I thought the Americans dominated in the early going and but for the brilliant goalkeeping of Sari van Veenendaal would have had a one or two goal lead at the half. But as coaches we always use to tell our players the longer you let a weaker opponent hang around, the more confident they become and if they score first it's a huge boost. That didn't happen and when Megan Rapinoe nailed a PK in the 61st minute it was a huge boost. When Rose Lavelle drilled a left footed laser into the lower right corner in the 69th minute you knew it was over. The Dutch seemed to give up in the last 20 minutes.
Glad to see my former player Carli Lloyd, the star of the 2015 Cup but now relegated to a bench role, get on the field in the 87th minute. Not sure how many caps this is for Carli, but if this was her last, what a career!
Not surprisingly, perhaps the best story of the Cup came from Grant Wahl of Sports Illustrated. The New York Times had extensive and first rate daily coverage, including Andrew Keh's report on the final.
Much was written about how this Cup was meant to be a statement by the women that they deserved pay equal to the men. (Of course they do!) The Times wrote in an editorial on the subject:
"It is difficult to understand the argument that the United States women’s national soccer team should get paid just as much as the men’s national soccer team.
The women are much more successful. They should earn more."
"It is difficult to understand the argument that the United States women’s national soccer team should get paid just as much as the men’s national soccer team.
The women are much more successful. They should earn more."
Here's hoping the success in France will lead to success women and girls in the U.S..
