On Sunday, 23 million Americans watched the USA Women’s National Team defeat Japan 5-2 and San Diego was one of the markets where the most viewers tuned in.
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And then Lloyd did it again: She scored – from midfield – to raise the score to an astounding 4-0, just 15 minutes into the game.
As the clock wound down, fans cheered as Carli Lloyd, who scored a memorable hat trick in only the first 16 minutes of the match, gave Wambach her captain’s armband. Lauren Holiday scored her own goal before Lloyd completed the hat trick at the 16 minute mark. They scored two goals in the first five minutes!
The 1999 team is widely regarded as the trailblazers who put women’s soccer on the map in the United States. The game was a demonstration of just how dominant the American team is on the women’s side of the sport and proved the ability of head coach Jill Ellis.
The Women’s World Cup’s impact on social media was also profound, with Twitter announcing that tweets involving #FIFAWWC, the tournament’s official hashtag, were viewed an fantastic 9 billion times, with the cup final unsurprisingly the subject of the most tweeting.
While becoming the best in the world is prize in itself, winners of the Federation Internationale de Football Association World Cup do not walk away empty-handed.
LLoyd was awarded the Golden Ball, signifying she was the best player at the World Cup.
The American television audience for the U.S. women’s games this year was 121 percent higher than the viewership for the 2011 Women’s World Cup games, according to Fox.
“She’s certainly more marketable than she was even 48 hours ago”, said David Carter, executive director of the USC (University of Southern California) Sports Business Institute. Starting with two quick goals by Carli Lloyd, the rout actually peaked in MM rating with an 18.3/31 in the 8:45-9 PM period as Team United States of America celebrated its big win.
“I love Alex Morgan, her dedication and hard work”, said Morby, a junior from Desert Hills High School.
And it doesn’t help that star goalkeeper Hope Solo has some off-field issues, including an arrest for domestic violence, charges that were later dropped. The charges were dismissed earlier this year. In that span, the team has won the Olympic gold medal three times, in 2004, 2008, and 2012.
During Sunday’s Women’s World Cup Final, the United States stunned Japan, the 2011 world champions.
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So, as analyst Alexi Lalas aptly pointed out, it was the flawless time to ask Wambach about her future with US Soccer.
