Wait, We Just Had a World Cup?

I know soccer isn't for everyone. While being forced to watch a Sounders game with me a couple years ago, my friend Scott declared the sport "ass-numbingly dull" and proceeded to groan every time the ball would switch directions after not being scored. Some games are less exciting than others. I get it. I do. But after the US women won the World Cup this past weekend in Vancouver, I received excited phone calls and texts from six different people who ordinarily have as little to do with soccer as they possibly can. This game broke scoring records and viewership records. It's going to inspire a whole new generation of empowered female athletes. It's a big deal.

And so, I bring you my ten favorite story lines/moments of and about this year's tournament.


10. Helen Mirren narrates a recap of the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, set to Shel Silverstein's Where the Sidewalk Ends.

9. A dog after my own heart.

8. Nigeria fights back twice to tie heavily favored Sweden. (I am also a sucker for a good underdog. And the Nigerian fans. So adorable.)

7. President Obama's phone call to the US women after their victory. My favorite part in the video was when he asked, "And Carli Lloyd, what have you been eating?" Coolest president ever.

6. This delightful, amazing video clip in which Amy Poehler and Seth Meyers defend women's sports. I love when Amy finishes with, "And no more tweeting, Benoit. You're too dumb."

5. When the US women fell to Japan on penalties in the 2011 World Cup final, Japanese midfielder Aya Miyama made a point of seeking out every American player she could find and hugging them while her teammates shrieked and leapt in celebration in the middle of the field. Her country had just won the World Cup for the first time in its history, and right on the heels of the tragic tsunami. This year, when the US defeated Japan in the rematch, American midfielder Shannon Boxx found Miyama and returned the favor.

4. Carli Lloyd, Abby Wambach, Megan Rapinoe, 'Nuff said.

3. This recap of Carli Lloyd's breathtaking third goal of the final. I have no clue what they're saying, but, incredibly, I know exactly what they're saying. It's glorious. (Oh, and the goal's not too shabby either.)

2. The overwhelming fan support for England's Laura Bassett after giving up a game-winning own goal in the dying moments of the semifinal match against Japan. I cried when I watched her, inconsolable, after the final whistle blew. I cried when, in her first interview after the game, she said she wished no one knew her name. And I cried during the player procession of the third-place game against Germany, when fans waved "Proud of Bassett" posters high above their heads. Her one mistake ended England's storybook run at the World Cup, but she will still be welcomed home as  a hero. Sometimes people are pretty great.

1. Oh yeah: WE WON!