Americans back on top of women’s soccer universe
U.S. blanks Netherlands for title repeat as video review controversy strikes again
Considering the way the tournament has gone and the game at the highest level is trending, it was probably fitting the winning goal in the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup final was scored as a result of video review.
Megan Rapinoe stepped up and calmly slotted home a penalty kick an hour into the game to give the United States the lead in a 2-0 victory against the Netherlands at the sold-out Stade de Lyon on Sunday.
As has been the case with many video assistant referee decisions, this one was debatable and seemed harsh on Netherlands defender Stefanie Van Der Gragt, who caught forward Alex Morgan with her boot while trying to play a ball in the Dutch penalty area.
Van Der Gragt didn’t see Morgan standing behind her when she tried to clear a looping ball. Initially a corner was given, but VAR officials suggested French referee Stephanie Frappart take a second look and after she did she pointed to the penalty spot, ruling Van Der Gragt had impeded Morgan in the area.
“I’m not focused on the penalty. It’s not about if I thought it was a penalty or not, it’s not my decision; the referee makes that decision,” said Netherlands head coach Sarina Wiegman. “The United States went on to score the goal and they took the lead.”
Up to that point, the Netherlands were putting up good resistance against the U.S., but the goal was a gut-punch they were unable to recover from.
American midfielder Rose Lavelle scored the clincher eight minutes later on a wonderful individual run, turning Van Der Gragt inside out before firing a left-footed shot to the bottom corner of the net.
Down two goals, it was curtains for the Dutch, who never really threatened the U.S. goal.
From there, the Americans had the better of the chances as they pressed for more and would have added to the total had Netherlands goalkeeper Sari Van Veenendaal not made a handful of outstanding saves trying to keep her team in the game. Van Veenendaal was named the best goalkeeper of the tournament, winning the Golden Glove Award.
“She played sensationally,” Wiegman said. “She showed her qualities mainly in the biggest matches. She had many saves (Sunday) and she played a very smart game. She continues to get better and better and she saved us in a lot of matches.”
All in all, the United States were the best team in the tournament and deserving of the World Cup title despite the VAR decision. They were the better team in the final and overwhelmed the Netherlands with their speed and skill.
For the Americans, it was their second consecutive World Cup title and fourth overall to match the four Olympic gold medals they’ve won.
The U.S. bounced back from a disappointing Olympic performance in 2016, when they were eliminated in the quarter-final, and were the dominant team throughout this World Cup tournament.
“I knew that after 2016 we had to deconstruct this and reconstruct it,” said U.S. coach Jill Ellis said.
“That was the plan that I shared with my bosses and they bought in. I just knew we had to continue to evolve and do more things in terms of how we play. The game was growing so fast and we had to go through the process of strengthening our squad, deeper players selection, giving people opportunities, vetting people. That was hard, but I think that was ultimately the right decision.”
Despite the gap closing at the top of women’s soccer, the Americans proved they are still head and shoulders above the rest of the world, dispatching four European powerhouses in Spain, France, England and the Netherlands to win the title. Some of the games may have been close, but the outcomes never really seemed in doubt.
“The level overall, it’s growing exponentially every year, so I think four years on from our last win this was incredibly difficult,” said Ellis.
“The teams we had to come through, I think they were some of the best teams in the world. In terms of the path and the level, this was pretty challenging.”
Spain probably had the best chance of upsetting the Americans in the round of 16, but even if they had not been awarded a controversial penalty in the final, which Rapinoe put away, the Americans likely would have found a way to win — just like they did against France and England on their way to the final.
Rapinoe finished with six goals in the tournament and won the Golden Boot as the top scorer by virtue of playing fewer minutes than Morgan and Ellen White of England, who also had six goals. Rapinoe was also named tourna
The teams we had to come through, I think they were some of the best teams in the world. In terms of the path and the level, this was pretty challenging.
ment MVP, winning the Golden Ball.
“I think we leaned on our experience this entire tournament,” Rapinoe said. “We had some incredibly tough games to play, games were we didn’t play that well and we were under the pump. There were points in different games where it was very difficult. We had some extremely difficult teams that we had to play in the tournament (and that) was very difficult. For some of us older players especially, we were able to carry a lot of that load and set the example for the younger players.”
For the Netherlands, it was the first World Cup final setback for the women to be added to the three the men have lost. The Dutch women have made great strides since making their major tournament debut at the European Championship a decade ago. They qualified for their first World Cup four years ago in Canada, losing in the second round.
Two years later, they won the European Championship as host, which set an unprecedented level of expectation heading into the World Cup tournament.
The final brought an end to an exciting tournament with its share of controversy, heartache and outstanding play.
Canada was eliminated by Sweden in the second round, but it was the first time it had advanced past the group stage at a World Cup tournament held in Europe.