Image Credit: Thomas Eisenhuth/DPA/ZUMAPRESS.com
There’s just something about the United States women’s soccer team, which will be competing against Japan for the Women’s World Cup title on Sunday at 2:45pm Eastern time. They certainly have a flair for the dramatic — tying Brazil in extra time to extra time and then winning on penalty kicks, plus scoring with just over 10 minutes left to take down France. However, it’s not just that they are winning, but the attitude they bring while doing it. The team is bursting with personalities, making their games the most entertaining TV around. With her bottle-blonde new wave haircut, Megan Rapinoe (who set up the final goals in each of the past two games) looks like she could be a keytar player for Flock of Seagulls. When she scored a goal of her own against Colombia, Rapinoe even grabbed a field microphone and started belting out “Born in the USA.” How much do you love that? Abby Wambach — who has saved the U.S. with two key goals on headers — is like Ripley in the Alien movies, destroying anything that dares to get in her path. But the woman I cannot take my eyes off of is goalie Hope Solo.
Much like Han Solo himself, Hope is a total badass. Okay, sometimes that gets her into a bit of trouble, like when she criticized her coach for not playing her in a 2007 World Cup game against Brazil and was subsequently kicked off the team, but guess what? She was right! The U.S. lost that game 4-0, with a few soft goals making their way into the net. Solos tell it like it is, people! Okay, Han may have been a tad off-base when he referred to Luke Skywalker’s Jedi training as “a lot of simple tricks and nonsense,” but he’s a guy that the Rebel Alliance wanted on their team, warts and all, and no matter what the sport, I want Hope on my team too.
Just watch her during the game, as she claps her mitts together, pounds the turf, and pumps her fists in the air and lets out a primal scream after a big save. The woman has charisma — and confidence — to burn. One of my favorite moments was an interview after the semi-final win over France. After Solo told an interviewer that even when France was dominating the middle of the game, she knew the U.S. would win because they enter every game expecting to win, the interviewer asked why they expected to win. “We know we’re damn good,” replied Solo. I don’t think I’ve ever heard any athlete — male or female –say something that brash in a long, long time. And I love it.
Forget about the crime procedural reruns and tacky reality TV shows that populate the summer TV schedule. The U.S. women’s soccer team has provided the most riveting entertainment around. And win or lose on Sunday, Hope Solo has been the star attraction. Now if we could just figure out a way to get her into the Big Brother house.
Will you be watching Sunday’s World Cup final? And who’s your favorite player on the U.S. team? Hit the message boards and let us know. And for more non-soccer related rambling, follow me on Twitter @EWDaltonRoss.
Go get em USA!!!
I love watching women’s football. It’s like watching the sport in slow-motion.
lol that’s stupid and not true
Actually I’m a Brit, Lydia, but I stand by what I said. It’s even truer for tennis.
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remember the pearl harbor, watch for the dirty sneaky attacks, blow them up in pieces!
Classy
shame on you!
Jae, really? Please grow up….
We’re totally watching this game. My 9 yr old daughter is the goalie on her team and Hope is who she wants to be when she grows up, cause she’s “a total freaking rockstar!!!”
I love Lauren Cheney!
For the love of God someone spell Colombia correctly on this @$#%$^$#@ website at least once before the world ends.
Word.
I know, right! It happens on the Modern Family recaps too. Every single time.
Really, it’s the first time EVER. It’s not so difficult, is it?
GO JAPAN!!!
Japan sucks… go hope and the rest of the USA team!! we will denominate!!
Omfg.
You want the US women’s soccer team to issue or express in terms of a given monetary unit?
Buffy Freak, I salute you. lol
japan does not suck! two great teams are meeting. i hope usa wins, but let’s not get evil!
Jessica,your lack of sophistication and inability to communicate in English is showing…drop the prejudice and learn to spell.
but who will numerate?
USA all the way baby…. Hope solo is the best with wamback, but USA girls our awesome.. I love u all…
Hope i cant even say what an amazing goalie u are i hope u continue your good attitude and keep being a rockstar out there on the field!!
The American Women’s soccer team is the true star of American Soccer. During last year this country halted and stricken with fever the US men’s Cup. Well the US team is already a worldwide competitor with previous wins of the Cup in 99 and and they care another one home today!! Go USA!
who wrote this? a 10 year old boy? it is so pathetic and a dumb article.
@jamminaqwl: yes, and your comment is bursting with wit and intelligence…. you are wasting space on this page, geez! more useful comments could have taken your spot, shame!
oh and Yay, Women’s soccer!
Yah lets call a great article about a true American superstar pathetic. Go back to watching Jersey Shore and the Karshadians and shut up
Go Japan!! One of the comments regarding this match is very rude. What does the bombing of Pearl Harbour have to do with the match?
Remember when the Americans destroyed Hiroshima & Nagasaki?
Hope the Japanese win!
Now I’m not rooting for Japan, but I appreciate your comment for pointing out how ignorant it is for people to make comments about Pearl Harbor like the one above. It’s pathetic and embarrassing.
Nope.Just cant get into womens sports. Sorry.
Then why are you reading about it and commenting on it?
Ah Asdfgkigwerty (what a strange name), but you’re too young to know the difference between “sneak attack” and personal brutality and a decision to end war–and save millions of U.S. servicemen’s lives– by using a modernized version of what war had become: Attack on population centers. It is all about national attitudes then that still lurks in some people’s memories. America is not about “sneak attacks”, it is about striking back with everything at its disposal.
Sorry but innocent dead is innocent dead.
I second Dawn here. Killing innocent people isn’t okay, just because some of them were bad. Every country has bad people in it.
Unfortunately there are no innocents in wartime…
Just as a point of interest, the U.S. was going to win the war either way, and killing so many innocent people for the sake of saving other lives was and always will be unnecessary.
Are you saying that servicemembers are not innocent? That they lose this distinction by choosing to fight for their country? It’s OK if they die but not for others to do so?
It’s not OK to kill people in the country you’re fighting so people in your own country don’t die?
Stay on topic, people. We’re talking vagina football here, not 70 year old politics.
As someone who is half American, half Japanese i find some of the comments highly offensive. Some of the things said have NOTHING to do with a soccer game being played in 2011. (& yes i’m torn, i guess i win either way).
Or you lose either way
Just kidding, I wish both halves of you good luck tonight!
Absolutely! These comments about events 70 years ago have no relevance to a soccer match. While I root for the U.S. team, I think it would be nice for Japan to have something good happen this year after the horrible events of the quake earlier this year.
Thank you, Lily. This should be about an uplifting game of women’s soccer. Everyone else: Discuss WWII somewhere, please.
We will win it all because we have the Solo position of Hope.
Hope floats
Japan and the USA will be a good one but we’ll be watching Brasil- Paraguay in the Copa. Look women’s world cup is fine but it is an over hyped sport that is really not that popular. Once it is over that’s it. A sad but true fact.