Monday, July 18, 2011

All Good Things Must Come to an End.


Homare Sawa, winner of the Golden Boot (left), Abby Wambach winner of the Bronze Boot (right).

An exciting tournament that led to an exciting final, but who couldn't resist the toughness that coach Norio Sasaki put into his ladies throughout the tournament? The upset over Germany in the quarterfinals and defeated the US on penalty kicks.

This is a program that had to overcome adversity, despite the natural disasters earlier in the year. Reminds me of the Saints' Super Bowl win over a year ago in XLIV, just 4 1/2 years after Katrina flooded the city and torn off parts of the Superdome.

Well done Coach Sasaki. A great moment for sport in the continent of Asia period. However, I feel that US Soccer women will be back in full form at both the Olympics in London (you know there's qualifiers for the Olympics). Congrats to both teams. Homare Sawa got the Golden Ball (best overall on field performance) and Golden Boot (most goals in the tournament). Sawa scored a monumental goal in extra time that sent the final to penalty kicks.

In my honest opinion, the tournament is better than the men's last year. The difference in this final and the men's final between the Dutch and Spaniards last year-yellow cards. Fewer yellow cards in the Japan-USA women's final than the men's final last year. Not a bad thing, but a good thing.

Now on to the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup.

The 2015 Women's World Cup-to take place north of the border-currently has seven venues-including the Skydome and the newly-rebuilt BC Place Stadium, site of the 99th Grey Cup/Coupe de Grey on U.S. Thanksgiving weekend. The Bombers' new stadium as well as Commonwealth Stadium, home of the Eskimos and the site of the 2001 IAAF World Championships in Athletics, are also proposed sites. Not sure if all eight CFL stadiums will be used, even though the CFL usually kicks off their season on Canada Day weekend. It might change.


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