On Monday, the U.S. Women’s National soccer team defeated Costa Rica 3-0 in the CONCACAF Women’s World Cup Qualifying Tournament.
With the success the team has had over the years, winning the Women’s World Cup in 1999 and finishing third in the last two, this would seem like a typical result.
But this was a must-win game for the Americans.
After a shocking loss to Mexico on Friday, the U.S. women had to win today just to go to a playoff with Italy for one of the last spots for the Women’s World Cup next summer.
Now, I’m a fan of all things American, but I’m also a big fan of parity in all sports (here’s looking at you, Yankees, Red Wings, and Lakers), and for a long time, the U.S. dominated the western hemisphere, with the only real challenger being Brazil.
But now Canada and Mexico have qualified for the tournament ahead of the U.S., and I personally think this really helps the women’s game.
I do think that the men’s World Cup will always be prominent, but if there really is parity and there are some exciting, close soccer matches, the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup may just be an event to watch.
