USA powers their way to fourth Women's World Cup title

By Jennifer Edwards
Copyright 2019 All Rights Reserved

LYON, FRANCE (July 7, 2019) While the fireworks ended on the night of July 4th in France, the true fireworks show happened on July 7th. The United States Women’s National Soccer Team took on the blazing hot Netherlands squad by the score of 2-0 in the showdown for the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup trophy. The two teams were very well matched and very deserving of playing in the championship game that the world was watching.   

Again, Megan Rapinoe (shown left) scored the opening goal on penalty kick. The penalty was drawn on a Dutch player for kicking Alex Morgan in the shoulder. This goal is historic in the fact that Rapinoe is the oldest player to score a goal in the final game, as she is 34 years old. Love her or hate her'; she put this team on her back and carried them to the finals with her penalty kicks. So this goal should come as no surprise to anyone. The second goal came from newcomer Rose Lavelle. Lavelle is one of the younger players at age 24. Her goal solidified the US lead and the Americans didn’t let off the gas. The Dutch required every skill that the U.S.A. defense had to keep the Dutch from scoring.  

While the Dutch came in second, their goalkeeper, Sari van Veenendall, made numerous spectacular saves during the entire match to keep the scoring to a minimum. Unfortunately, like many other teams that came up against the US powerhouse, they didn’t have enough to win.   

The entire tournament has done so much for women’s soccer as a whole. The world supported these amazing athletes. All the athletes ask is that you support them when they return to their respective clubs in America and overseas. Pack out the stadiums and enjoy women’s soccer. Thank you to all the teams that participated and showed their spirit, culture and love for the game. They are inspiring the next generation of soccer stars in the making. See you again in four years to see if the United States still has what it takes to put a fifth star on their crest.

Megan Rapinoe was a standout for the United States vs. France

Photo courtsey of
United States Olympic Committee
via Flickr

By Jennifer Edwards
Copyright 2019 All Rights Reserved

LYON, FRANCE (July 2, 2019) Love her or hate her, Megan Rapinoe (shown right) was the star of the United States vs. France quarter final match in the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2019. Rapinoe is not one to shy away from the spotlight off the pitch, but her actions on the pitch allowed the USWNT to advance to the semi-finals. 

Rapinoe, one of the captains of the USWNT, is a midfielder with a ton of speed and ability to read a play and be in the right place at the right time. She is also spot on for penalty and free kicks. Rapinoe took both kicks and scored both times to keep the game at 2-1. When looking at the stats for the game, the USWNT did not dominate the game. They were behind most of the time. The defense stepped up during the game to shut down France, but were having a tough time doing so. 

Crystal Dunn, now a defender, had a stand out game. She frustrated the French offensive line many times and stepped up her game to create passing opportunities. That being said, the USWNT should not have won that game. Looking at the official statistics the US only had possession of the ball 39% of the time to France’s 61%. 

The US made the most of that 39%, but it was a tough and close match. France had 20 shots on goal with 5 being on target to the US’s 10 shots with 8 being on target. Goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher saw more action during this game than all the other games combined. It should be noted that the US did not score of these attempts. 

The US will face off against England Tuesday, July 2 at 2 p.m. in the semi-finals. It will be interesting to see how both teams fare. They are both strong, hard-hitting teams known for their speed and tenacity.