Women Do It
WOMEN DO IT ! And one thing the USA Women’s Soccer team did was JUST THAT! They brought home yet ANOTHER world cup. But it was a “drama filled” run. People were UPSET with them but they pushed through adversity and finished off their great run with some TURN UP!
Let’s dive into the first game. They made history off jump. They beat newcomers to the cup Thailand 13-0. No World Cup team, men or women, had ever scored 13 goals before. And Alex Morgan was the star of the show! Morgan scored five goals. She is tied with Michelle Akers' previous 1991 World Cup record for goals scored in a single game. Former Canadian soccer players Clare Rustad, Kaylyn Kyle, and Diana Matheson called the display “disgraceful” . "If you are going to blow away a team, do it with humility," Rustad said. "...celebrating goals eight, nine, ten the way they were doing was really unnecessary." Canada was SALTY with US Women’s Team BUT what other should have they celebrated. Granted, Thailand was one of the weaker teams in the tournament ranked at NO. 34 BUT it is a competition. Much respect to Thailand for not quitting during the middle of the game and kept pushing.
OH IT GETS BETTER! In the semi-finals against England, Morgan celebrated after scoring a goal and to celebrate she sipped her tea and as she should! And of course THAT BLEW UP. Many thought it was a jab at the English culture because of their love of tea. Morgan, along with other teammates clapped back and told reporters there is a double standard in sports. “You see men celebrating all around the world in big tournaments, you know, grabbing their sacks or whatever it is,” she continued. “And when I look at sipping a cup of tea, I’m a little taken aback, and you have to laugh about it to see all the criticism. So, I’m a little disappointed in that.” Her teammates had her back and defended their teammates character. Veteran of USA Women’s soccer Megan Rapione said “Wah, wah, wah,” she said. “We’re at the World Cup ― what do you want us to do? This is the biggest stage, the biggest moment. I don’t think anyone truly believes that we disrespect the game or disrespect our opponents.We had the utmost respect for England and every team that we faced and every team that we will face, forever and ever,” she added. “That’s just part of the DNA of the squad. With that said, we work hard, we like to play hard, and we like to have fun and enjoy ourselves.”
Speaking of Rapione, she had a STELLAR World Cup on and off the field. The 34 year old won the Golden Ball and Foot. According to SB Nation, her penalty in the USWNT win over the Netherlands in the final was her sixth of the tournament, tying her with Alex Morgan and Ellen White. She also tied Morgan with three assists, but captured the Golden Boot for top scorer on the second tiebreaker, doing it with fewer minutes played than Morgan. Her six goals and three assists also saw her win the Golden Ball as the best player in the tournament. Her story was AMAZING! She has torn her ACL THREE TIMES! And came back had the tournament of her life! But she also made headlines off the field. Many may not know that she was the first white athlete to kneel with Kaepernick and also has been very vocal about NEVER singing the National Anthem again. The iconic player has also called Trump out for his inhumane ways and is avid leader in the LGBTQ community. She has faced a TON of criticism this summer but she handled each situation with grace and class.
At this year’s ESPY Awards, the women's team took home the Best Team Award and Alex Morgan took home Best Female Athlete.
