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Losing the 2011 World Cup Final Was a Blessing In Disguise For Carli Lloyd and the USWNT

@kellycarli2

Scanning the timeline of Carli Lloyd’s iconic soccer career, there is an obvious pinnacle: her stunning hat trick in the 2015 World Cup Final versus Japan. That single performance was life-changing, leading to numerous TV appearances, big deal endorsements, speaking tours, and even a book deal — all the ingredients necessary for her to maintain her stature and personal brand long after her playing career ends.

Four years prior to this historic accomplishment, Lloyd missed a penalty kick in the final match of the 2011 World Cup, also against Japan. Lloyd’s whiff could have been a permanent stain on her resume, and at the time, she was clearly crushed by her miscue. But in a recent conversation with her friend and long-time teammate Kelley O’Hara on the Just Women’s Sports podcast, Lloyd admitted to now seeing that heartbreaking moment as a blessing in disguise for both herself and the team.

Going into the 2011 World Cup in Germany, the USWNT was number one in the world and the reigning Olympic Champions, but they hadn’t won a World Cup championship since the legendary 1999ers did so in the Rose Bowl. After going 2 – 1 in group play, the U.S. beat a daunting Brazil side in what was arguably the most thrilling victory in team history. Abby Wambach scored an equalizer in the second minute of stoppage time of extra time, and the U.S. then won on PKs. After 122 minutes of playing, Lloyd confidently hit the back of the net with her penalty kick.

Unfortunately, the high of this victory ended just days later in another penalty kick showdown, this time against Japan in the finals. Lloyd remembers overthinking things in the moments leading up to her kick.

“I’m playing mind games with myself because I’m like, ‘Should I change my side?’” she recalls to O’Hara, “You know the Japanese players. They are diligent. They study. They know exactly where we are going to be shooting it.”

After watching her missed shot sail over the crossbar, Lloyd admits to O’Hara that she felt like a “failure.” Even though she was only one of three U.S. players to miss their PK that day, she carried the weight of having let down her team for a long time after.

Inside U.S. soccer circles, the 2011 World Cup, and specifically the epic quarterfinals against Brazil, is well-known as a turning point in USWNT popularity. The most likely explanation is a timely combination of factors: a universally thrilling soccer match, enhanced media coverage, and the recent ubiquity of social media (specifically Twitter), which revealed an untapped and fast-growing fanbase for the team.

“From that point on, everybody started following us,” Lloyd reminisces with O’Hara, “Everybody wanted to watch us. Everybody wanted us to be successful… With social media, it just became this big, big thing.”

Going into the 2015 World Cup in Canada, the U.S. squad’s dominant international standing meant even more pressure to win it all this time around. After surviving their “Group of Death” with a defensive-minded, reactionary approach, Lloyd recalls a shift occurring in their quarterfinal against China. With Megan Rapinoe and Lauren Holiday (then Cheney) out for the match with yellow-card suspensions, Lloyd was moved up-field and was more free to attack. The USWNT stopped letting the other team set the tone and instead started imposing themselves on their opponents. More precisely, Lloyd started imposing herself on everyone by putting the ball in the net. She scored their only goal in the quarterfinals and another goal in their 2-0 win over Germany in the semis. By the time they reached the finals against Japan once again, Lloyd recalls feeling like she was “just out there playing free.”

Her joyful and confident mental state materialized into one of the greatest single game soccer performances of all time. Within just six minutes she had put the U.S. up 2-0. And ten minutes later she scored the most exhilarating goal of her career: a perfectly struck ball from half-field that sailed over the keeper’s head, skimmed off her fingertips, and kissed the goal post on its way into the net.

“When the ball came off my foot, it was the most well-struck ball,” she tells O’Hara, “I’m like wow, I just hit that perfectly. I just felt it.”

With that magical shot, Lloyd became only the second person to ever score a hat trick in a World Cup Final and the first since 1966.

The fanfare that followed their 5-2 victory was life-changing not only for Lloyd, but the entire USWNT organization.

