The 15'ers

This summer will be remembered with the victorious phrase : I believe that we just won ! That is thanks to the 15'ers , this year's United States Women's National Team. Not only did they represent, they won the World Cup ! In dramatic fashion they played soccer better than anyone has in a very long while.

Veterans took back seats to younger, less experienced players. They did whatever the phenomenal coach Jill Ellis told them to do. They were united. No personal agendas. No egos. They were a team. One goal. One purpose.

So one day after our national independence day, the 2015 U.S. Women's National Team arrived in Vancouver, Canada and at 4:00 pm began their final journey towards world dominance in soccer. They played in front of a crowd of 53,341 fans. Little girls in Wambach jerseys. Solo jerseys. Lloyd jerseys. Morgan. Rampone. Rapinoe. Faces painted in red,white and blue. Soccer ball hair pins. Soccer balls painted on their faces. And there were adult women screaming and cheering for the team. And little boys. And grown men.

And the 99'ers were there. And they were cheering with as much enthusiasm and happiness as anyone. They know what it takes. They have been there before. One team. One heartbeat. One goal. Mia Hamm. Brandi Chastain. Michelle Akers. Julie Foudy. Briana Scurry. Holding their collective breath with the rest of us, fingers crossed, watching the destiny of the 15'ers unfold. The press has repeatedly described this team as being in the shadows of the 99'ers and they more than anyone want the 15'ers to take their place in the spotlight.( Rampone was on both teams)

But could they defeat the defending champions, Japan.? Is it a realistic goal for them to repeat the perfect sychronization of the 99'ers? They were winning ugly but they kept winning. They continued to advance. Midfielders Lauren Holiday and Megan Rapinoe both got their second yellow cards in the Columbia match meaning they had to sit out the China game. Not good for us. But our "none shall pass" defense controlled China. We did not give them anything within 25 yards of the goal. Our defense was impeccable. Carli Lloyd's header won it 1-0. And the USWNT wanted to avenge their heartbreaking defeat by Japan in the 2011 World Cup.

Goalie Hope Solo reigned over a 540-minute scoreless streak to boost our chances. That is extraordinary play. As the theme: #One Nation. One Team. grew in intensity so too did the force of this team. They destroyed every foe whether by offense or defense.

The coach for Germany did some trash talking about our team. Apparently that just motivated us. Lloyd and O'Hara each scored to win that one 2-0.

Just look at the results:
June 8, Rapinoe scores twice and Press once to give the US a 3-1 win over Australia. June 12 ends in a scoreless draw against Sweden. June 16 ,Wambach scores to give the US a 1-0 victory over Nigeria. June 22, Morgan and Lloyd combine to give the US the 2-0 win over Colombia. June 26, Lloyd scores to give the US the 1-0 win over China. June 30 , Lloyd and O'Hara wipe out Germany 2-0. And on July 5,2015 the US Women's National Team stepped out of the shadows of the 99'ers and beat Japan 5-2 with 3 goals by Lloyd (nice hat-trick) and one each by Heath and Holiday. Oh--and there was our defense. Solo. Bravo. The entire team rocks. These the 15'ers.

Take note that women's soccer has changed in many ways in the past sixteen years. The World Cup competition included 24 teams and 54 matches. The event is a bigger and lengthier rivalry. Nations that have never before acknowledged women's football participated. It is no longer a side-note. It is a force to be reckoned with on a global scale.

But luck and talent and revenge and destiny can outplay the most massive soccer machine.

Cue the music. The United States has waited 16 years.

The Championship Game was surreal. It was a wonderful dream come true. It was a movie script. It was a goal achieved. July 5, 2015. All those hours of practice. Bloody blisters. Concussions. Ankle, knee and head injuries. Bloody noses. Strained ligaments. Yellow cards.The sweat. The aches. The doubts. The shadows. The press.  Revenge. Destiny.

In the third, That's right, the third minute Carli Lloyd scored off a Rapinoe pass! And in the 5th, yes,the 5th minute Lloyd scored again ! And Lauren Holiday scored in the 14th minute !!!

If you take any medication, take it now before we describe the next moment. Are you ready ? Are you ready for some soccer? In the 16th minute, Carli Lloyd caught the Japan goalkeeper out too far and sent her kick from just beyond half-field (more than 50 yards) streaming in to the goal !!!!The unbelievable hat-trick ! GOAL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  GOAL!!!!!!!!!! GOAL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That play will go down in soccer history. That play will go down in sports history. That play will go down in history. Herstory. #SheBelieves.

Japan grabbed two and Tobin Heath scored in the 54th minute off a pass from Morgan Brian. Goal. Goal. Goal. Goal.Goal.

Lineups:USA: 1-Hope Solo; 11-Ali Krieger, 4-Becky Sauerbrunn, 19-Julie Johnston, 22-Meghan Klingenberg; 12-Lauren Holiday, 14-Morgan Brian, 10-Carli Lloyd (capt.), 15-Megan Rapinoe (5-Kelley O’Hara, 61), 13-Alex Morgan (3-Christie Rampone, 86), 17-Tobin Heath (20-Abby Wambach, 79)

Subs Not Used: 2-Sydney Leroux, 6-Whitney Engen, 7-Shannon Boxx, 8-Amy Rodriguez, 9-Heather O’Reilly, 16-Lori Chalupny,18-Ashlyn Harris, 21-Alyssa Naeher, 23-Christen Press

Head coach: Jill Ellis 

The 2015 FIFA Women's Cup Final Champions : The United States !!! Hope Solo : age 33. Carli Lloyd :32. Abby Wambach :35. Christie Rampone :39. Ali Krieger :30. Impressive.

The third star is yours. ***

They jumped in the air. They tackled each other. They laughed. They cried. They applauded the crowd. They lifted their coach. They hugged each other. They won. I believe that we just won. 

Wambach and Rampone hoisted that cup in the air together. Together. That is how this team came this far.

The following frenzy of celebrations including a ticker-tape parade in New York City added icing to the already enormous cake. The summer of 2015. The 15'ers.