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SALT LAKE CITY — The 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup has come and gone, and the United States' team walked away with their fourth championship, making them the second team to hold onto a World Cup title for consecutive seasons.
The team made history in the tournament as they won their first game by an incredible score of 13-0, and then continued to score 13 more goals over the next six games to go undefeated. They allowed their opponents only three goals before taking the championship game over the Netherlands 2-0.
Three Utah Royals are represented on the roster, including Kelley O’Hara, Christen Press and Becky Sauerbrunn. Each of these players represented their country well on the field and contributed to each of the wins.
Press was not a starter in the final match, but saw playing time when she subbed in for Megan Rapinoe during the second half. She played in all seven of the World Cup games and started in two of them.
The forward scored her first and only goal of the tournament against England and was assisted by fellow teammate O’Hara.
O’Hara started in the championship game, but was removed just before halftime. She played in all seven games and was a starter in six of them. She was a key player in Press’ goal against England in the semifinal match.
Sauerbrunn was one of the starting 11 in the championship game, and she provided some much-needed support on defense. She started in all seven of the World Cup games.
Apart from the three representatives on the championship team, the Royals also saw three other players compete with their home countries in France during the past month.
Desiree Scott competed with Canada. The team finished second in group play with a 2-1 record, and then fell in the first elimination round to Sweden.
Scott is a midfielder who added four more appearances to her 100-plus starts with Canada. She played in all four games for a total of 394 minutes and played the field well on the defensive end of the field.
New Zealand had Katie Bowen on its roster. She competed in her fourth World Cup. The team played in only three matches, and lost all three games while only one goal scored. They finished fourth in the Group E bracket.
Bowen is a midfielder who had been a key part of the New Zealand team since she was 14 years old. She has been playing in the NWSL for four seasons.
Rachel Corsie represented Scotland at the World Cu, who went 0-2-1 during group play and finished last in Group D. Corsie is a captain with the squad and recorded 270 minutes over the three matches. She was a force at the back of the field where she helped the team with a number of blocks.
Now that their national team games are done, these six players will be returning to Salt Lake City to finish out the season with the Royals.
The Royals will return to Rio Tinto Stadium on July 19 at 8 p.m. MDT against the Portland Thorns FC.
