst those guys.”

Will Smith was also a finalist but Atlanta Braves catcher Sean Murphy beat him out in the second phase of fan voting. Smith is nearly certain to be added to the team when pitchers and reserves are announced on Sunday.

It would be Smith’s first All-Star selection. Freeman, Betts and Martinez have been selected a combined 20 times – but Betts will be a first-timer in one respect in Seattle. He has accepted an invitation to participate in the Home Run Derby, a first for Betts – “even though I don’t know that I really want to do it.”

Betts said his wife, Brianna, told him he needed to do it as a bucket-list item.

“She said, ‘You got to do it.’ (It is) the last thing I haven’t done, so I’m gonna do it. Have fun with it, and we’ll see what happens,” Betts said.

Betts joked about his chances of winning the Derby at 5-foot-9, 170 pounds.

“I don’t think that many guys my size win the Home Run Derby,” Betts said. “When I told my mom she wasn’t too thrilled. She told me I didn’t raise you to come in last. So the goal now is not to come in last.

“I don’t think she’s a huge fan of seeing her son lose.”

Betts leads the Dodgers with 20 home runs, fifth in the National League and tied for seventh in the majors. Toronto’s Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Seattle’s Julio Rodriguez have also confirmed their participation in the Derby, which is scheduled for Monday, July 10.

Betts said he has asked Dodgers coach Clayton McCullough to pitch to him in the Derby and paid the outfield instructor a big compliment in the process.

“I’ve had some really good coaches – some really, really really good coaches – and Clayton’s probably my favorite of all time,” Betts said. “The main reason is not what he teaches me, it’s just because of how much he holds me accountable, how much when I come to work he expects from me, and he holds me to it. He’s my favorite.”

McCullough said Betts’ comments were “flattering” and he looks forward to making the most of the All-Star break with his family in Seattle.

“I appreciate him saying that,” McCullough said. “I can say a couple years ago, first coming up here, new to this, new to coaching the outfield, so having someone of his pedigree and how successful he’s been – he’s been good to me from day one. He’s helped me far more than I’ve helped him with things. I appreciate him saying that. It’s flattering. But he’s a good dude, he works hard and we have a good relationship.

“I’m pumped for him. He’s done so many things in this game – won a World Series, MVP, Silver Slugger, Gold Glove. The accolades go on and on. But for him to want to do something like this and step out from his norm. … I think for him to want to put himself out there and do it is cool and for him to ask me, I’m excited as well.”

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Betts’ chances of winning the competition are “not great.”

“I applaud him for doing it,” Roberts said. “Mookie hits homers in games. That’s why he’s up there on the leaderboard. But the physicality of hitting rounds and rounds of home runs – I kind of equate it to old-school Larry Bird in the 3-point contest. Larry Bird could shoot a set shot around the 3-point line and other guys used to have to shoot a jump shot. As you keep going and going, you lose your legs. Even if Mookie has a big first round and advances, it takes a lot for a guy that’s not as physical.

“I hope he does well. I’m not betting on him.”

Related Articles

​ Orange County Register 

Former Huntington Beach leaders file lawsuit to block $5 million air show settlement

• June 30, 2023

Two former Huntington Beach officials have filed an eleventh-hour injunction to prevent the city from paying almost $5 million to the annual air show operator for a settlement approved in May.

Former Huntington Beach Mayor Connie Boardman and Former Planning Commissioner Mark Bixby on Thursday, June 29, filed the lawsuit, which charges that the city prematurely settled before a judge weighed in.

Pacific Airshow LLC sued Huntington Beach in October for losses it incurred after the third and final day of the October 2021 air show was canceled following reports of an oil spill. The spill ended up being about 25,000 gallons and closed beaches and fishing along much of the Orange County coast for weeks.

The city agreed to pay the air show operator nearly $5 million, with up to $2 million more if the city recovers additional money from its lawsuit against Amplify Energy Corp., the company that owns the pipeline that leaked.

City leaders released a summary of the settlement, but have refused to disclose the full agreement, angering some residents.

Lee Fink, attorney for Boardman and Bixby, called the settlement “a gift of taxpayers funds that is totally unlawful.” A judge would not find the city liable in closing the beach during a hazardous oil spill and the current City Council and City Attorney Michael Gates know that, he argued.

