USA-Japan Wrap: Carli Lloyd's World Cup Final Bonanza Reward For Meeting Sports' Ideals

All’s well that ends well for Carli Lloyd and the United States women’s national soccer team, right? Yes, but not exactly.

The United States’ 5-2 win over Japan on Sunday in the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup final embroiders an unprecedented third star above the U.S. Soccer Federations’s crest on Team USA’s jerseys and confirms their restoration to the throne of women’s soccer. Fans are celebrating the Women’s World Cup trophy like it’s 1999, but this championship is different than the last. The 2015 title is the payoff for generation’s worth of work by Lloyd and the United States’ players, coaches and staff.

[tweet https://twitter.com/OptaJoe/status/617858369454538753 align=’center’]

Lloyd, 32, and Team USA spent years training for the big moment that was the final rematch against Japan, and they rose to it in the most spectacular way. Lloyd scored a hat trick inside of the first 16 minutes. She capped her early explosion with a stunning goal in which she lobbed Japan’s goalkeeper from the halfway line, sending shockwaves throughout both the United States and the soccer world. This from a player who missed a penalty kick in the loss to Japan in the 2011 final.

Jill Ellis’ tactical alteration liberated Lloyd before the semifinal and bore fruit when it mattered most. Lloyd, Team USA’s captain, improved throughout the tournament to the point where she simply was unstoppable by the time she took center stage. Lloyd scored twice in the first five minutes before Lauren Holiday netted the eventual game-winner in the 14th minute. Lloyd then scored that goal to seal both the result and her place in history. Each strike was better than the previous one.

[tweet https://twitter.com/OptaJoe/status/617835132305719297 align=’center’]

[tweet https://twitter.com/PCarrESPN/status/617861977516441600 align=’center’]

Yuki Ogimi’s 27th-minute goal for Japan was the only blemish on Team USA’s dream final. Ogimi’s goal ended the United States’ shutout streak, cruelly denying Team USA’s title-winning defense its rightful place in history.

[tweet https://twitter.com/PCarrESPN/status/617837656127471616 align=’center’]

But Team USA demonstrated both its winning mentality and attacking character by responding instantly to Japan’s goals. Team USA lacked a clinical striker throughout the tournament, but midfielders like Lloyd and Megan Rapinoe were scoring freely in the absence of that missing markswoman. Their efforts show it’s possible to win major tournaments without a goal scorer who is firing on all cylinders.

Team USA’s players deserve a world of plaudits. So does does head coach Jill Ellis, who adeptly deployed her resources and managed her players masterfully to win the World Cup in her first try. Team USA’s constant improvement throughout the tournament mirrors Lloyd’s, and Ellis’ steady hand and flexibility were central reasons for the United States’ triumph.

Team USA spectacularly has authored a new chapter in the sport’s history and ended a 16-year World Cup title drought. The United States performance in 2015 is a celebration of these athletes’ perseverance through early troubles, determination to succeed and a collective achievement. It’s a much better story than a tale of drama queens or pin-up girls, who also play sports.

The class of 2015 will join that of 1999 as enduring role models for a new generation of young girls and boys, who now have a new legacy either to meet or surpass in their own careers.