Revenge in Vancouver; America's Championship in Women's World Cup Soccer

The 2015 Women's World Cup final was held between the national teams of the United States and Japan, where the United States defeated its opponent with a score of 5-2 to claim the championship trophy. This match took place in front of over 53,000 spectators in Vancouver, repeating the final of the previous tournament. In that match, the regular time ended 1-1, and Japan revived its hopes with a goal in the 81st minute. In extra time, the United States scored first, but surprisingly, Japan managed to equalize again in the dying moments, specifically in the 117th minute. In the penalty shootout, the first three penalties of the United States were missed, and Japan, with a better performance, stood on the podium for the first time in the history of women's football in the country. Many players from both national teams were still present in the lineup for the final of the seventh tournament. The atmosphere created before this match was unprecedented in all editions of the Women's World Cup. Women's football is growing at a remarkable pace. The excitement, thrill, and sensitivity of this year's matches were significantly greater than all previous editions. The intersection of the success of American footballers with the Fourth of July celebrations and the anniversary of their country's independence reflected a 'national determination' to win the cup. They spoke of revenge on the playing field. Reactions from clubs and various sports disciplines, from basketball to rugby, included all sports. The hashtag 'One Nation, One Team' was shared in unprecedented volume, which had no precedent for women's football. A large crowd attended the training sessions of both teams. Every day, tens of thousands of Americans followed their players' Instagram pages. Alex Morgan is just one of these players, followed by one and a half million people, and her birthday celebration before the final was seen as a prelude to the final celebration and gained national reflection. Even the USS Theodore Roosevelt recorded a symbolic image of its support on the deck. The U.S. Soccer Federation similarly featured a picture of Hope Solo, the goalkeeper who had only conceded one goal until the final, on a one-dollar bill. Carly Lloyd's number 10 was also featured on a ten-dollar bill! Americans entered the field with remarkable motivation to reclaim the lost cup. On the other hand, Japan was a hardworking and resilient team that had prevented the surprise team of England from reaching the final with an own goal in the last seconds. In a tournament where no matches had gone to penalties, the final also found itself in such a situation. The United States began its attack with the whistle and only needed three minutes to take the lead through Carly Lloyd. No one could believe that Carly would achieve a hat trick in the first quarter of the match! Celia Sasic from Germany also did not expect to share the top scorer title in the sixteenth minute with Carly Lloyd. Lauren Holiday scored in the fourteenth minute, and the United States had taken a 4-0 lead in the stormiest 16 minutes in World Cup history, to the extent that the U.S. coach said: 'After 15 minutes, I was pinching myself to see if this result was a dream?!' Yuki Ogimi, who plays in Wolfsburg, responded to one of the goals conceded by the defending champion in the first half. Julie Johnston scored an own goal in the second half to give Japan more hope to continue the game, but just two minutes later, Tobin Heath managed to score the fifth goal against Ayumi Kaihori. The 5-2 lead, which is an unconventional result for a World Cup final, brought the seventh cup into the hands of captain Carly Lloyd. She received the Adidas Golden Ball award. Amandine Henry from France and Aya Miyama from Japan won the silver and bronze balls, respectively. The Golden Glove went to one of the most famous female athletes in the world, Hope Solo. This American goalkeeper kept her goal shut for 540 minutes, which is considered a record. Kadisha Buchanan from Canada earned the title of best young player of this tournament. The U.S. coach said after his team's championship: 'We wanted to put pressure on the opponent from the start, and everything went well. I really didn't think such a result would happen, but I knew my players had extraordinary abilities. This is what they were born to do.' Norio Sasaki, the Japanese coach, also said: 'My players performed well in Canada. Today, the United States played really powerfully. We will never forget the support of the spectators. Four years ago, we became champions and showed the development of Japanese football.' After America's championship, Barack Obama invited the players of this team to the White House. He tweeted: 'What a win for America! Carly Lloyd's excellent game, your country is proud of all of you. Come to the White House soon with the championship trophy.' Michelle Obama, the First Lady of the United States, wrote: 'America, America, America! We are all proud of you.' Joe Biden also wrote about the feeling of pride and emphasized that 'the cup is coming back to America.' His reference was to America's championship history. This team, before the seventh cup, had already been a leader in women's football in the world with two championships, one runner-up, and three third-place finishes, and now they have also won the third cup. Kobe Bryant, the basketball star, Allyson Felix in athletics, and even Serena Williams, the tennis player who is engaged in Wimbledon, were among the prominent stars who reacted to this championship.