Sunday, July 10, 2011

A Little Love for Team USA

Let me first start this off by saying how upset I am that the one Team USA match I didn't get to watch happened to be one of the most dramatic. I've been watching the USA women in the 2011 World Cup since the tournament started and I was pumped for the match against Brazil. Some plans came up and I ended up not being able to watch the match this morning but was given live updates by my girlfriend (yet another reason she is so wonderful). I do have the replay set to record tonight so I'll be able to finally watch the entire match instead of just the highlights.

I thought I'd give anyone who isn't watching yet a couple of reasons why they should turn on the television and support Team USA.

 1) Alex Morgan - Morgan, who just recently turned 22, is easily the most gorgeous woman on the field of any match Team USA will ever play. Not only is she gorgeous but she is also an extremely talented forward. She's the youngest on the team and sometimes it shows. But she always seems to be quick to the ball and in the middle of a lot of great chances.
Photo courtesy of Alex Morgan's Twitter

2) National Pride - I won't lie, the only time I ever pay attention to soccer is when the national teams have some tournament going on. Soccer jumps into my Top 3 sports whenever it's an international game with meaning. Knowing that our women are ranked #1 in the world makes me proud. Team USA wining the World Cup (men or women) would rank just as high as the Astros or Texans winning a championship. With international competitions it's not just one city cheering against another. Millions of Americans join together for a month or two to cheer for the same team. There's really nothing better than that.

3) Hope Solo - What can I say about Hope Solo that hasn't been said before? She's just a beast when it comes to goaltenders. Yes during today's match the ref called her for something she wasn't sure of but she made up for it when it mattered most. The way the day had gone for her she could have easily lost her confidence and given up during penalty kicks but she didn't. Megan Rapinoe said it best in her post-game interview when she said Team USA is so lucky to have Solo on their team. I'm sure it makes it easier to play when you've got faith your goalie will stop most shots that come her way. 

Photo courtesy of Hopesolo.org

4) Abby Wambach - Wambach had a hard time getting started in this 2011 World Cup but it seems in these past two games she's been heating up. Scoring the tying goal in a game of today's magnitude is a huge confidence booster even for someone who is already one of the best goal scorers in US Women's history. Here's hoping she can score a few more goals during the 2011 World Cup.

I pulled this card from one of the Upper Deck MLS packs from Dollar Tree

USA! USA! USA!

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