Women's World Cup 2019

As an avid sports fan and especially soccer fan, I have to give major props to the Women's World Cup. It is without question in my opinion, the most exciting female sporting event (ahead of major tennis tournaments or Olympic events). I suppose the main reason being is that soccer is the world's game and it is the beautiful game. Whether it's the men or the women playing, the World Cup is the most glorious of all trophies. The desire for this trophy only adds to the intensity of each game. And to put it simply these girls can play and it made for another very exciting World Cup!

I remember first watching the US women winning the trophy in the summer of 99. This was the year after France 98 where I had suddenly become awakened by the game of soccer. It was a hot summer and I had just begun my first year with the high school soccer team. I remember watching the final game in our living room, when Brandi Chastain scored the winning PK and took off her shirt. At that moment it became clear to me that soccer had arrived in America.

I've always cheered for the American soccer teams, hopeful that their success will spur the growth of the beautiful game here in the states. Unfortunately the US men have never been able to emulate the success of the women.. The women have just been miles ahead of the men's team, especially after winning their 4th world cup trophy yesterday. I suppose it might have to do with female empowerment here in the states compared to around the world. It became clear to me when I followed the 2015 Women's World Cup, that the American team just had a clear confidence to their play compared to everyone else.


The 2019 Tournament

This year's tournament was hosted by France and it seemed the US would have some competition from Europe. The format is similar to the men's tournament with the group stage and knockout rounds, however has 24 teams instead of 32. The clear favorites at the start of the tournament were US, France, Germany, England, Canada, or Australia. I was hoping one of the underdog countries like Brazil, Netherlands, or Sweden could pull off the win.

I watched as many games as I could, however could not easily watch them at work due to new restrictions. I was able to stream some on my phone and watched as many as I could at home. I was quite impressed with the attendance that seemed to average around 20,000 per game (nearly 60,000 for the final). These numbers indicate a clear interest and popularity in the women's game.

To further add to the public interest was of course the political implications presented by the American team. Lead by their outspoken stars of Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan demanding equal pay, they quickly stirred up some controversy in this tournament. First was their 13-0 defeat over Thailand which some saw as excessive, then was Rapinoe's comments claiming she "would not go to the effing White House". This of course got the attention of Trump who viciously attacked her lack of respect for the country.

Yet despite the criticism and perhaps negative spin, this American team continued to win. They easily made it through their group stage defeating Thailand, Chile, and Sweden. Then came a competitive knockout match against Spain in which they won 2-1. Their most definitive game, in my opinion, was the quarterfinal match against France. I watched this game in a hotel in North Carolina with my family and it did not disappoint. The US women beat the French hosts, 2-1 thanks to two goals by Rapinoe in what was a very exciting game.

The US were then able to defeat England 2-1 in the semi-finals, however they had some luck towards the end of that game in my opinion. A late equalizing goal was reversed due to a very tight offside call, and a late PK was mishit by the English striker. Nonetheless the Americans were the obvious better team and were able to carry this confidence on to the finals. I had no doubt they would beat the Dutch team, and I watched this game at the press box of Victory Field. As dominant as they were, it was good to see the American team win another championship among co-workers and fellow Americans.


Top Players

Megan Rapinoe (USA): Love her or hate her this outspoken star was the undisputed MVP of the tournament. She not only won the Golden Ball, but also edged out Alex Morgan for the Golden Boot. I felt she carried the team on her back thru her performances in the Round of 16 and Quarterfinal wins against Spain and France. She sat out for the semi-final match, however once again came up big with her PK goal in the final. She was the captain of this team and in the midst of all the controversy she still was able to shine onto glory.

Alex Morgan (USA): She is the face of the US women's team, very attractive and she has a cocky swag about her. She made quite a statement with her 5 goals she scored in the opening match against Thailand. It was clear she wanted to score more and win the Golden Boot, however she fell short to Rapinoe and won the Silver Boot. Her header goal against England in the semi-finals was the go ahead goal that took them to the final. She already has 107 goals for country, and the age of 29 it is very likely she could surpass Mia Hamm and Abby Wambach to become the all time top American women goalscorer. 

Ellen White (England): She was the face of the English team, having scored an impressive 6 goals throughout the tournament. I thought she was a threatening player in the semi-final match against US. She scored an impressive equalizer and late in the 2nd half she had a 2nd goal disallowed after VAR ruled it as offside. She won the Bronze Boot for third top scorer of the tournament. 

Sam Kerr (Australia): She came into the tournament as the top player of the world, and at the young age of 24 she was the face and captain of the Australian team. She scored 5 goals in the tournament including an impressive hat trick in the group stage against Jamaica. She was however unable to score a game winner in the tight round of 16 match against Norway, and missed her penalty kick in the shootout. She will surely be back for another World Cup or two. 

Rose Lavelle (USA): This young player made her superstar debut with 3 goals, including a massive one in the final against Netherlands. She is quick with the ball, a great dribbler, and a true playmaker in the midfield. She went on to win the Bronze Ball as third best player in the tournament. 

Marta (Brazil): The Brazilian star is perhaps one of the most famous women's soccer player in the world, and went on to play in her 5th World Cup. She scored two goals in this tournament to cement her status as the all time World Cup goal scorer at 17. Her team lost in the Round of 16 against France in a very close match.

Lieke Mertens (Netherlands): The attractive star came in to the tournament as one of the most famous players in the world. Having won the Ballon d'Orr in 2017 as well as the Euro Cup, this Barcelona star was surely out for World Cup glory. She had two key goals in the Round of 16 victory over Japan and played a signicant supporting role in other games. She however was unable to produce any magic in the final match in which they lost 2-0 against the US. 

Lucy Bronze (England): Although I don't remember watching her play, she went on to win the Silver Ball as 2nd best player of the tournament. She was a defender and no doubt a reason England was able to make it to the semi-finals. 

Alexandra Popp (Germany): It seems Germany always has a deadly aerial threat, and for the women's team this was Alexandra Popp. She had two goals in the tournament, yet was unable to score a equalizer in their quarterfinal lost to Sweden.

Amandine Henry (France): She was the face of the French team, with a very attractive confident look about her. She scored two goals in the tournament including a crucial late winner in extra time against Brazil. France looked like the one team that had the potential to beat the USA, and they got their chance in the quarter-finals. This was the most exciting match of the tournament, and Amandine was unable to lead her team to victory much to the dismay of the host country. 

Stina Blackstenius (Sweden): She had perhaps the two most crucial goals for the Swedish team, including her Round of 16 game winner against Canada and her game winner in the semi-final match against Germany. I was quite impressed when Sweden shocked Germany in the quarter-finals and was hoping they could win it all, however they fell short to the Netherlands.

Jackie Groenen (Netherlands): She scored the glorious game winning goal for Netherlands, in the semi-final match against Sweden. The game went to extra time and seemed destined for PK shootout until she produced this powerful strike. She played in every game and along with Mertens was the face of the team. 

Sari van Veenendaal (Netherlands): She went on to win the Golden Glove award as best goalkeeper of the tournament. She made many valiant saves in the final match against US, however was unable to stop Rapinoe's PK and Lavelle's strike.