#2016 wwc

[sevynchaos]

that bein sports are streaming everything but tennis

[uswnt5]

As someone who didn't hop on this train until the 2019 WWC, I'd love for you to do a TC glimpses/highlights from 2015/2016. I've read that classic timeline which was a delightful deep dive that filled out my budding interest in TC. However, are there other treasure troves aka Tumblrs with TC hints/hopes from back then that I should check out?

ha oh man I'd have to go back in the archive to even remember! I'll look this weekend if I get time.

[98percentofthewnbaisgay]

what’s some stuff a brand new Stewie stan needs to know about her?

Great question! There’s not much you need to know if you just started following her, but here’s a little information.

- Stewie played basketball at UConn and won four national championships and final four MOPs. She is regarded as one of the greatest collegiate athletes of all time!

- She got drafted #1 overall to Seattle in 2016 and won ROY. In 2018 she won WNBA MVP and her first WNBA championship, along with finals MVP. Then, in 2020 she won her second WNBA championship and finals MVP.

- She is a 2x Olympic gold medalist and 3x FIBA WWC gold medalist!

- In 2021 she signed with PUMA. Then in 2022 her first signature shoe came out, the Stewie 1, and was released in multiple colorways. Just before the 2023 WNBA season started, she released her second signature shoe, the Stewie 2, which was also released in multiple colorways.

- During 2023 free agency, she signed with New York to be closer to family (she’s from Syracuse) and to be in a larger media market.

- In July 2021, she got married to her overseas teammate Marta Xargay. A month later, they welcomed their first child, Ruby. In May of 2023, Stewie and Marta announced that they were expecting their second child in October!

Hope this helped! And if you ever have any questions about #lore you can always ask them!

[agent-sarahwalker]

Are you still here at all? I hope you are doing well! Also I miss your commentary during the world cup haha And how are you feeling about this being Ali's last season playing 😭 I am sad. What an amazing ride it has been though with so many good moments over the years. If you ever come back could you give your top 5 (or maybe 11 ���) AK moments? They could be of her soccer career or off the field a-team moments. I just think we should all reminisce a little to honor her final season!

Hello! I think I only log here maybe once a month but it's not me at all anymore, I'm mainly on twitter lately! But the top 5 AK moments ever would be so great her first NWSL goal, her leading the team on her back in 2016, her first 100, the comeback from the 2015 wwc, maybe I'll pull it off once gotham world champs of the united states becomes true!

[andiessoccerblog]

Group C Breakdown

Expected to move on: Spain, Japan

Expected to exit in group stage: Costa Rica, Zambia

Spain

FIFA Ranking: 7

Reputation: 

Spain has exploded in the last four years in the European arena, both with their National team and with their top club team, Barcelona. They have jumped six spots in the world ranking in the last four years and have had several big wins against other top-ten opponents. However, in late 2022, 15 of the country’s top female players withdrew from the squad in protest over the coach’s “dictatorial” and “abusive” behavior, and alleged that the coach had gotten the job via bribery and contacts, rather than qualifications. In playing without these fifteen players, Spain has had inconsistent results. They beat an out-of-sorts USA team, but lost other games against similar opponents. Some of those fifteen players are included on the roster, and some are not. 

Player Pool:

A major portion of Spain’s roster plays in the country’s own league. The strong Barcelona team is led by striker Alexia Putellas, who has won the last two FIFA Ballon d’Or Feminin awards, which is given annually to the best player in the world. They have several standouts on each line, including : Irene Paredes on Defense, Putellas and Aitana Bonmatti in the midfield, and Jenni Hermosa at Forward.

2019 WWC performance:

Spain finished second in their group, losing to Germany but tying China, leading to a better result than many anticipated. They were unfortunate to come up against the USA in the round of sixteen and were eliminated, but it was a close 2-1 loss.

