The United States returned to the pinnacle of women’s soccer with a 5-2 crushing of Japan in Sunday’s Women’s World Cup final at the end of a riveting tournament that pushed the sport into new territory.
The Americans last triumphed in 1999 but women’s football is a vastly different sport than it was a decade-and-a-half ago with new nations forging their way into the elite amid an unprecedented level of global interest.
As Golden Ball winner Carli Lloyd demonstrated with her astonishing 16 minute hat-trick in the final, including a goal from the half-way line, the women’s game is delivering a level of excitement and quality that was non-existent in the 1990s.
This is clearly evidenced by the 20.3 Million, thats right MILLION fans who tuned in to watch the Final live. To put that in context, TV ratings were higher for the Final than the NBA and Stanley Cup finals!
