A Well-Deserved Thank You..... - 7/21/11

From the bottom of my heart and with every last fiber of my being, I want to give a truly heartfelt "thank you" to the US Women's Soccer Team.

This incredible group of women saved me from the doldrums that are the dog days of sports from the end of the Stanley Cup Finals to the beginning of NFL training camps and college football practices. Their journey, although it didn't have the desired ending, was absolutely riveting from start to finish. The drive, determination, backstory, and sheer beauty (athletically & aesthetically) of this team endeared them immediately to me and millions of patriotic Americans. So let's take a look back at their WWC rollercoaster.

The US Women are ranked number one in the world and have long been the powerhouse nation in the women's soccer universe. With that in mind, many may be quick to forget that the US was the last team to qualify for the Women's World Cup. They needed a stoppage time goal from Alex Morgan to defeat Italy in the second leg of their qualifier just to get in. Imagine if the Miami Heat and their "Big Three" needed to win on the last day of the regular season just to qualify for the playoffs. That's what the US road to the Women's World Cup was like. They lost games they probably shouldn't have and didn't come into the tournament on the best note.

The ladies got a decent draw for group play and would be able to avoid back-to-back champions Germany until the finals. They started with a young North Korean side and struggled to a 2-0 win on the strength of second-half goals from Lauren Cheney and Rachel Buehler. They then looked much more like the US Women's Team we're used to seeing, posting a 3-0 win over Colombia. Everything seemed to be in order as a win over Sweden would ensure that the Americans would win their group and take on Australia in the quarterfinals rather than Brazil. However, the wheels came off the bus as the Swedes thoroughly outplayed the Americans and took a 2-1 victory and the group play title. It was the first time the US had lost a WWC game in group play. Not only were they stuck with this stigma but they also had to play Brazil in the quarterfinals.

And that's when the stage was set for the US Women to take the nation by storm.

The US was up against it. In a game full of controversial calls the crowd was firmly entrenched on the US side. The fans were booing the great Marta for flopping and constantly appealing to the referees. Erica then went down with an injury, ate up nearly five minutes, got taken off on a stretcher, and then miraculously recovered and ran back into the pitch for Brazil. It was an absolutely awful display that got carded and eventually rewarded the never-say-die Americans with three additional minutes of stoppage time. And then it happened...a perfect cross by Megan Rapinoe was headed in the incomparable Abby Wambach in the 122nd minute to tie the game at two. The call by ESPN's Ian Darke was unforgettable: "Do you believe this? Abby Wambach has saved the USA's life in this World Cup!"

Hope Solo would then come through with the big save in the penalty kick shootout and the US successfully converted all five of their attempts to win 5-3 on penalty kicks, exactly 12 years to the day that the 1999 squad won the Women's World Cup on penalty kicks. And just like that the nation was hooked. The goal even won the ESPY for Best Play.

The US then outlasted France in the semifinals, 3-1, picking up second-half goals from Wambach and Morgan just three minutes apart.

The storylines for the final against Japan were moving on all fronts. The US was trying to forge its own identity and get out of the shadow of that 1999 team. Japan was trying to give its still-recovering nation something to truly grab onto and smile about as a point of national pride. Sadly, the US gave up both 1-0 and 2-1 leads before bowing 3-1 on penalty kicks. The final was an incredible see-saw battle in which neither team seemed to budge. A scoreless first half moved into the second before Morgan converted a long ball from Rapinoe to take a 1-0 lead in the 69th minute. Defensive miscues coughed up the lead but Wambach struck again in the 104th minute to reclaim the lead. But Japanese captain Homare Sawa scored in the 118th minute to force penalty kicks. Hope Solo was able to come up with a big save but the first three American attempts all failed, sealing their fate.

Despite the runner-up finish, there is something incredibly captivating about this team. They constantly had their backs against the wall from qualifying and all the way through the tournament. But they perserved and nearly grabbed the Cup. Their brand of soccer is fast, physcial, athletic, and truly stunning. For Garden Staters like me, there was a distinctly Jersey feel to this team as five members hail from the Garden State. And it just seemed like every major player had a great backstory. Goalkeeper Hope Solo was just ten months removed from career-threatening shoulder surgery. Many soccer observers also vividly recalled her tirade after the 2007 World Cup loss to Brazil in which she was benched. Defender (and captain) Christie Rampone was the only player left from that historic 1999 squad but she didn't play in that epic final. At age 36 and with over 200 caps this was probably her last World Cup. Abby Wambach was recovering from nagging leg injuries and trying to ensure that her reputation as an elite goal-scorer was not tarnished. Midfielder Heather O'Reilly was out to prove that her reputation as one of the fastest players in the women's game was well-earned. And Alex Morgan was out to show that just because she was the youngest player on the squad (age 22) didn't mean that she wasn't a valuable piece of the puzzle.

