Is there a better moment than the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup for USA’s Hope Solo and co to rule the planet? Brazil have been ousted. France, here come the Americans!
The United States actually did the impossible against Brazil, which explains why hero Wambach still cannot believe how they managed to book a semi-final meeting against France. Her injury-time equalizer in extra-time turned things around in perhaps the most fashionable manner one could have ever imagined.
“I literally can't believe what happened. It's probably the most emotional moment of my life,” said an ecstatic Wambach to FIFA.com. At any other random moment, Rapinoe might have never been able to bend in such a wonderful cross from inside the midfield area and Wambach might have never been able to make a perfect jump and a perfect header to send the ball home.
That moment was simply incredible for the USA and depressing for Brazil. But it wasn’t just a 120 minutes encounter that the United States won. It was the entire dream of a Brazilian nation backing 5-time world player of the year Marta and co to win the country’s first World Cup title that the Americans destroyed.
It was a final-looking quarter-final match in which they triumphed. It was the disgust at losing under the influence of serious officiating mistake that they defeated. It was a reminder that impossible is nothing as each second in a mission counts.
And now, anyone could be wondering if there’s something that the USA’s women’s football team cannot achieve. Count their phenomenal 2008 Summer Olympics gold success against Brazil in the final as part of their historical achievements, of course.
The United States’ rank as the world’s number 1 team is certainly deserved—no matter if most may consider Marta to be much better than each of the USA’s players. Football is a team game and the Americans’ results as a team have been quite fantastic. Besides, many would also wish to have Hope Solo’s pair of safe hands…
But the FIFA Women’s World Cup title is something that USA haven’t clinched since 1999. So after 12 years, has their time come? Wednesday’s titanic semi-final match against France will help us answer this question—either fully, either half-way.
“I literally can't believe what happened. It's probably the most emotional moment of my life,” said an ecstatic Wambach to FIFA.com. At any other random moment, Rapinoe might have never been able to bend in such a wonderful cross from inside the midfield area and Wambach might have never been able to make a perfect jump and a perfect header to send the ball home.
That moment was simply incredible for the USA and depressing for Brazil. But it wasn’t just a 120 minutes encounter that the United States won. It was the entire dream of a Brazilian nation backing 5-time world player of the year Marta and co to win the country’s first World Cup title that the Americans destroyed.
It was a final-looking quarter-final match in which they triumphed. It was the disgust at losing under the influence of serious officiating mistake that they defeated. It was a reminder that impossible is nothing as each second in a mission counts.
And now, anyone could be wondering if there’s something that the USA’s women’s football team cannot achieve. Count their phenomenal 2008 Summer Olympics gold success against Brazil in the final as part of their historical achievements, of course.
The United States’ rank as the world’s number 1 team is certainly deserved—no matter if most may consider Marta to be much better than each of the USA’s players. Football is a team game and the Americans’ results as a team have been quite fantastic. Besides, many would also wish to have Hope Solo’s pair of safe hands…
But the FIFA Women’s World Cup title is something that USA haven’t clinched since 1999. So after 12 years, has their time come? Wednesday’s titanic semi-final match against France will help us answer this question—either fully, either half-way.
