Liberty unified by World Cup even as rooting interests differ

SAN FRANCISCO — A recent Liberty bus ride was interrupted by jubilation.The team’s French trio of Marine Johannès, Pauline Astier and Marine Fauthoux all were glued to their phone screens before erupting in joyful screams because their nation scored a goal during FIFA World Cup group play.Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Madeline Kenney about all things Liberty and WNBA.

“It’s been really cool to see,” Sabrina Ionescu said as she recalled her teammates celebrating.The men’s World Cup is one of those global sporting events that captures fan attention for more than a month.It takes center stage every four years, and this year’s competition is even more prominent because it’s the first time the World Cup is being played on U.S.

soil since 1994.And World Cup fever has infiltrated the Liberty’s locker room.It has become a regular topic of conversation, regardless of whether the players are soccer fans.At least one bet has been made, and two players said they’re reserving trash talk until the later stages of the tournament.The Liberty have one of the most diverse locker rooms in the WNBA, with international players hailing from France, Spain, Germany and Australia — all of which qualified for this year’s World Cup.Johannès and Astier are among those following the World Cup as closely as they can.

Johannès is a huge fan of French soccer star Kylian Mbappé and as a teenager attended the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.The Liberty are in the midst of their season, playing games almost every other day.It feels almost like a tease that Johannès is playing basketball in cities hosting World Cup matches but is unable to attend because of scheduling conflicts.“It’s all cool now,” Johannès said in advance of the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup final scheduled for Tuesday at Barclays Center.

“We’re all sad because we can’t go to a French game now because we are on the road trip, so a little...