The Final, then

[jason voorhees]

So happy. Not to be mawkish or sentimental, but like the end of Claudio Reyna, that was the last of World Cup players I played against. Then Tim Howard, players I coached against.

Here will be the last time in my life I will ever have a personal connection to a World Cup, so these past two have been very special.

I love when a coach is so derided, so clowned, and makes every right move in the end. So hats off to Coach Jill Ellis, now the worst and only coach to win 2 Womens World Cups...in a row no less. (Joining Vittorio Pozzo on the men’s side for the 30s Azzuri. Yes, Googled and wikipedia’d.)

[ursus arctos]

And Pozzo needed a hand from Mussolini

[Incandenza]

Couldn't manage one NCAA championship with UCLA, but here with back-to-back World Cups.

Thought Mewis and Ertz had really good games, Dunn as well, though she had a few moments that made my stomach sink but generally managed to recover well.

Hopefully the interest in the games translates to support for the NWSL, but I'm not holding my breath. As always, the US loves the World Cup much more than it does club soccer:

[URL]https://twitter.com/lgbtqfc/status/1147907077496610817[/URL]

[URL]https://twitter.com/EmCAnderson/status/1147918980192980993[/URL]

[Janik]

Given that the tweeter you quote about waiting four years is after "watch[ing] our national team go out and kick the world’s ass" the NWSL is not going to provide her that.

[Wouter D]

Well, the first half looked like it could go both ways, but in the second half the Dutch were clearly the second-best team. The penalty was also clearly a penalty. Kudos to the USA for a well-deserved victory. They were the best team in the tournament.

[ursus arctos]

It is worth noting that fans of US womens' national teams are quite used to paying attention in four cycles because of the massive influence of the Olympic Games on womens' sports here.

There are literally millions of people who become rapid partisans of US gymnasts and figure skaters during the Games, but barely pay any attention to what they do outside of the Olympics.

[Janik]

Well, the first half looked like it could go both ways, but in the second half the Dutch were clearly the second-best team.

Ish. For 35 minutes in the first-half, the Dutch were clinging on. That was when van Veenendaal made her four saves, at least three of which were outstanding. The Dutch had a ten minutes spell at the end of the half when they came off the ropes and swung a few dangerous looking punches back. But none of them actually landed. They didn't manage a single actual shot in the period. Extending the boxing metaphor, the first half would get a round score of 10-9 to the US, i.e. clearly won in terms of punches that got through the guard to score and overall work to those that were parried away, and the second-half would be 10-8, a knock down.

[Nefertiti2]

https://twitter.com/JordanUhl/status/1147928668087443456

[Wouter D]

Ish. For 35 minutes in the first-half, the Dutch were clinging on. That was when van Veenendaal made her four saves, at least three of which were outstanding. The Dutch had a ten minutes spell at the end of the half when they came off the ropes and swung a few dangerous looking punches back. But none of them actually landed. They didn't manage a single actual shot in the period. Extending the boxing metaphor, the first half would get a round score of 10-9 to the US, i.e. clearly won in terms of punches that got through the guard to score and overall work to those that were parried away, and the second-half would be 10-8, a knock down.

Ah, but my claim was not "in the first half, they were equally good". My claim was that in the first half, it looked like it could go either way. In the sense that: sure, the USA seemed like the better team, but with one more accurate through pass the Netherlands could nick a lead. In the second half, even that wasn't the case.

[Wouter D]

By the way, if the Dutch would have implausibly nicked this, this would have been the quintessential example of the goalkeeper deserving the MVP award. Sari van Veenendaal was exceptional today.

[Flynnie]

Couldn't manage one NCAA championship with UCLA, but here with back-to-back World Cups.

Thought Mewis and Ertz had really good games, Dunn as well, though she had a few moments that made my stomach sink but generally managed to recover well.

Hopefully the interest in the games translates to support for the NWSL, but I'm not holding my breath. As always, the US loves the World Cup much more than it does club soccer:

[URL]https://twitter.com/lgbtqfc/status/1147907077496610817[/URL]

[URL]https://twitter.com/EmCAnderson/status/1147918980192980993[/URL]

Considering the Washington Spirit play at something called Maryland SoccerPlex in a town in the middle of nowhere not reachable by public transit, I think the gate keeping in the first tweet is more than a little misplaced.

Most WSL games don’t even reach 4 figures. Lyon play in front of something like 1,000 a game. The 6,000 average attendance for the NWSL looks great by comparison, even if you take out the outlier that is the Portland Thorns.

[Bizarre Löw Triangle]

Considering the Washington Spirit play at something called Maryland SoccerPlex in a town in the middle of nowhere not reachable by public transit, I think the gate keeping in the first tweet is more than a little misplaced.

