It’s hard to believe that four years ago the USWNT won their third World Cup beating Japan 5-2. This summer they’re back on the world’s stage competing for their fourth world championship. The 2019 U.S. Women’s World Cup team has many different faces than the ones that played four years prior, but it has a few you may know as well. Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, Carli Lloyd, and Tobin Heath are among the few returning players competing for the coveted World Cup trophy. Several new faces like Crystal Dunn, Lindsey Horan, Rose Lavelle, Sam Mewis, and Mallory Pugh have joined the mix this time in addition to several other new, fresh faces. Whether new or old though, every player has one thing on their mind: winning the World Cup.
This post is late in the sense that the World Cup has been underway for about 2 weeks now. The Knockout Stage began this week and the U.S. survived just barely their Round of 16 matchup. After starting their World Cup journey with a commanding 13-0 victory against Thailand, the Gals pulled off a 2-1 win against Spain Monday to earn a spot in the Quarterfinals this Friday against home favorite, France. After the Women’s World Cup draw in December, it was pretty much a guarantee that to win the World Cup this summer the U.S. would have to go through the #2 ranked home country. Whether the U.S. Women win the entire tournament or not, this quarterfinal match is guaranteed to be one for the ages.
In the four years since the last World Cup, my life has changed entirely. Four years ago, I was enamored with women’s soccer, but I was also amidst a path of discovery in working towards goals for my future. I owe a lot of credit to women’s soccer and the USWNT players for inspiring me to believe in myself enough to chase my dreams. Now, here I am, living my own dreams, which means unfortunately I don’t dedicate as much energy to women’s soccer as I did four years ago. For that reason, this will probably be my first and last post about the tournament this summer. I promise I’m still watching as many games as I can and following the new Gals on their journey this summer, but I have a lot going on in my own world as well.
Honestly, I wasn’t expecting to be as into the tournament this year as I thought I would anyway. Over the last four years there were changes on the USWNT that I wasn’t a fan of. My favorite player, Ali Krieger, was basically blacklisted for the last two years with 98 caps to her name. It discouraged my interest in the USWNT. That changed in March. Krieger was called up to USWNT for two friendlies in April. It was her first time being invited to camp in the last 2 years. Then right after I returned from Coachella, the roster was announced. Krieger was on it. I couldn’t believe it. I was so stoked. I knew that I needed to follow the team more in depth this summer as a result. I even bought a new jersey with the Warrior’s name and number on the back, of course.
I know it’s crazy to say that one player made the difference on the USWNT for me. It’s a team sport after all. I started out being a fan of the team in 2011 before I learned anything about the individual players. But, it was the way that Krieger was treated that made me dislike what was happening to the USWNT. She stopped receiving playing time when she was a part of the team, until she finally stopped getting called in to camp altogether. She was playing well at the time and she had 98 caps too. 2 shy of the 100 mark, an honor bestowed to many world-class players to ever wear the U.S. soccer crest. What happened to her was cruel and I didn’t like the direction the team was heading in because of it. It forced players like Whitney Engen and veteran Heather O’Reilly into retirement from the team when they still had the ability to play on the highest stage. I hated it. So I stopped paying attention. I also put my main focus on my own dreams, which was just as, if not more important.
But here we are. It’s 2019. Ali Krieger is playing in her third World Cup (she went a full 90 versus Chile). I’m working music festivals (I watched her play against Chile while working Bonnaroo). And the USWNT is chasing down the fourth star. I think it was meant to be even if the past 2 years sucked along the way. Plus, I probably needed another reason for Ali Krieger to inspire me. I really don’t know if the U.S. will win the World Cup this summer. I want to believe they will, but I really don’t have a feeling one way or another. I’m just along for the ride. I do know that even if they don’t win, 2019 already feels like a win to me in so many ways in the soccer world and beyond in my own life. All I want to do is keep winning. So yes, I do believe that we will win again, but I also believe that we already won. Here’s to 2019, being full of more sick times, huge wins, and BIG MOODS…LFG!
The Spentertainic Source 