Armour: In winning World Cup title, U.S. women have legacy all their own
VANCOUVER — Abby Wambach and Christie Rampone joyously lifted the World Cup trophy together. Megan Rapinoe tried to balance it on her head. Carli Lloyd simply smiled, looking both satisfied and stunned at the celebrations going on around her.
This is one party that's going to last for a while - as well it should.
By beating Japan 5-2 on Sunday, the U.S. women did more than win the World Cup title. They exacted revenge. They silenced those comparisons that have saddled anyone who wore the U.S. jersey since 1999.
Most of all, they put an emphatic stamp on a legacy that is most definitely, most deservedly, this team's own. Lloyd. Wambach. Rapinoe. Julie Johnston. Yes, even Hope Solo. These are the icons for a new generation.
"I don't think it's entirely sunk in. I'm so proud and so zapped at the same time," said Lloyd, whose hat trick in the first 16 minutes would have been enough on its own to take down the defending champions.
"It's a surreal moment," she added. "We just wrote history today and brought this World Cup trophy home, which is unbelievable."
For 16 years, anyone who's played for the U.S. has been compared to the '99ers and found wanting. Well, this group didn't just step out of that shadow, it grabbed the spotlight for its own.
No longer will a woman ripping off her shirt symbolize the crowning achievement in women's sports. Instead, it will be Lloyd's roar of triumph after scoring not one, not two, but three goals in the first 16 minutes of Sunday's final, a dazzling display that defies logic even in this era of the FIFA video game.
A decade from now, teenage girls - and boys - will recall where they were when this group of strong, powerful women brought an entire country to a standstill. Two of them, actually, given that Vancouver may as well have been U.S. territory on Sunday for how many Americans were here.
Kids will be inspired to play because of Rapinoe's creativity, Morgan Brian's cool savvy and a defense that was a brick wall for 540 minutes. They'll be driven to carve out their own legacy, because that's how dynasties are built.
"They were the pioneers," Lloyd said of the 1999 team. "Now it's our turn to keep the tradition going."
As the final seconds ticked down, the players on the U.S. bench stood with arms wrapped around each other's shoulders, hopping up and down. When the final whistle sounded, a roar that could be heard all the way to the Florida Keys erupted from the crowd that had painted BC Place red, white and blue.
Wambach beamed and hugged every teammate within arm's reach before running and picking up U.S. coach Jill Ellis. She then ran to the stands to hug her wife before grabbing an American flag and wrapping it around her shoulders.
"World Cup champions – FINALLY!" Wambach yelled into a camera.
Making the celebration that much sweeter was the bitter disappointment that preceded it.
The Americans were convinced this day was coming four years ago, only to wind up watching Japan lift the trophy. They blew not one, but two leads before losing on penalties.
The pain of that loss has driven the U.S. women for four years, and they were hell-bent on making sure they didn't feel it again. They each wanted to win the title for themselves, but they wanted to win it for each other more.
For Wambach, whose glittering resumé was missing only one thing. For Rampone, the only active player left from 1999. For Shannon Boxx, who, like Wambach, had won Olympic gold medals and hundreds of games but never the one that mattered most.
For all the players that have come and gone since 1999, and for all the players to come now.
"It's pretty amazing to win this title and go back in the locker room," Rampone said. "All that pressure, all that stress of winning a World Cup. It's been so many years. And this team did it right. We made a statement in going out and scoring so many goals, and putting the stamp on it."
Their legacy is complete, and completely their own. As Wambach said, finally.
PHOTOS: Women's World Cup final