Japan

FIFA Ranking: 11

Reputation:

Japan had an incredible run in 2011-2015, reaching the final vs USA in the 2011 World Cup, 2012 olympics, and 2015 World Cup, but since then they have gradually lost their edge. Many of the players during that period have retired, and newer players haven’t found the same success. They are the highest ranked active Asian team and so far in 2023 have kept up with top 10 teams, but often couldn’t find a game-winning goal. Japan is known for their flawless technique and their ability to hold the ball, and recently they have demonstrated the ability to win the ball with a high press, leading to a high-possession style of play.

Player Pool:

Japan has a solid core of players, led by Captain Saki Kumagai, one of the last hold-outs from the 2011-2015 team. About half of the team plays in Japans’ domestic league, but the rest of the players play in many different leagues–Hina Sugita and Jun Endo in the USA, Yui Hasegawa in England, and youngster Hamano in Sweden. Hamano is 18, but has already signed a multi-year contract with English powerhouse Chelsea before being loaned to the Swedish league. This club diversity means that players are familiar with and can adapt to different playing styles.

2019 WWC performance:

Well, they made it through the group stage, then lost in the round of sixteen to the Netherlands. AFter not making it to the 2016 Olympics, there was already a sense of unease about this former powerhouse team’s potential, and even more confidence was lost in them after this World Cup. They have shown that they still have talented players, but it seems they are missing something that had kept them going through their dynastic reign in 2011-2015.

Costa Rica

FIFA Ranking: 37

Reputation: 

This is not Costa Rica’s first World Cup, it is their second after qualifying 2015 but missing 2019. In 2015 they turned heads with their resilience, holding much higher ranked teams to ties in the group stage. Despite their 2015 performance, Costa Rica has only been able to achieve results against similarly or lower ranked opponents, and will face stiff competition against Japan and Spain. Much of their success is attributed to the guidance of coach Amelia Valverde, who was the youngest coach in the 2015 World Cup at age 24, and won FIFA world women's coach of the year in 2016.

Player Pool:

The most well known player from Costa Rica is American Club soccer star Raquel “Rocky” Rodriguez, who helped the Portland Thorns win the 2022 NWSL championship last year. Rocky will share the frontline with Melissa Herrera, who plays for Bordeaux in France.

2019 WWC performance:

Did not qualify

Zambia

FIFA Ranking: 81

Reputation: 

Zambia is a World Cup debutante, meaning that this is their first World Cup, although their first major tournament was the 2020 Olympics. They did not make it out of their group stage, with their only positive result being a 4-4 tie against China. They let in a lot of goals at the Olympics, but also surprised opponents with intense scoring drives. In the last friendlies before the world cup, they pulled out a stunning win over #2-ranked Germany. 

Player Pool:

Zambia has a clear headliner in Barbra Banda, who is the first player in Olympic history to score back to back hat-tricks in Olympic soccer games, the first in a 10-3 loss and the second in the 4-4 tie with China. She plays internationally in China and led that league in goals in the 2020 season. The remaining team members are young, all under the age of 25. Without any World Cup experience and with tough opponents, it will be difficult for this team to move on.

2019 WWC performance:

Did not qualify

[wrestlingperv13]

My event

8:00 AM - 9:00 AM

Mon, Nov 4, 2024

1950 San Franciscol

1958 GULFCOAST MISSISSIPPI

1968 FLORIDA TRI STATE

1969 FLORIDA

1970 MOBILE AL HAWAII IWA

1971Texas AWA

1972 Australia

1974 JCP

1975 Fort Myers

1977 Los Angeles

1979 Mexico

1980 FLORIDA

1981 PNW

1982 JCP WWC ALL JAPAN JWP

1984 Georgia

1985 WORLD CLASS CONTINENTAL

1988 CWA WORLD CLASS

1989 WWC

1991 USWA

1994 ECW AAA

1995 AAA

1996 USWA

2005 ROH DRAGONGATE

2006 NWA JPW

2007 NEO

2013 STARDOM

2016 NWA AAA

2018 ROH

2019 STARDOM DRAGON GATE

2022 CMLL

[jpantalleresco]

The Time of My Life...My WWC Experience

In 2016 I made my first appearance at When Words Collide. Randy McCharles invited me to the show. I had a table that year with my first book, the Watcher, and I spent the weekend selling. The highlight that year? Diana Gabaldon actually bought one of my books. That’s still a cool experience I’ll never forget. In 2016, my second year, I interviewed Robert J. Sawyer and it changed my life. I ended…

[frauenfootball]

FAQs

Hello everyone,

I just opened this blog again to a flood of questions/comments, thus this FAQ post 😅

.

