U.S. Women's Soccer
 

Any other fans out there of the USWNT? I've been addicted for years, going back to the Mia Hamm days. Just spent $14.95 x 3 to watch three of Algarve Cup games live, including today's final (which was well worth the bucks!). Anyone else?

I watch them whenever I catch them on TV, but I only really look for them if it's the World Cup. I don't really know who the players are though, so I might not be what some would call a fan.

I think in certain ways they play better than the men's team, especially when it comes to shooting on goal.

I wish the US Men's team could be the international force that the women's team is. :hmm:

Physicality of the women's game is unreal. I usually go see some US summer league games featuring elite collegiate players. Not huge attendance so you can get down close to the sidelines.

The sound of the collisions going for headers and 50-50 balls is gut wrenching. Flesh and bone weren't designed to withstand that.

And when the women get slammed down hard on the turf, miracle of miracles, they shake it off, get back up, and rejoin the action without theatrics. None of the dramatic dying gladiator nonsense that the men are so good at. The flopping elite international men are fragile, time-wasting boxes of facial tissues by comparison.

Two words. Alex Morgan.

What an amazing athlete. A goal-scoring machine, to be sure, but that's only part of her game: Unlike most strikers, she is also an assist machine, and she drops back to play defense when needed. Plus, she's tough as nails: Defenses try to stop her by beating her up physically, but it doesn't work. On a team that's packed with talent all the way down the bench, she's playing the game at a whole other level.

A good (family) friend plays professionally, and, yes, she is tough as nails. She's quite tall, so she is often the go-to for headers off a cross, and has sustained a number of concussions and other head injuries and soldiers on. She is way more hardcore than I am.

Beat me to it!

This.

Powerful. Talented. And sexy as hell.

I worked with Brandi Chastain a few years ago. Fun, charismatic, and very down to earth. My oldest son was into soccer at that time and she wrote him a very nice, encouraging and thoughtful note.