“Last week, the City Council barely missed closing libraries and it’s planning on giving away millions of dollars to air show operators,” Fink said.

Boardman, who spent eight years on the council, said the city should potentially look for another company to hold an air show.

“It wasn’t the city’s fault the old spill happened. The city had to protect beachgoers,” she said. “Agreeing to the settlement was ridiculous … Oil is toxic.”

Boardman and Bixby are asking the Orange County Superior Court to block the settlement.

Gates responded Thursday that he can’t disclose the city’s rationale for settling because it falls under attorney-client privilege.

But Gates pointed to Visit Huntington Beach tourism bureau research that says the air show generates more than $100 million a year in direct and indirect local revenues.

The estimate comes from a 2022 analysis done by the Destination Analysts that said the air show resulted in $70 million in direct spending, including revenues from taxes and fees of $3.7 million. Indirect and trickle-down spending boosted the number to more than $100 million, according to the analysis.

“There’s absolutely no gift here,” Gates said. “If there’s no settlement, there’s no air show … This could be characterized as anything but a sweetheart deal.”

Pacific Airshow’s lawsuit won’t be dismissed until the city sends the first payment of $1.9 million by the end of July, according to a summary of the settlement agreement.

Earlier this month, Huntington Beach resident and former City Council candidate Gina Clayton-Tarvin filed a lawsuit to get a copy of the air show settlement that Gates has refused to release.

A judge will hear both Clayton-Tarvin’s case and the new injunction request on Friday, June 30, in Orange County Superior Court.

Related links

First day of Pacific Airshow brings high-flying action above Huntington Beach
Here’s what it looks like to fly with the planes in the Pacific Airshow
Major oil spill closes OC beaches, kills wildlife in Huntington Beach
A year later, the Huntington Beach oil spill still is being felt

​ Orange County Register 

Horse racing notes: Cody’s Wish possible for Whitney Stakes

• June 30, 2023

LOS ALAMITOS LEADERS

(Through Thursday)

JOCKEYS / WINS

Abdul Alsagoor / 3

Abel Cedillo / 3

Antonio Fresu / 3

Ramon Vazquez / 3

Three tied / 2

TRAINERS / WINS

Peter Miller / 3

Val Brinkerhoff / 2

Luis Mendez / 2

Hector Palma / 2

Lorenzo Ruiz / 2

WEEKEND STAKES AT LOS ALAMITOS

Tuesday

• $200,000 Grade II Great Lady M. Stakes, fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up, 6½ furlongs

DOWN THE STRETCH

• Cody’s Wish worked 4 furlongs in 48.48 seconds over Saratoga’s Oklahoma training track Monday and is under consideration for the $1 million Grade I Whitney Stakes on Aug. 5, which offers a “Win and You’re In” berth to the Breeders’ Cup Classic on Nov. 4 at Santa Anita. “That’s possible,” trainer Bill Mott said. “It’s (9 furlongs) always a question. He’s won his Breeders’ Cup going a two-turn mile, but he’s not won at a mile and an eighth.”

• Los Alamitos will race four days this holiday weekend, beginning Saturday and concluding with a special Fourth of July race card on Tuesday. The lone stakes race is the $200,000 Grade II Great Lady M., a 6½-furlong race for fillies and mares that will be run Tuesday. The final stakes event of the nine-day meet, the $125,000 Los Alamitos Derby, is scheduled for next Saturday (July 8).

• Two Phil’s, the runner-up in the Kentucky Derby, fractured a sesamoid in his left front ankle after winning the Ohio Derby on Saturday and has been retired to stud. “We decided to retire him, just when he was starting to blossom,” trainer Larry Rivelli told the Daily Racing Form after the Hard Spun colt won the Ohio Derby by 5¾ lengths. “We had everything mapped out but it is woulda, coulda, shoulda.”

— Art Wilson

Related Articles

​ Orange County Register 

Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw received injection for inflammation in ‘cranky’ shoulder

• June 30, 2023

DENVER — It was Clayton Kershaw’s shoulder that prompted him to come out of his start after 79 pitches on Tuesday night and he received an injection to treat inflammation in the joint.

Kershaw said he will try throwing again either Friday or Saturday. How that goes will determine whether he makes his scheduled start on Monday.

