women's world cup

ah: such a letdown!

I've been watching the world cup matches for the last few weeks and was sure the US was going to come out ahead! And they were so close: those final minutes were excruciating to watch.

I was a pretty serious soccer player until I was 19 and I've always loved watching World Cup play. In 99, I went to the US/Nigeria World Cup Match at Soldier Field. (US won 7-1.) That was the year of Mia Hamm, Julie Foudy, Michelle Akers, Brandi Chastain, Kristine Lily. It was near the end of my own competitive soccer playing, which was weird--transitioning from a player to a spectator--but the games and the tournament were incredible.

I was in Europe for the past two men's world cups--which is, I think, the best place to be during a world cup (besides at the games.) Everyone's crazy about football/soccer there so the games feel more weighty. The first Europe cup for me, the young boys in our Norwegian village and the Americans/Brits I was staying with would all crowd into the tiny community center's computer room and broadcast the games off the computer onto the wall; by the final, it seems most of the village was coming. This past world cup, I watched the finals in Sweden; even though none of the Scandinavian countries qualified (amazingly enough), it was still so great to watch the game with people who were passionate about it.

I love that soccer/football is a world sport. It's great to have a team to believe in (& most of the US women playing are around my age) but it also so good to have common world ground that goes beyond politics and business and language. Seeing how strong and tough these u.s. women are has been inspiring too: a challenge to me to get into that kind of top physical/athletic form & to spend my days with the sort of purposefulness it requires to be really good at anything.

I do wish the US would have pulled it through: I've gotten attached to this team: Hope Solo, Abby Wambach, Megan Rapinoe...I'm hoping, at least, some of my favorites will be back in four years...but oh what a long wait it will be.