“It just was one big explosion. Everything took off,” she recalls with O’Hara, “We had appearances and endorsements that we all were able to be a part of. It was absolutely game-changing for women’s soccer.”

Would the wave of national glory and mainstream prominence in 2015 have been quite as high had they already won the title four years prior in 2011? From where she stands today, Lloyd is willing to re-envision that 2011 failure as serving their benefit in the end.

“Maybe it was just better for all of us that we had to wait 16 years to win,” she suggests to O’Hara. “Maybe we needed that momentum, you know, for everybody to get on board.”

It’s a convincing theory given that what we love most about sports are the universally relatable human stories which unfold both on and off the field: the dramatic rises and falls, the villains and the underdogs, the comebacks and the triumphs. If that heart-wrenching loss in 2011 was necessary for the USWNT to garner the massive following they have today, then we agree with you Carli, it was absolutely worth it.

Listen to Carli Lloyd’s full conversation with Kelley O’Hara on the Just Women’s Sports podcast here.

JWS to Host 2025 WNBA All-Star Weekend Event Featuring Captain Napheesa Collier

Graphic for Just Women's Sports event with Lisa Leslie at 2025 WNBA All-Star Weekend.
The JWS WNBA All-Star Weekend activation tips off on July 19th. (JWS)

Just Women’s Sports is heading to WNBA All-Star Weekend with its most ambitious event presence yet.

JWS will tip off a multi-faceted WNBA All-Star activation in partnership with Famous Footwear on Saturday July 19th from 2 PM to 6 PM, located at 110 South Pennsylvania Street, Indianapolis.

JWS’ partnership with Famous Footwear includes a multi-part activation designed to merge back-to-school excitement with All-Star energy.

Graphic for JWS podcast Between the Lines with Lisa Leslie.
JWS is bringing a live taping of "Between the Lines with Lisa Leslie" to WNBA All-Star Weekend. (JWS)

"Between the Lines" live taping headlines WNBA All-Star event

The activation will also feature a live recording of Between the Lines with Lisa Leslie.

The exclusive taping brings WNBA stars Napheesa Collier, Rhyne Howard, Kelsey Mitchell, and Lexie Hull to the stage. Subsequently, these basketball icons will highlight the WNBA’s evolution and cultural resonance, while JWS captures the best moments across its social platforms.

“WNBA All-Star has become the crown jewel of the women’s sports calendar. We’re thrilled to be showing up in a major way across the entire weekend,” said Just Women’s Sports CEO Haley Rosen.

“This is a chance to celebrate and accelerate the strides the W has made in recent years as it’s cemented itself in the cultural landscape.”

Graphic image of the JWS x Famous Footwear WNBA All-Star Weekend tunnel walk.

Famous Footwear Shoe Tunnel lands in Indianapolis

The star-studded activation features player interviews, exclusive giveaways, fan contests, and more. It is also free and open to all WNBA fans. Visitors will be greeted by a Famous Footwear Shoe Tunnel — and the first 50 fans will be given a gift-card to Famous Footwear for their back-to-school needs.

WNBA legend Lisa Leslie and her son recently visited a Famous Footwear store to shop sneakers and talk all things style, school, and sport. The behind-the-scenes content will roll out as part of a broader back-to-school campaign later this month.

“As big fans of women’s sports ourselves, and knowing how much it means to our customers, we are thrilled to partner with JWS for All-Star Weekend,” said Holly Campbell, senior vice president of marketing at Famous Footwear.

“This activation provides a unique opportunity for us to engage with other sports fans directly fostering connections and creating fun memories during such an exciting time for the league.”

Marta Weighs 2027 World Cup as Brazil Hunts 2025 Copa América Title

Legendary Brazil captain Marta runs across the pitch during a 2025 match.
Marta unretired to join Brazil at the 2025 Copa América tournament. (Paulo Dias/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)

Though international retirement did not stick for Brazil legend Marta, with the 39-year-old currently captaining her world No. 4 national team at the 2025 Copa América tournament, her World Cup future remains in question.

Brazil will be hosting the 2027 event — the first ever held in South America — with the record-breaking attacker turning 41 years old a few months before the World Cup's June 24th kickoff.

