Back in 1999 the women's soccer World Cup came to America and a revolution was born. At that point in time the game was well established here for both men and women, but the rest of the soccer world was not especially aware of what was emerging on playing fields coast to coast.
In the years following the tournament, which saw the U.S. triumph, that awareness began to dawn. And inspired by the World Cup champions all across the country girls began to pull on their cleats in order to do battle with their peers.
Youth soccer would bloom in the opening years of the new century, for girls and boys. The sport had very much arrived and had merged into the broader American sporting landscape. And with a rising number of players, and success on the international stage, expectations began to rise.
Those expectations hit a wall in Melbourne, Australia last weekend when the U.S. women exited the 2023 World Cup following a penalty shoot out with Sweden. Suffice it to say there has been much weeping and gnashing of teeth, tears and criticism, second guessing and finger pointing.
Truth be told the match could have gone either way. The U.S. team played a strong game only to come up against an inspired Swedish goalkeeper. And that final winning penalty kick for Sweden? It was 99.9 percent saved by the U.S. keeper. But that extra one tenth was all that the Swedes needed. And so the soul searching commenced across the bandwidth of the American women's game. But don't dwell on this for too long.
Changes in the organizational structure of U.S. women's soccer well be required but the game itself rolls on - and in a world where other countries have emerged as real competitors in a women's game that clearly has advanced in terms of fitness and physicality.
This World Cup has been a must watch, and that is a result of the efforts of many around the globe. Some of that effort was evident in the debut of the Republic of Ireland team in the Australia/New Zealand-based competition.
The USA's Lindsey Horan. Official U.S. Women's Soccer website photo.
The Irish played the U.S. in two World Cup warm-up games here in the U.S. and acquitted themselves well. It would have been a wonderful thing if the Irish had emerged from the group stage of the competition, but that was not to be. Still, the Irish women gave a really good account of themselves in their debut World Cup and in none of their three games were played off the pitch by their opponents, Australia, Canada and Nigeria.
Several of the Irish players call America their home, but qualified to wear green as a result of dual citizenship. They honed their skills on American fields in their younger years and those skills have now reached international level. Though they left the tournament earlier than they, and their fans, hoped, the Irish women were given a heroes welcome back in Dublin. This, if it serves any purpose, is a reminder of how honest effort is a win in itself.
The girls in green deserve all the cheers and applause. So do the American women as they try to leave behind their disappointment and look into a future that will, for sure, be more challenging than the years gone by. Go Ireland! Go USA! And may the best of the still competing teams win in what has become a totally engrossing Women's World Cup.
