Watching the France-Canada game of the Women's World Cup yesterday, I was exhilarated by the
playing of the French side. Their dominance in the game was a surprise to many, and to me, and also
a little ghostly: suddenly, I was watching the sort of flowing, graceful, entertaining French
football which for the past years had existed mainly in my imagination.
Aw, that was a cute bit on the space station, but maybe that's because I'm a sucker for space
travel.Bob Ley calls the USA the favorites, and even a homer like Brandi Chastain has to point out
that the USA isn't playing that great.
Nice background on Pia, because she really is like that, in terms of working song lyrics into
actual stuff she says.
It was a career that any footballer, male or female, would be envious of. And perhaps it's
because of that that many of us are still struggling to grasp the fact that it's actually over.
Twenty-four seasons of soccer at the highest level. Five World Cups. Four NCAA Championships.
Two World Cup Championships.
REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch
To be fair, U.S. soccer history doesn't have a huge collection of great moments.
A few that quickly come to mind:
The United States beating England in the 1950 World Cup.
Brandi Chastain's PK against China to win the 1999 Women's World Cup in front of a sold-out Rose
Bowl.
Images: wps.com, AFP PHOTO / JOHANNES EISELE.
The future of the Women's Professional Soccer league (WPS) has been thrown into doubt yet again
after the termination of the majicJacks franchise. The WPS, which comprised six teams prior to the
'Jacks expulsion, was already operating under a one year waiver of the US Soccer rule that a league
must have a minimum of eight teams to be recognised.
Kirstine Lilly. 352 caps for the United States Women's Nation Team. 130 goals. Two World Cups. An
absolutely legend. Yesterday, Lilly announced her retirement from professional soccer after over
twenty years playing for the national team. She was both the youngest (16) and oldest (38) to
soccer for the Lady Nats, as well.
Images: usaworldcupblog, Michael Buckner/Getty Images North America, Peter Kramer/Getty Images
Entertainment.
Offer us a male footballer to interview and we're firing off facetious questions like shots at a
free bar. Confront us with a world cup winning, gold medal wearing female football icon though, and
the Kickette office is suddenly filled with muttering and the soft pops of hip flask lids being
opened.