“I pitched in the game and my shoulder was a little cranky there in the sixth inning, so I decided to shut it down and then yesterday got it checked out,” said Kershaw, who did not have an MRI. “It’s just some inflammation. … (The plan is to) let it sit for a few days and then start playing catch and I think it should be good after that.”

The three-time Cy Young Award winner said this is not the first time he has had “shoulder stuff” or the first time he received an injection for it. And it wouldn’t be the first time he has pitched with a sore shoulder, he acknowledged.

“It’s been like three or four years,” he said. “Usually the shots help pretty good. So I’m somewhat optimistic that I should be good. (I’m) hopeful to not miss the start. Obviously, with the All-Star break coming up, we have some time to potentially shift things around so we’ll see. But as of now, kind of on the same day-to-day basis, probably start picking up the ball at some point in Kansas City, see how it does and if it feels good, hopefully make my next one.”

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said the team is in “a holding pattern” regarding the starting rotation. Kershaw is still tentatively scheduled to start Monday night at home against the Pittsburgh Pirates and then again against the Angels in the final game before the All-Star break next Saturday.

“I think for us it’s more day-to-day,” Roberts said. “I still stand by the goal is for him to pitch on Monday. If it’s not (possible), we’ve got to pivot. We’re not going to put him in harm’s way if we all come together and collectively come together and say, ‘It makes sense to make your start,’ great. If it doesn’t, we’re fine with that too.”

The Dodgers will get one starting pitcher back from the injured list on Saturday when Julio Urias is scheduled to return from his hamstring injury. Right-hander Michael Grove was sent down Thursday in order to add a reliever, left-hander Justin Bruihl.

“I’m not gonna be stupid,” Kershaw said. “If I feel good, I’ll pitch. … If it feels like it needs a few days or I need to wait through the (All-Star) break, I’ll do that too. But I don’t think it’s gonna be a long thing or anything like that, regardless.”

Roberts said pushing Kershaw’s start back from Monday is not an option because of the domino effect it would cause on the rest of the rotation.

“Obviously Clayton is very routine-oriented. But there have been times recently in his career where he has not thrown a ’pen because of things like this,” Roberts said. “If he’s going to throw the ball Friday, obviously it gives us more information for Monday. If it’s Saturday, it makes it harder (to make a decision). That’s just the truth of the matter.

“If he can’t pitch on Monday what’s another day going to do? We might as well take our medicine and make sure he’s right.”

Because of the All-Star break, going to the IL now would afford Kershaw a longer break while potentially missing just those two starts next week.

“If I feel good, I don’t want to stop pitching,” Kershaw said. “But if I do feel like I need a little re-set, this is probably as good a time as any to do it.

“But as of right now, I’m not anticipating that.”

CORRECTION

Roberts said he misspoke on Wednesday and right-hander Dustin May has not picked up a baseball or started playing catch. May has been out since May 17 with a strained flexor pronator mass.

UP  NEXT

Dodgers (RHP Bobby Miller, 3-1, 4.13 ERA) at Royals (RHP Alec Marsh, MLB debut), Friday, 5:10 p.m., SportsNet LA, 570 AM

Related Articles

​ Orange County Register 

Review: Disneyland delivers the Marvel musical you didn’t know you wanted or needed

• June 30, 2023

If you’re a fan of musical theater and Marvel superheroes, then you’re going to absolutely fall in love with the new “Rogers: The Musical” coming to the Hyperion Theater at Disney California Adventure.

If you love one but not the other, then you’ll still be thrilled at the audacity and absurdity of smashing the two strange bedfellows together. If you don’t like either, then you should probably go ride the Incredicoaster — because “Rogers: The Musical” caters to two very big niche audiences, but probably won’t appeal to Broadway or Marvel novices.

Disneyland hosted a media preview of “Rogers: The Musical” on Thursday, June 29 in the Hyperion Theater at Disney California Adventure. The new 30-minute one-act stage show based on the life story of Captain America and starring Hulk, Iron Man, Thor, Black Widow, Ant-Man and Hawkeye begins a limited run on Friday, June 30.