I can confirm that Maryland SoccerPlex is in fact reachable by public transport. Not only is it reachable by public transport, but on the two-hour journey back into central DC is easily long enough to strike up a friendship with the (literally) two other fans naive or reckless enough to attempt the journey.

[Janik]

Most WSL games don’t even reach 4 figures.

'Most' is probably technically accurate, but overstates it. The average dipped below 1,000 last season for the first time in a number of years. Yeah, that is well behind the NWSL. But a good proportion of the WSL games draw four figure crowds.

And yes, the eyeroll that people don't know who Lavelle plays for rather misses the point. If everyone in the wider DC area did know about Lavelle and teammates and the Washington Spirit were still averaging ~3,800 a game, that would be more worrying. That tweeter should have seen her interlocutor as a potential new fan, halfway towards being converted. And said "Good news, she plays here!"

[Hot Pepsi]

Playing at the soccerplex is penny wise, perhaps, and pound foolish. It’s all the way out in Germantown. As IMP can tell you, that’s a fairly long trip even for a lot of people in Montgomery County. It’s way too much hassle for people in DC reliant on public transit (multiple buses, I think) and probably too far to bother for most fans in northern Virginia. So even if the assumption is that the only target fanbase is families in minivans - which is dubious - that’s a long way to go for most of those families in the DC area.

The Freedom didn’t draw especially well at RFK. The Salvadoran folks who were a big part of DCU’s support just didn’t go for women’s soccer.

But at least they were accessible there and could have, eventually, built a fan base. If Spirit shared DC United’s new stadium, they could do double-headers and attract more of the young urban crowd that appears to be the most interested in women’s soccer.

[jefe]

Playing at the soccerplex is penny wise, perhaps, and pound foolish. It’s all the way out in Germantown. As IMP can tell you, that’s a fairly long trip even for a lot of people in Montgomery County. It’s way too much hassle for people in DC reliant on public transit (multiple buses, I think) and probably too far to bother for most fans in northern Virginia. So even if the assumption is that the only target fanbase is families in minivans - which is dubious - that’s a long way to go for most of those families in the DC area.

The Freedom didn’t draw especially well at RFK. The Salvadoran folks who were a big part of DCU’s support just didn’t go for women’s soccer.

But at least they were accessible there and could have, eventually, built a fan base. If Spirit shared DC United’s new stadium, they could do double-headers and attract more of the young urban crowd that appears to be the most interested in women’s soccer.

They can't afford what DCU wants for rent for a full season. This year, they're playing at Audi twice.

And doubleheaders are damn near impossible, because the dumb fucks built the stadium with only 3 locker rooms.

[jefe]

Someone on Twitter in the last couple days-Dan Lauletta, maybe-either tweeted or forwarded a tweet that neatly sums up the current position of women's soccer in America: now is almost certainly when it will be determined if women's soccer will enter the mainstream, or essentially become an Olympic sport here like figure skating or swimming or such.

Budweiser announced early this morning that they were going to start sponsoring the NWSL. That's some of the money they need, but not enough. Because with the cash now flowing from Aulas' pockets and the new WSL sponsor, the USWNT is officially out of margin for error.

[Hot Pepsi]

They can't afford what DCU wants for rent for a full season. This year, they're playing at Audi twice.

And doubleheaders are damn near impossible, because the dumb fucks built the stadium with only 3 locker rooms.

That is dumb.

But if playing more at Audi was viable, they could tack on another locker room.

A completely different city - Baltimore or Philadelphia perhaps - would be better than Germantown. There’s just no future in that.

[Flynnie]

I can confirm that Maryland SoccerPlex is in fact reachable by public transport. Not only is it reachable by public transport, but on the two-hour journey back into central DC is easily long enough to strike up a friendship with the (literally) two other fans naive or reckless enough to attempt the journey.

Ha, you’re the hero we need during these difficult times.

[elguapo4]

I'd like to add a congratulations to assistant referee Michelle o'Neill,the first, and probably the last,Irish person to take part in a senior World Cup final.

[Hot Pepsi]

If anyone is interested in how hard it is to get to the Soccerplex, I looked up directions. I chose Navy Yard-Ballpark as the starting point, because that's closest to DC United, so it felt fitting somehow. If you started on the Red Line in NW you'd be closer, but not much.

[Sits]

Very late to this thread. As major tournament finals go this was a decent match, and Lavelle's goal seals her as my player of the tournament.

[Bizarre Löw Triangle]

If anyone is interested in how hard it is to get to the Soccerplex, I looked up directions. I chose Navy Yard-Ballpark as the starting point, because that's closest to DC United, so it felt fitting somehow. If you started on the Red Line in NW you'd be closer, but not much.

There's a bus that runs from Germantown Centre to the ground I think which removes the 20 minute walk at the end.

The really annoying thing is there's a railway that runs from Union station to Germantown (about 30-40 minutes walk from Maryland Soccerplex) there's just pretty much no service outside of commuter hours on it.