USA!! USA!!! USA!!!!

[Gob]

Carli Lloyd scored an incredible 13-minute hat-trick as the United States thrashed Japan to win their third Women's World Cup title.



In a repeat of the 2011 final, which Japan won on penalties, the Nadeshiko could not live with their stronger and quicker opponents, who went 4-0 up when Lloyd scored an astonishing third from the halfway line.

The American midfielder put the 1991 and 1999 champions two goals up within five minutes in a stunning start to the match.

Lauren Holiday volleyed in after Azusa Iwashimizu's woeful header and Lloyd then caused pandemonium among the huge contingent of US supporters inside BC Place when she lobbed Japan goalkeeper Ayumi Kaihori.

The 2011 winners retaliated thanks to a Yuki Ogimi strike and a Julie Johnston own goal, but Tobin Heath made it 5-2 before 60 minutes had elapsed and despite further pressure, English coach Jill Ellis's USA side held on.

The majority of the 53,341 fans inside BC Place erupted in joyous celebration at the final whistle before Confederation of African football (Caf) president Issa Hayatou, standing in at the final for Fifa president Sepp Blatter, presented the World Cup trophy to former captain Christie Rampone and veteran striker Abby Wambach.

Chants of "U-S-A" reverberated around the ground when they lifted trophy.

The pulsating finale to an entertaining tournament was the highest-scoring final in the tournament's history, and matched the highest scoring men's final, when Brazil defeated Sweden by the same scoreline in 1958.

Japan, who made it to the final after beating England courtesy of Laura Bassett's own goal, were outclassed from the start and could not cope with the USA's set-pieces.

But they also suffered from a familiar foe as Lloyd added to the two goals she scored against Japan in the 2012 Olympic final between the two teams.

Her third-minute opener was the quickest goal in a Women's World Cup final as she latched onto Megan Rapinoe's perfectly directed corner. The 32-year-old added another after Japan failed to clear a free-kick.

It got worse for Norio Sasaki's side when Iwashimizu gifted Holiday a goal when her clearance header merely looped up in the air and the USA midfielder took advantage.

Lloyd's wonder goal, which completed a first Women's World Cup final hat-trick and made her the tournament's joint top scorer along with Germany's Celia Sasic, appeared to have ended the game as a contest.

Such was the manner of Iwashimizu's display that the Japan defender she was withdrawn after 33 minutes to be replaced by former captain Homare Sawa, who was competing in her sixth World Cup

[BoSoxGal]

[Gob]

It'll be a great boost for the sport of soccer over there, Jim will be pleased!!

[TPFKA@W]

Up and until yesterday I had no idea the USA had a women's soccer thing, well that there was a world women's soccer thing in which our women could participate even, let alone that USA women might win the thing. The indifference to soccer is deep.

[Long Run]

The U.S. Women have been at the forefront of world soccer from the beginning of the sport (winning the first World Cup in 1991). There is no "catching up" to do. Without football and other pro sports opportunities enticing good women athletes away, most great talents stay with the sport. Two factors have led to the U.S. women being one of the top teams: (1) the wide pyramid built by U.S. soccer has worked well to get huge numbers to try the sport, with opportunities for the talented to move into higher competition levels; and (2) Title IX -- equal opportunities for women -- passed in 1973, which not coincidentally is exactly one school-generation before the first World Cup win.

As for indifference, this has been a regular story for the last few weeks on sports talk, ESPN, news sports stories, etc. If you pay attention to sports, this has been a top 3 story throughout the tournament.

[oldr_n_wsr]

this has been a top 3 story throughout the tournament

With only baseball (and maybe tennis ) as it's competition, that's a real......accomplishment.

And I am not knocking what the ladies accomplished, just that soccer has a long way to go, as it always had.

[MajGenl.Meade]

A really good game and a great result. I suspect that like many football fans (i.e. the game played using foot and ball) my interest was in the nationalistic nature of World Cup competition. I shall not bother to seek out the Lady Peorians playing the Fresno Fems - not ever. The truth is that women's football is rather like watching a high school kickabout (or Manchester United under David Moyes). There are moments of smooth team movement widely separated by hopeful boots up the pitch and shoddy defense. It could be worse - women's basketball.

Football cannot achieve the kind of "popularity" in the USA that other sports enjoy for reasons other than the number of people choosing or not choosing to attend/watch games. Those reasons are:
(1) it is continuous action - anathema to TV, which requires advertising spots
(2) USians are not very good at it and if there's one thing domestic TV hates it's having to show sports at which the US does not excel.

Anyhoo, huge victory for the Lady Liberties - well done and enjoyable to watch, but only because it is the national team.

Our man on the terraces
Lunchtime O'Booze

[Sue U]

As I was hanging around the community pool yesterday, the one thing that surprised me was how many people were talking about how they were going to watch the match, and how much they knew about the games leading up to the final -- and not just the ones featuring the US team. I'm sure some of it was because Carli Lloyd came out of our local girls' soccer league, but over all there seemed to be a lot of genuine interest in the sport. There was a large picture of Lloyd on the front page of the Philadelphia Inquirer this morning, and I think if soccer got the kind of media attention that American football does during regular season play it would generate even greater support year in and year out. It really is a great game to watch. I think the major problem is that it is difficult to fit into the American model of televised sports, which requires frequent and regular reminders to eat fast food and purchase automobiles.