SEE ALSO: What to expect when Avengers musical opens at Disneyland resort

“Rogers: The Musical” is at times fun, funny, silly, poignant, determined and romantic with plenty of heart and energy. It’s utterly ridiculous to see Captain America sing a love song on a Broadway stage surrounded by sequined USO singers, star spangled dancers, Thor and Iron Man — but somehow it works. In short: This is the Marvel musical you didn’t know you were waiting for and won’t be able to stop talking about. The breezy and brisk theme park show expertly walks a fine line, taking itself seriously, but not too seriously.

At several points, the characters literally ask “What’s with all the singing and dancing?” As if they can’t believe it themselves. Avengers founder Nick Fury summarizes the out-of-body experience perfectly during his own musical number: “It’s a lot to take in.”

SEE ALSO: Will Disneyland’s new Marvel musical be campy, cheesy and silly?

“If you love the Avengers, if you love musical theater or if you just want some fun entertainment, I think there’s something for everybody,” Disney Live Entertainment Choreographer Sarah Kobayashi said during a press conference.

Turning a single song in a Disney+ TV show from an inside joke meant for die-hard Marvel fans into a Broadway-style musical at Disney California Adventure presented as many challenges as it did opportunities for Disneyland’s creative team.

The Disney Live Entertainment creative team used the “Save the City” song in the “Hawkeye” TV series on the Disney+ streaming service as a jumping off point for “Rogers: The Musical.”

“We all saw that number in the ‘Hawkeye’ series on Disney+ and looked at each other and said, ‘We’ve got to do that,’” Disney Live Entertainment Executive Creative Director Dan Fields said. “It turns out all of the fans of this franchise were also doing the same thing online. They were practically demanding it.”

No matter how bizarre the notion, a Marvel musical seems like a perfect fit for Disneyland — especially with the Hyperion Theater sitting vacant a few steps away from the entrance to Avengers Campus.

“We’re live entertainment,” Fields said during an online video interview. “We have singers. We have dancers. We have superheroes right next door in our Avengers Campus. We’re already living in this world.”

Basing an entire musical on the “Save the City” musical number in the “Hawkeye” series raised as many questions as it answered.

“What would the rest of this Steve Rogers story be? How far back would it go? How do you tell his story and his arc? How do you reveal the true depth of the character over many decades as it turns out?” Fields said. “It was a really fun set of rhetorical conversations. There are so many ways we can tell this story.”

One key challenge for the Disney Live Entertainment team was translating comic book superhero action into Broadway-style song and dance numbers.

“The dance numbers kind of directed us. We start the show with Steve Rogers’ origin story in the 1940s,” Fields said. “You’ll find both some historic dance and choreography tropes there, but also some time-travel elements as well. We’re not locked hard and fast into a period.”

SEE ALSO: Is Disneyland’s Marvel musical part of the MCU?

The backstory of the new Marvel musical at DCA follows the journey of Steve Rogers from his service in World War II to becoming Earth’s first known superhero to the birth of the Avengers.

Marvel fans were introduced to the fictional “Rogers: The Musical” in the first episode of the Disney+ series “Hawkeye.” In the show, Hawkeye attends a performance of the Broadway musical about the life of Rogers, the first Captain America.

“In the show, all the Avengers are invited to New York for the premiere of the brand new, showstopping musical but only Clint Barton, aka Hawkeye, shows up,” according to Marvel.com. “The MIA Avengers don’t know what they’re missing, though, as viewers are treated to a musical number based on The Battle of New York … though a few creative liberties have been taken here and there.”

Related Articles

Disney cryptically teased the upcoming run of “Rogers: The Musical” at the Hyperion during a live performance at the D23 Expo in September at the Anaheim Convention Center. D23 attendees watched a surprise live performance of “Save the City” from the musical during the Marvel Studios panel.

The new “Rogers” musical in DCA’s Hyperion will feature “Save the City,” “Star Spangled Man” from the 2011 film “Captain America: The First Avenger” and five new original songs written for the show.

SEE ALSO: Disneyland announces virtual queue for Avengers musical — What you need to know

The new show was written by Tony-nominee Hunter Bell with music by Grammy-winner Christopher Lennertz. Bell wrote the book for “Villains Tonight” on the Disney Cruise Line, according to Broadway World. Lennertz served as music director on Disneyland’s new “Wondrous Journeys” fireworks show.

​ Orange County Register