We’ve Won the WWC Again…Let’s build on it

Awesome! Not only did U.S. Women’s National Team (USWNT) bring home the FIFA Women’s World Cup, but they set records for number of viewers each game from about the round of 16 on…each game had more than the last.

Foxsports.com: Women’s World Cup Final seen by 26.7 million  in U.S.

Now, let’s see if we can keep momentum/interest in the women’s game going this time. The last time they won it, in 1999, the WUSA formed up and failed, followed by a couple more attempts to have a league. The latest league, the NWSL is based on a different structure that should be more sustainable, but it takes fans. It takes fans going to games and campaigning to have the league’s games broadcast on channels that aren’t hidden away in the bowels of the cable-only lineup.

I have high hopes for the growth, the enduring growth of soccer in the USA, especially in the women’s game.

Women’s Soccer

We are at just under seventy-six and a half days until the start of the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup. The U.S. Women’s National Team (WNT) heads into the World Cup finals as number one in the World Rankings and is looking to capture their third World Cup trophy. Their last win was back in ’99, but they’ve managed to win Gold at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics. To say that they are dominant is an understatement. Since losing the semi-final match at the 2007 World cup, they have a record of 58 – 2 – 6. As you may guess, they are the favorites to take home the trophy this year in Germany.

Meanwhile, back in the states…

I am a huge fan of Women’s Soccer in the U.S. Maybe it’s because I have two daughters who play soccer. Maybe it’s because our WNT is so successful on the world stage. Maybe it’s because we have the best women’s professional soccer league in the world. I watched the WUSA when it was formed and watched it fall apart due to financial reasons. Now we’ve got the WPS. Both of these leagues have been the best leagues for women worldwide which is why they attracted the best players from all over the world to play here while they were/are at the top of their game, but somehow the league/teams fall to financial problems. I find that astounding. The WPS has lost teams during the off-season each year. Last year, they lost one during the season. This year, the WPS added another expansion team and there are two others planned for next year…if the league survives. IF??? It’s very disheartening to think about.

I hope WPS survives, that women’s soccer begins to be appreciated by more fans here, and that the league can grow and mature into a thriving organization for girls to hope to be a part of as they are growing up. I’ll keep watching, just as I’ll be recording and watching all the games I can this summer when the US WNT heads to Germany to claim their third World Cup. Bring it home ladies!!!