Historical accomplishment or complete mess?
Has any other country seen its women’s and men’s teams defend two international titles on the same day?
That’s the unintended consequence of a controversial oversight in which the Women’s World Cup leads off a tripleheader of international finals that also includes the men’s Copa America and the men’s Gold Cup.
Yes, the US men are the defending champion of the Gold Cup, the Concacaf championship that manages the rare feat of being simultaneously lucrative and barely relevant. The crowds are often substantial — 63,032 showed up to see the USA beat Jamaica in the 2017 final, and 70,788 fans turned up in Houston to see a quarterfinal doubleheader this year in which Mexico got past Costa Rica on penalties.
Mexico also needed extra time to get past Haiti in the semifinal, but they’re the oddsmakers’ favorites against a US team that looked less than impressive in beating Curacao. Yes, Curacao.
The Gold Cup was once a springboard to the Confederations Cup, where the US men achieved their most stunning victory since … maybe 1950? On goals by Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore, the USA ended Spain’s 35-game unbeaten streak in 2009.
Limestone HS Soccer
(@soccerLimestone)Great day to be a US Soccer fan!@USWNT playing for World Cup Title at 10am. @USMNT playing for Gold Cup Final at 8pm. pic.twitter.com/XSlDi4qlwB
But the prevailing narrative in the US media is that this juxtaposition of games shows FIFA’s callous disregard for the women’s game. The women should have one day to themselves, the argument goes. We shouldn’t be talking men’s soccer today.
And as strange as it seems to those of us immersed in this World Cup, Google trends show the Gold Cup holding its own in terms of interest.
TV ratings tell a different story, even with the women’s games taking place during the workday due to the time difference between the USA and France.
Perhaps the biggest problem is that the schedule has ramped up the Great Gender War of 2019. Social media is full of viral tweets on both sides of the argument, it’s unlikely either side is going to be satisfied.
So some US fans will make the best of the situation and watch both. Some won’t.
