In recent years, the men’s program, while making great strides, was often a source of frustration, with opportunities being denied, backsliding, worries over the future of the program. But the women simply ascended, from one triumph to another, and the steady growth and finally explosion of women’s soccer into the hearts and minds of Americans is truly astonishing.

It is easy to forget than a mere fifteen years ago, the national program didn’t exist, professional leagues didn’t exist and people actually wondered if women’s soccer would be more than a college and recreational sport.

But once it was done (and at an amazingly quick pace at that), the US had gone from a latecomer to the premier women’s soccer program in the world, and is a spearhead that inspires the growth of the game throughout the rest of the world. And the future looks even better.