USWNT World Cup victory is ultimate validation for equality

Former USWNT star Kristine Lilly was in Lyon, France for the Women’s World Cup Final, where the United States emerged as back-to-back champions after a 2-0 victory over the Netherlands on Sunday. Lilly accurately predicted the 2-0 outcome in her guest column earlier in the week. She shares her observations and thoughts on the historic run. As told to Mollie Walker.

It was awesome to play for the U.S. team and play in five World Cups.

Putting on that jersey is an honor and to represent your country is unbelievable. When you join the team you learn what it means to be on the team, the traditions and expectations that are there. There is a sisterhood that transcends the sport.

The only people who can understand it are the ones who participate.

I was fortunate enough to be on the field after the game when they got their medals, to shake their hands and give them hugs. Just seeing the smiles on their faces was so rewarding, it brought tears to my eyes. I’m so proud of each and every one of them.

This team wanted to win, and when you continue to win , you make things happen. It’s hard to turn your eye to success. And what they’re fighting for are things that we shouldn’t be fighting for, these things are about respect and supporting the growth of the women’s game.

The success these women have had cannot be ignored. With this win, it just validates — even more — what they’re fighting for and what they deserve. It’s not just for them, but for the women’s game in general. It was a huge win for the United States, but an even bigger win for women’s soccer moving forward.

I believe the U.S. was a better team overall. The Netherlands didn’t seem to have enough juice in its engine, looking tired at times. But I think the Dutch gave everything they could. The fact this is their second World Cup and they’re already in the finals is incredible. Now, they get to go to the Olympics, giving them another opportunity to compete to be the best.

Megan Rapinoe came up big on the PK once again, along with Rose Lavelle, Sam Mewis and Becky Sauerbrunn posting exceptional performances in the win. But I thought Rose was the player of the game, to be that young of a player and be as composed as she was out there was impressive. She was very good on the ball and I was so happy she was rewarded with a goal in the finals.

It’s tough to win back-to-back World Cups, the only other team to do it on the women’s side is Germany. It’s not easy at all. It just goes to show how much work these players have done to be in this position and to win it again. The World Cup is the biggest stage for soccer and to have to share the day with other FIFA events wasn’t right. We all love the game and want to support it, whether you are a player, fan, reporter, or a member of a delegation, we all want to be a part of supporting these events.

Source: Nypost.com

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