Us womens world cup rivalry in 2010

The stakes of this game were so wildly high. It had been hyped up for months, since people realized the World Cup draw had set up the tournament's two best teams to meet way too early in the quarterfinal. There was a chance at the World Cup on the line, obviously. But also, the US team’s equal pay suit was built on the back of its soccer record, and for its case to hold up, it really could
not
lose in the quarterfinal. And there was that Twitter thing with Trump.


If you weren’t following the USWNT, here’s the thing you might not realize about this game: A lot of people didn’t expect the US to win it. The team had won the 2015 World Cup, sure, but it had spent a lot of the next four years in a pretty bad funk. (I’d like to state for the record that I blame coach Jill Ellis.) It hadn’t beaten France in its last three meetups; months earlier, it had lost to France 3–1.

Then there was Rapinoe. There was a time where a lot of people thought she was basically done with the USWNT. After an ACL tear at age 30 and a bad 2016 Olympics, a lot of people were
happy
to write Rapinoe out — partly because she had knelt during the national anthem in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick. And y

Three Women’s World Cups, three defining moments this decade




The 2010s in women’s soccer can very much be defined by the three World Cups played during the decade. This may not seem so novel, but it is quite possible that in 25, 50, or even 100 years, the World Cups of the 2010s will maintain a pivotal place in the growth of women’s soccer in the United States.

I know what you’re going to say. It was 1999 that came first and will always be at the top of the mountain. And it’s true, every nugget of women’s soccer can be traced back to the organizers of that tournament, who instead of wishing it would be a big deal, went out and
made it into a big deal.


But the unpopular reality is that much of that momentum had been stunted by the time 2011 rolled around. The
United States
had not won a World Cup since, and when they were shocked by Mexico in qualifying, they played a two-leg, intercontinental playoff against Italy in virtual anonymity. The top story in the interceding years was Hope Solo’s tirade after the 2007 World Cup semifinal loss. But Solo did not play in that match, and beyond the inner circle of die-hard fans, there was not much in the way of analysis of w

The story of the FIFA Women’s World Cup (Part 3: the 2010s)



Be sure to catch up on Part 1 and Part 2 of the series if you haven’t already!


The 2011 Women’s World Cup in Germany marked the 20th anniversary of the competition, which had evolved enormously in its two decades of existence. While FIFA ultimately decided against increasing the number of finalists to 24, instead keeping it at 16, that it was strongly considered spoke of the growing appetite for the women’s game. That progress would be maintained in the sixth staging of the tournament.



2011: Japan end Germany’s domination



The profile of the Women’s World Cup was raised further in 2011, with all matches broadcasted in high definition for the first time and a tournament-specific Panini sticker album released. Also, a new Twitter record was set during the final, with 7,196 tweets per second an unprecedented rate for one event, surpassing that year’s UK royal wedding and the assassination of Osama Bin Laden.

Hosts and holders Germany cruised through Group A as expected, with France signalling their intent as a coming force. England also caught the eye in the group stage, topping Group B and beating a


 

While changes to CONCACAF's World Cup Qualifying format could keep the United States from facing Mexico on the men's side, the rivalry has reached a new level in the women's game.

Mexico pulled off arguably the biggest upset in women's soccer history on Friday night, recording a 2-1 victory against the United States that clinched a place in the 2011 Women's World Cup.

The Americans are left with the task of having to beat Costa Rica in a CONCACAF Third-Place game before taking on Italy in a two-game play-in series.

That road should be manageable for the defending Olympic champions, but then again so should have beating Mexico. The United States had beaten Mexico in their past four meetings by a combined score of 26-0. That was before Friday night.

What do you think of this upset? Do you see the U.S. women rebounding and clinching their place in the 2011 World Cup?

Share your thoughts below.