USWNT Point the Way to the Future with Memorable Women's World Cup Campaign

For 16 years, the United States women's national team lived in the shadow of 1999. But after Sunday's romp in Vancouver, the '99ers now have company in the annals of U.S. soccer lore.

All it took was 16 minutes. In that improbably brief span of time, Big Game Carli Lloyd scored her famous hat trick, the U.S. stormed to an insurmountable 4-0 lead over Japan in the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup final and the team's third world title was all but secure.

The Americans went on to win 5-2, completing a memorable tournament with a performance for the ages, cementing Lloyd's status as a legend and the team's place in history. No longer will the 1999 team be the most famous and most beloved U.S. team of all time. The '99ers, though still great, have been surpassed. 

Say hello to the '15ers, a new American team for the ages, a squad that will go down in history as an all-time great—and one that could potentially alter the future of the sport in this country.

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Before we look to the future, a trip to the past is necessary. In 1999, Mia Hamm and the U.S. claimed a second World Cup title by beating China in a penalty shootout in the final. Brandi Chastain famously converted the final spot kick, celebrating sans shirt in a moment that became indelibly linked with soccer in America.

The tournament, which the U.S. hosted, drew huge television audiences and inspired a new generation of female athletes to play soccer. In a piece written with Amy Van Deusen for espnW in 2014, Lloyd revealed that she drew inspiration from the 1999 team as a 16-year-old high school standout:

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These were my idols playing. I was a teenager who lived and breathed soccer, and I always had a ball in my hand wherever I went. I had pictures of Mia Hamm, Michelle Akers, and Julie Foudy on my bedroom walls, and I wanted to be on a World Cup team someday.

…

What they did was amazing, and now it's our turn. I'm able to play pro soccer because they paved the way for all of us. In 15 years, I hope it's the same trend, and we've improved the game for another generation of girls.

"

It took longer than many might have expected, and there were disappointments along the way, but one can only imagine that Lloyd and the U.S. have done just that. After two straight semifinal exits, the Americans returned to the final in 2011, only to lose to Japan. Lloyd missed a penalty in the shootout, blazing the ball over the bar, but neither she nor the team was finished.

Rich Lam/Getty Images

Four years later, with fan interest and media attention at all-time highs, the U.S. worked its way through the group of death and three knockout games to reach the final once again. After a slow start, the Americans began to play their best soccer at the quarterfinal stage, led by Lloyd's midfield brilliance and clutch goals.

Everything came together in the final as the U.S. sprinted to a 4-0 lead, a breakneck passage of play capped by Lloyd's memorable third goal, which was an audacious strike from just inside the halfway line. Lloyd's performance ranked among the best in World Cup final history—men's or women's—and the U.S. finally reclaimed the title after 16 long years of waiting.

"I just knew that the players could deliver,” U.S. Coach Jill Ellis told reporters, via Eben Novy-Williams of Bloomberg. “These players were born for big moments. This is what they relish."

As Grant Wahl noted at Sports Illustrated, this team has earned a prominent spot in American sports history:

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The historic U.S. team that won the 1999 World Cup has rightly earned its place in American sports lore as the ‘99ers, and they will always be considered a national treasure. But this 2015 team now deserves its own place in the U.S. sporting pantheon right up alongside all those greats from 16 years ago. So go ahead and give them their due.

These ‘15ers traveled an epic journey together, one that included bitter hardships from World Cups past, and fought their way through a less-than-perfect start in this World Cup to peak at just the right time when it mattered most. The U.S.’s collective defense was a constant in this tournament, and the attacking power revealed itself in the most ruthless of ways in the World Cup final. Bring on the hosannas. These ‘15ers have well and truly arrived at the promised land.

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The timing hardly could have been better for coach Jill Ellis and her team. Soccer has enjoyed unprecedented popularity in the U.S. in recent years, and the 2015 Women's World Cup reflected that in increased media coverage and impressive TV ratings.

And those numbers don't just happen automatically. The U.S. had to earn and justify the attention, which is exactly what the players did. Now the question turns to whether the fanfare will remain as the World Cup fades into the past.

Previous attempts to establish a lasting women's professional league in the U.S. have failed, but a new option has emerged. All of the members of the current U.S. team (apart from Abby Wambach, who is unattached to a club) currently play in the National Women's Soccer League. That means fans can continue to watch their favorite stars—like Lloyd, defender Julie Johnston or forward Alex Morgan—on a regular basis.

If the U.S. is to remain atop the international game, that is exactly what American fans should do. With European clubs and leagues increasing in quality and prominence every year, a strong domestic professional league is the key to maintaining success. And to keep the domestic league strong, American fans must turn up in numbers to watch their favorite players in action.

Sunday's final will no doubt go down as a dazzling, memorable moment in U.S. Soccer history, and it's certain that thousands—maybe millions—of young players are already taking inspiration from Lloyd and the rest of the American team. Ten or 15 years from now, we will be reading stories of how our top American internationals idolized the '15ers, just like the '15ers revered the '99ers before them.

But if women's soccer is to make a lasting impression in the U.S., plenty of work remains to be done by both the players and the fans.

Follow @MiguelCominguez