"I don't know whether I'll still be playing in 2027 or whether I'll be fit," she told Brazilian outlet Globo on Sunday.

"I still have a very strong desire to be a mother. So, I might wake up one day and decide to call my doctor to see if it's still possible. If it is, then bye, I have to go."

Should she decide to compete, Marta will join fellow Brazilian icon Formiga in logging seven total World Cups — the most of any athlete, man or woman, in soccer history.

In the meantime, the country's all-time leading goalscorer is currently working to help claim Brazil's ninth overall Copa América trophy.

Though early in the 2025 tournament, the Seleção is already on their way to a fifth straight title, opening their campaign with a 2-0 defeat of No. 48 Venezuela on Sunday.

"Brazil is the favorite, and we know it," said Marta. "We know our responsibility to bring home the title." 

How to watch Marta in the 2025 Copa América tournament

In their second of four group-stage matches, No. 4 Brazil will play No. 105 Bolivia at 5 PM ET on Wednesday.

The match will air live on FS1.

WNBA Expansion Team Portland Reignites Original “Fire” Name

A graphic of the revived Portland Fire team name.
The 2026 WNBA expansion team is leaning into its roots by reviving the original team name, the Portland Fire. (Portland Fire)

Portland's original WNBA team name is back, with the 2026 expansion side announcing the return of the the Portland Fire moniker on Tuesday — the name held by the city's first WNBA squad from 2000 to 2002.

With details including a "Rose on Fire" emblem— a nod to Portland's "Rose City" nickname — the city-specific nods in the new logo seek to capture Portland's identity.

"[It's] an important heritage," team interim president Clare Hamill told The Athletic this week. "The opportunity to bring the Portland Fire back, reborn, was 100 percent — creatively and for the brand and for fans — the way to go."

While the team is still searching for its head coach and general manager, excitement is growing, with fans anteing up to the tune of over 10,000 season-ticket deposits since the WNBA awarded the franchise last fall.

"Portland has long stood at the forefront of women's sports, and with nearly 11,000 season ticket deposits to-date, this community has made it clear they're ready to embrace the return of women's professional basketball," said Lisa Bhathal Merage, a co-founder of RAJ Sports — the ownership group of both the WNBA team and the NWSL's Thorns. "We're proud to reignite the Portland Fire."

In addition to the Portland Fire, the Toronto Tempo will hit WNBA courts next season, with three more expansion teams in Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia set to tip off in 2028, 2029, and 2030, respectively.

2025 Euro Quarterfinals Take the Pitch

Italy's Elisabetta Oliviero celebrates a goal with her teammates during a 2025 Euro match.
The 2025 Euro quarterfinals kick off with Italy facing Norway on Wednesday. (Aitor Alcalde - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)

The 2025 Euro quarterfinals kick off on Wednesday, with the eight remaining contenders sitting just three wins away from becoming champions of Europe.

While every win-or-go-home game promises excitement, a few of this week's matchups hold extra intrigue:

  • No. 16 Norway vs. No. 13 Italy, Wednesday at 3 PM ET (FOX): After winning Group A last week, a wobbly yet talented Norway side will kick off the 2025 Euro quarterfinals against second-place Group B team Italy — a squad with a proven ability to hit a counterpunch should they go down early.
  • No. 6 Sweden vs. No. 5 England, Thursday at 3 PM ET (FOX): Sweden looked utterly dominant in their 4-1 dismantling of Germany to win Group C on Saturday, and their reward is a date with the reigning champions, who bounced back from an early loss to France.
  • No. 2 Spain vs. No. 23 Switzerland, Friday at 3 PM ET (FOX): The 2023 World Cup champs have looked like the favorites to win it all by cruising through Group B, while a stoppage-time goal last Thursday sent the tournament hosts to their first-ever Euro quarterfinal.
  • No. 10 France vs. No. 3 Germany, Saturday at 3 PM ET (FOX): France emerged unscathed from the notorious "Group of Death," earning the Group D winners an advantage of momentum over a German side reeling from their 4-1 group-stage loss to Sweden.

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