As for last night's game, it was a little disappointing to see it all over in the first 15 minutes. But Lloyd's kick from midfield when she spotted the Japanese keeper too far out was freakin' awesome.

[Long Run]

By all accounts, Canada did an excellent job hosting the tournament. The only real negative being that FIFA did not require real turf to be put down, so they played on artificial grass (laying real turf is always a requirement for even a men's friendly, so this failure is yet another ridiculous FIFA moment).

[Long Run]

which requires frequent and regular reminders to eat fast food and purchase automobiles.

And beer, lots of beer.

[Guinevere]

I don't particularly care for soccer, but I've been watching it and talking about, mostly to support my country and women's sport (and that was a pretty fun game, considering its, well, soccer).

The Atlantic says it all, quite well:

http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainmen ... ue/394865/

The opening snippet:

When I told my friends and family I’d be going to Brazil for the World Cup last year, they looked at me like I’d just won the lottery. In a sense, I had; I’d entered a lottery just to be able to purchase tickets. In Recife, I attended games at a brand-new stadium with a bright-green grass pitch, along with 40,000 other soccer fans from around the world. For months leading up to the event I saw news coverage on TV, in newspapers, and in magazines hyping Team USA, even though they had a virtually nonexistent chance of victory. By the time I left for Brazil, friends who I never knew to be soccer fans were telling me who their favorite players were, jealous that I would see “our boys” play against the tournament favorites, Germany.

This year, I’m going to the World Cup again. There was no lottery, and tickets were half the cost of the ones I bought last year, including a ticket to the final. (Which, last year, would have been nearly impossible to come by, not to mention afford.) The games I’ll attend this month will be played at a 32-year-old stadium with an artificial-turf field. Some of the games in the tournament will be played at a stadium with 10,000 seats, while the smallest stadium in Brazil seated 37,634. Even though this year Team USA are favorites to win, there’s been little preview coverage of the tournament. When I tell people I’m going, most of them say, “There’s a World Cup this year?” There is, only it’s being played by women, not men.

[Guinevere]

Oh, and PS - Women's soccer so much better than mens -- the women actually play. They don't flop and whine and moan.

[Sue U]

[TPFKA@W]

If you pay attention to sports

Ah, there's the rub.

[wesw]

well, I haven t watched a women s soccer game since 1999, but....

...I saw a little documentary about abby wambach on some station and she was quite a player, she and mia hamm and some others were talking about stuff and it was interesting, so decided to watch the championship.

well, I was watching or listening to the news and I heard them say USA had scored, so I made my way to the remote to change the channel, and they said we scored again!!!!

so I tuned in and watched the rest. great game. tho I think we could have run it up to 7-0 by halftime if the US side had not let up.....

...and it was (italics) better than watching the men, what with all the aforementioned theatrics...

the games I have seen on the men s side were ruined by such gamesmanship, but the US men were not guilty of such things in the games I saw, but their opponents were. any latin American team playing the US seems to play as dirty as possible and then scream bloody murder if they get so much as touched....

the refs seem to let the game be played that way too.

[rubato]

Women's soccer suffers from the same deficit as women's hockey and women's cycling (road racing). There is relatively little depth of field. But unlike the other two I think there is the kind of sustained interest to help it get over the hump. women's tennis had very little depth until the past two decades; for those who remember the Martina and Chrissy era.


yrs,
rubato

[wesw]

oh bull, womens tennis has been better since Chrissy and martina. Steffi graf, monica seles , martina hingis and others were awesome.

[Guinevere]

Rube is right - the only time in recent memory women's tennis has been particularly competitive (as opposed to one player dominating all) since Chrissy and Martina has been when both Williams sisters have been on and focussed. That's over now with Venus' illness and lack of interest in the game.

That doesn't mean Stefi wasn't a great player - she was. But she dominated without a lot of competition rather like Serena dominates today. They both would have been even better if/when they were pushed harder (like my Swiss boyfriend has been).

[Sue U]

Ahem (emphases added):

Women’s World Cup Final Was Most-Watched Soccer Game in United States History

By RICHARD SANDOMIR
JULY 6, 2015

The United States’ 5-2 victory over Japan in the Women’s World Cup final on Sunday was seen by 25.4 million viewers on Fox — a record for any soccer game, men’s or women’s, shown on English-language television in this country.

With nearly 1.3 million viewers watching on Telemundo, the Spanish-language station, the total of 26.7 million also exceeds the record 26.5 million combined viewers that saw Germany beat Argentina in last year’s men’s World Cup final on ABC and Spanish-language Univision.

In effect, the United States women are now champions on two fronts, a testament to their enduring talent and to their appeal to an American public that increasingly seems tuned in to soccer.

***

Still, it has to come as something of a surprise that Game 7 of the compelling World Series between the Kansas City Royals and the San Francisco Giants in October attracted 23.5 million on English-language television, or two million fewer than the American women drew on Sunday night. The sixth and deciding game of the N.B.A. finals, won by Golden State over Cleveland and featuring Stephen Curry and LeBron James, also lost out to the women by about two million viewers.

The men’s final of the 2015 N.C.A.A. men’s basketball tournament, in contrast, topped the women’s final with 28.3 million viewers. But it is the women who are surging.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/07/sport ... .html?_r=0

Maybe a flash in the pan, but "casual" viewers turn into "regular" ones.

[wesw]

yep. in four years I ll be watching again.....