The feeling of defeat crept its way into the USA women’s soccer team after the devastating loss to Japan in the 2011 World Cup.¹ They were filled with so much disappointment after all the demanding work they put in to make it to the final game. All the hours that went into training, all the traveling across the world, all the time spent away from families and loved ones, all the painful injuries and sore bodies just to lose to Japan. Team USA knew they could defeat Japan, and it was their duty to do so, whenever that time would come again. This was only the start of the revenge tour USA had coming. The next World Cup in 2015 was theirs to win, and they wanted it badly. The defeat they felt in 2011 was something they never wanted to experience again. The training, hard work, dedication, and determination to win the next World Cup started now. It was time for revenge.

Those four years flew by, and it was that time again. With an extremely successful season, the U.S. advanced to the 2015 World Cup tournament.²  The U.S. was hungry for that trophy and was going to do everything in their power to snatch it back. Four years of excessive amounts of training to ensure there would not be a repeat of the last World Cup. That feeling lingered in the back of their minds to help motivate them throughout the World Cup tournament. Nothing would stop them if they all worked together as a team with the same mindset. It was a mindset to never give up and fight as hard as they can no matter how tired they may be. They were a team that could trust their teammates and lean on each other to battle through these tough games.

It was now time to generate their long years of training and get what they deserve: victory. The players knew that these next four games were a “life or death” situation. You lose, you are out. It was not going to be an easy ride. In order to advance to the final game in the tournament, USA had to win three straight games in a row. They were beyond prepared for this challenge. It was in the year 1999 when the U.S. had last won a World Cup title.³  Now, it was their year to shine, and they could feel it. They leaned on each other for strength to push past these next three games.

The girls were eager to get that World Cup title. Every game, every play, every player, every second mattered in every game. USA faced Columbia in the first round. It starts now for the U.S., and there is no room for big mistakes. In their first game, U.S. struggled to score throughout the game until key player, Carli Lloyd, stepped up to the plate. She led them to victory with a score of 2-0, and the girls advanced to the next round, leaving Columbia behind. The second round came and they wiped out China from the tournament. They next advanced to the third round where things started to get rocky. Their next opponent was Germany. And Germany was an extremely talented team that would not give up easily. With a well fought game by both teams, the United States pulled out with a big win with a score of 2-0. Now, the moment they had been waiting for was finally here. It had been a very long four years of bottling up their revenge and waiting to release it. The final game was here, and there is no better opponent to play than the players who wiped them out back in 2011. How bittersweet would it be to play Japan again, and this time WIN!⁴

Fans were going crazy all around the world, excited to watch the ultimate rematch between the United States and Japan. Both teams were extremely eager to win.⁵ The U.S. didn’t just want to win for themselves, but for the thousands of fans rooting for them. For the United States, history was made. This was a team for young female athletes to look up too. It was more than just a win, but a statement to the world that women are powerful and can make an impact on history. This team of women were role models to others of how a team should work together, how to respect opponents, and how to fight like a woman on the field. Later on, the U.S. women soccer team would be labeled Sports Illustrated’s “Inspiration of the Year.”⁶

It was game time. The whistle blew for kickoff and the U.S. did not hold back for one second. Within three minutes, MVP Carli Lloyd scored her first goal, giving the team a huge boost of confidence, but not so much confidence that they would sit back and relax.⁷ Both teams were battling back and fourth, giving all they could. More goals slip in the back of Japan’s net. The score became 4-0. It seemed as there was no coming back for Japan; but USA knew better than to get cocky and relax. They kept playing their game because anything could happen in the blink of an eye in soccer. Japan began to step up and knocked two bangers in. The score then sat at 4-2. Nerves began to rise for both teams as time was quickly slipping away. All the U.S. had to do was keep Japan from scoring any more goals.⁴ The defense had to lock in, and they could make or break a game in soccer.

Both teams were doing everything and anything they could to secure the win. With barely any time left, U.S. player, Tobin Heath, launched one in-goal. With now five goals, their confidence was pretty high and nothing would take that away. The U.S. was on fire, and Japan was becoming overwhelmed with what to do, being behind three goals with little time left. But they did not give up, as they continue to threaten USA’s defense, not to mention, Carli Lloyd with three goals continued to be a constant threat to Japan. They were constantly keeping an eye on her, considering how talented she was as a player and how incredibly well she was playing.⁴ She simply wouldn’t and wouldn’t be stopped. Without Lloyd’s goals, the game was sitting pretty evenly right now. This was one of her best games she had ever played so far in her career.

The final whistle blew and the game was over with a score of 5-2. U.S. players rush to each other crying tears of joy, while hugging each other so tightly. They did it. They got their revenge. They won for their country. Most importantly, they won for each other. Japan players made their way to get the runner-up medals, feeling the pain USA felt back in 2011 when they lost. Japan was still respected as a tremendously hardworking, disciplined, and incredibly talented team. USA just had an extremely incredible game where nothing was going to stand in their way. Fans were going crazy, and the arena was filled with loud screams of excitement. Key players from the U.S., Abby Wambach and Christie Rampone, held the trophy with big smiles. USA all walked up to the podium while giving each other hugs of pure joy.¹⁰ The trophy was finally theirs! All the hard work, long hours of training, massive amounts of stress, and pain had truly paid off. The U.S. was now the first country to win three World Cup titles. Our Hero, Carli Lloyd, picked up her golden ball for being named “Player of the Tournament.” Lloyd was the first woman in the FIFA World Cup to score a hat trick in the final match of a World Cup game. She also was the first to score the fastest goal in women World Cup history.¹¹ Amazing goal keeper, Hope Solo, earned the “Golden Glove” of the tournament for the U.S.⁴ She was such a talented and well-trained goalie for the U.S. History was made for the United States, and it was made by the strong, hard working women who represented our country. Women’s soccer was significantly growing each year, and people were starting to take women’s sports more seriously.¹³

This US-Japan game was one of the greatest World Cup games in women history, and it was the most watched game in U.S. history.¹⁴ The women who represented the USA soccer team were truly an inspiration to the world, and especially to female athletes. The team showed how capable women are in the athletic world. These talented, powerful women dedicated most of their lives to soccer, and winning a World Cup trophy was the ultimate icing on the cake.

U.S. fans could not be more proud. These talented, young woman deserved every ounce of celebration they could get. Their huge victory over Japan did not come easy for them. It took every single player to win that game. Whether they were a starter, sub, or didn’t even get to play, it took all 23 of them to win the World Cup title. Team USA was a tremendous example of what it means to work as a team and be able to trust each other in difficult situations. It was only a matter of time before they would get back to work. They had more World Cup trophies to win! Expectations for the United States were high and the pressure was on them to keep succeeding. We have seen how amazing this group of strong, talented women were, and we know that they are capable of winning more titles. Hopefully, team members such as Carli Lloyd will continue to amaze us along the way. But for now, they enjoy the taste of victory.