When it was all said and done we ended up falling in love with each and every one of these women. Wambach proved that she is still one of the most dangerous goal-scorers in the world, ending the tournament with 13 career World Cup goals and the title of highest-scoring American in WWC history and second-highest goal-scorer in all of WWC history. Her can-do attitude, outgoing and quotable personality, and incredible ability made her the perfect face for this club. She was humble in victory and gracious in defeat. Her on-pitch interviews after all of the knockout stage games were heartfelt and insightful. Hope Solo continued to establish herself as the best goalie in the women's game today. Her brutally honest tweets and interviews along with her on-field fire and ridiculously-good looks make her the favorite of many a red-blooded American male. And Alex Morgan became the breakout star of the WWC. The 22-year-old continued her timely goal scoring as the US supersub. She was easily the fastest player on the pitch and her left-footed lasers should be lighting up soccer nets for years to come. The California native also happens to be one of the most beautiful women I have ever had the privilege of laying eyes on. She plays her pro ball for the Western New York Flash of the WPS and I'm sure the Flash picked up a whole host of fans after the WWC.

So once again, a huge "thank you" to the US Women's Soccer Team. You saved me from the dog days of summer sports. You gave me (and the entire nation) a truly-compelling story and an incredible team to get behind. You and your brand of soccer are beautiful. Thank you! Oh, and Alex Morgan, phenomenal...on all fronts!

A few other tidbits:

1. "Jersey's Team" finally hired a head coach, ending over three months of speculation. GM Lou Lamoriello pulled a rabbit out of his hat and hired former Florida Panthers head coach Pete DeBoer to be the 21st head coach in franchise history. DeBoer compiled a 103-107-36 record with no postseason appearances in his three seasons on South Beach but those numbers are a bit deceiving. In his first season, Florida had 93 points (2nd-highest total in franchise history) but missed the playoffs on a tiebreaker with Montreal. The Panthers fell off a bit in the next two seasons as they were simply undermanned. DeBoer did well with what he had and hopefully that first NHL experience will serve him well in Newark. David Clarkson and Travis Zajac have both played for DeBoer and were highly-supportive. Let's hope the big guns (Kovalchuk, Parise, Brodeur) feel the same way. Let's also hope that this is the end of the coaching carousel in Jersey. I actually like the hire. He had tremendous success in juniors, winning the Memorial Cup in 2003 and the OHL Championship in 2008 while coaching Kitchener. He also has the NHL head-coaching experience, a tremendous plus when working with a team like the Devils.

2. The WWE may have had its best stretch of writing over the last few months since it went TV-PG back in late 2007/early 2008. The CM Punk/John Cena angle was enthralling from start to finish. Punk cut some of the best promos the industry has heard in quite some time. He shot from the hip and the support he received in his hometown of Chicago at the Money in the Bank pay-per-view was absolutely incredible. Punk says he's the best in the world at what he does and at the present moment I would have to agree. Punk's contract has officially expired and he has taken the WWE Championship with him. He executed a similar angle (complete with angry tweets and all) in ROH and ended up coming back for a few months and defending the belt. There have been no indications of his return coming anytime soon so we can only hope for the best. I'm still not a John Cena fan but you have to give him some credit here. He's a tremendously hard worker and the epitome of a company guy. He hung with Punk every step of the way and performed well at MITB.

3. Speaking of the WWE, the next big twist arrived on RAW when Triple H (my all-time favorite wrestler) returned and relieved his father-in-law Vince McMahon of his duties as Chairman of the WWE. This puts "The Game" in charge of the company. It's been a long time since the WWE has left me with no idea of where they will go next and I'm greatly looking forward to seeing where this angle goes. Of course the big plus here is the return of Trips!!!

Until next time.

- Meech