Women's World Cup Final

Closing gap on Americans

Talent disparity shrinking in women’s soccer

The U.S. women’s team, led by Abby Wambach (above), hasn’t won the World Cup since 1999, but the Americans will have a chance to end that 16-year drought in the championship game Sunday against Japan.
The U.S. women’s team, led by Abby Wambach (above), hasn’t won the World Cup since 1999, but the Americans will have a chance to end that 16-year drought in the championship game Sunday against Japan.

VANCOUVER, B.C. -- The taut matches and upset scares along the American team's troublesome path to Sunday's World Cup championship game illustrate the evolving landscape of women's soccer and the challenge faced by the United States to remain a dominant force.

photo

AP/The Canadian Press

United States team captain Carli Lloyd (10) celebrates with teammates Ali Krieger (11) and Morgan Brian after scoring on a penalty kick against Germany during the second half of Tuesday’s World Cup semifinal victory in Montreal. The United States hasn’t won this tournament since 1999 and wasn’t favored this year. The Americans face defending champion Japan on Sunday.

Since women's soccer was first recognized as a competitive international sport some 25 years ago, no country has enjoyed more success than the United States, which has won four of five Olympic gold medals and two World Cup titles.

But as the gap between standard-bearers and start-ups narrows, championships are harder to come by. The United States hasn't won this tournament since 1999 and wasn't favored this year. That honor went to Germany, which fell to the Americans in the semifinals. The victory cautiously raised American hopes that their 16-year wait is finally over.

"We haven't done anything yet," said forward Abby Wambach, a four-time World Cup participant and the greatest international goal scorer in men's or women's history. "I know beating a German team is something you want to celebrate, but we still haven't won the World Cup.

"We can't stop believing and never doubt it's going to happen. We've been prepping for this for years."

In fact, the entire U.S. campaign -- which will culminate against Japan in Sunday's sold-out final -- has provided both high anxiety and gratification.

For years, the United States was ahead of the curve. At the top level, the Americans overwhelmed many opponents with superior physical and technical ability. But as the sport has grown more sophisticated, the Americans have had to become more tactically astute and defensively sound.

This summer they slogged through the three-game group stage, were tested by unheralded Colombia, picked up steam against a young Chinese team and then gave their best performance of the four-week competition in defeating top-ranked Germany, 2-0.

The second-ranked Americans have not won the title since the 1999 final against China before 90,185 at the Rose Bowl, a penalty kick victory punctuated by Brandi Chastain's jersey-peeling celebration.

Wambach and her contemporaries are trying to escape the shadow of that team, which featured superstar Mia Hamm and a band of personalities that lifted the profile of the sport. The U.S. program has remained on high ground, continuing the tradition of finishing no worse than third in all 12 World Cups and Olympics, but for 16 years it has fallen short of the ultimate prize.

The most notable change since 1999 is the competition.

In the World Cup that summer, Japan was outscored 10-1 over three games. It entered this summer's tournament as the defending champion. France failed to qualify for four of the first five World Cups. It is now ranked third behind Germany and the United States.

England advanced to the semifinals for the first time last week before losing to Japan on a last-minute own goal. A dozen years ago, Colombia lost a South American game by 12 goals. This year, it executed the greatest upset in World Cup history by defeating France. In its debut this summer, Cameroon became the first African nation in 16 years to advance out of the group stage.

Recognizing the sport's growth, FIFA, soccer's global governing body, grew the tournament this year from 16 to 24 teams. While expansion led to several predictable blowouts -- Germany defeated debutant Ivory Coast 10-0 -- it also paved the way for first-time participation by Spain and Netherlands, countries better known for men's soccer excellence.

"Women's soccer has absolutely exploded around the world," said Briana Scurry, the starting goalkeeper on the 1999 U.S. squad. "In this World Cup, maybe half the teams had no semblance of a program of any kind in 1999. And if they did, it was terribly underfunded. These are proud footballing nations, and they have made in-roads in the women's sport."

Consequently, traditional titans such as the United State face stiffer competition.

"Women's soccer has made quite a development," Germany Coach Silvia Neid said. "Players play harder, are more skilled and better trained. The games are faster."

To remain at the forefront, U.S. officials recognize the need to develop players not only through the youth national teams but the National Women's Soccer League, a nine-team pro circuit in its third season. The NWSL is the third go at a full-scale league following the failure of the Women's United Soccer Association (2001-03) and Women's Professional Soccer (2009-11).

The U.S. Soccer Federation, in conjunction with its Canadian and Mexican counterparts, underwrites the league by paying salaries of the respective core players. Of the 23 players on the U.S. World Cup squad, all but Wambach are affiliated with NWSL clubs. (She took this season off to prepare for the tournament on her own.)

Individual NWSL teams are responsible for the remainder of the payroll for lesser-known U.S. players as well as those recruited from abroad.

Through professional settings and weekly competition, the goal of the league is to broaden the player pool for the U.S. national team.

"It's an evolution," said Jim Gabarra, who oversees the NWSL's New Jersey-based team, Sky Blue FC. "The men's game continues to bloom. MLS [the men's league in its 20th season] got through hard times and is now thriving. The women's game is on the same trajectory, but we're 10 to 15 years behind."

U.S. players will enjoy massive support Sunday, just as they have throughout the tournament. Tickets on the resale market are going for three times their face value, and fans will gather at large outdoor viewing parties in several U.S. cities.

"Sixteen years, it's been a long time without the World Cup," said U.S. defender Ali Krieger. "It's out there for us. It's the moment we've trained for, played for, lived for."

Sports on 07/04/2015

Upcoming Events