Before, during and after the USWNT’s run to its fourth Women’s World Cup title this summer, the American players have been outspoken about their social activism.
The undeniable leader of those efforts has been Megan Rapinoe, who has drawn considerable ire (but equal parts praise) from many across the globe for speaking up.
Rapinoe appears to be inspiring the next generation of USWNT leaders, her younger U.S. teammates.
FIFA released its July 2019 rankings for women’s soccer and, obviously, the USWNT ranking remained No. 1. The Americans also set a new record in the process.
@USWNT take big lead atop the latest #FIFARanking
Allie Long, a veteran member of the Women’s World Cup-winning USWNT, had a rude awakening from the delirium of the team’s week-long celebration.
This morning, the USWNT received a letter from the 25 female members of the Senate, requesting a meeting with them to discuss issues facing women. The letter, which is addressed to head coach Jill Ellis, Alex Morgan, Carli Lloyd, and Megan Rapinoe, congratulates the team on its victory and remarks on how it has ignited conversation regarding women’s issues.
Back in 2003, Rose Lavelle was just an eight-year-old girl with dreams to one day be like her idol, USWNT legend Mia Hamm. As a two-time World Cup champion and one of the greatest players to ever play the game, Hamm was one of the most idolized athletes. Although the USWNT fell short to Germany in the semifinals of the 2003 World Cup, a little girl from Cincinnati, Ohio remained emotionally attached to her role model — Lavelle cried after the U.S. was eliminated from final contention.
The USWNT victory party continued apace on Wednesday morning with the team embarking on a parade through New York City before settling down for a ceremony in front of city hall, which included a powerful speech from Golden Boot and Golden Ball winner Megan Rapinoe and a not-so-incredible talk from USSF president Carlos Cordeiro.
It’s with great sadness that our summer of soccer 2019 draws to a close. The USWNT lifted the World Cup, Brazil triumphed on home soil at the Copa América, Mexico reclaimed the Gold Cup and we’re into the final week of the Africa Cup of Nations. Unless you’re eagerly anticipating the ICC, our glorious summer is at an end.
Let’s face it, women have faced inequality for as long as we have written history. Women’s soccer players are no exception.
Today, the U.S. women’s soccer team — the No. 1 women’s soccer team in the world — has to deal with the reality that if both the men and women’s teams played 20 friendlies a year, the women would earn, at most, $99,000 while the men would earn an average of $263,320. That’s just ridiculous. It seems like some kind of sick joke, but I can assure you, it’s not.
There’s perhaps no greater testament to the strength, drive, togetherness and badassery of the USWNT than the whirlwind tour they’ve been on since Sunday night.
Mere mortals like you and I would probably like nothing more than to curl up under a blanket and nurse a week-long hangover while regaining some sort of feeling in our legs after a month of heinous physical exertion, but the USWNT knows no chill.
The curtain has fallen on another edition of the World Cup; 52 games were played and 23 teams fell short. Only the United States emerged victorious following its 2-0 win over the Netherlands on Sunday.