Unable to download the WWC final match

I had a look at this and it seems like all of the matches are not downloadable if you are not signed in to Google. 😞

The only solution I can suggest for now is to, well, sign in to Google when you want to download a file. Don’t worry, I won’t know who exactly are downloading the files. But if you want extra privacy, I suggest creating a dummy Google account.

(I’ll see what I can do about making this available without having to sign in to Google. I’ll update this FAQ if/when I figure it out.)

Unable to stream the WWC final match

Due to the size of the file (~4G), the final match doesn’t seem to be streamable. You’ll have to download it. 😬

Do you have <a particular match>?

I’ve uploaded all the ones I have. They should be in these folders:

WWC 2015

Olympics 2016

Euro 2017

WWC 2019

Do you plan to share a download file/link of <a particular match>?

Not at this point. I haven’t been following a lot of football lately.

I’ll try to share the videos for the upcoming Olympics at least, but at this point who knows if that’s gonna push through. 😕

How did you record/capture the match videos?

I used a screen/audio-recording app called Camtasia.

If you want to do your own recordings, there are other apps out there that can also do screen recordings. Points to consider are:

Does it also record audio?

Will it have a watermark? (Some apps put watermarks if you use the free version)

How long will it allow recording? (Some apps put a limit to the recording time if you use the free version)

Unfortunately, the ones that would tick off all the points above are all paid.

[uswntpaesh]

There is only one more game with Jill left. Am I pissed? HELL NO

But am I scared that the new coach might fuck up the team ? HELL yes

[vero-magic]

fifawomensworldcup captains club 🇫🇷

[sccpmccabe]

I'm sorry for intruding on a conversation that isn't mine, but as a Brazilian and someone very, very happy to host the next women's world cup in my country, I have to make some comments.

As a citizen and a person who lives daily with all the difficulties of Brazilian society, I completely agree with some of the problems highlighted, especially with the issue of public transport for fans. We are a huge country and taking my reality as an example, the closest place for me to watch a game in 2027 is approximately six hours away by car, an hour and a half by plane, but tickets are very expensive for us Brazilians, so it is quite obvious that political entities and powers need to work hard in the three years leading up to the event to make transport more accessible for the people.

I have good hopes that the current government, which will remain in power until 2026, will do everything possible to ensure that this event is a successful spectacle. But, once again we are talking about a big country, all of Europe could fit inside our country and there would still be a lot of space left. The games are planned to take place in ten different cities, in around ten or thirteen stadiums in all five regions that Brazil is divided into (north, northeast, central-west, southeast and south). The infrastructure of the stadiums is well secured as some were built for the 2014 Men's World Cup and were also the venues for the Olympics in Rio in 2016, in addition to being frequently used and restored by the sports entities that manage them.

It is also important to highlight that it was not a unique and exclusive decision by FIFA as happened in other years, there was a vote with all member countries and Brazil was chosen with a large advantage, as shown in the following image:

The Brazilian bid to host the next Women's World Cup received 119 votes, accounting for around 60% while BNG received 78 votes.

Now talking about social problems, it is true that we have many. Social inequality in Brazil is sometimes greater than our own country, but I dare to say that we are taking great strides to change this, despite the partisan bipolarity between left and right ideals being enormous, I am confident that better days are coming to us. It's very easy to be scared by data and research done, but few live or care about our reality and how we are fighting with all our might to change things, to make Brazil a safer country for everyone.

We are talking about a country with one of the greatest, if not the greatest, diversity in the world, whether fauna and flora or ethnic. We were colonized by the Portuguese, Spanish, Italians, Germans, Dutch, French and several other nations, we are a mixed people that encompasses several cultures. We have the largest population of black people outside the African continent, we have a wide range of religions, as well as the largest eastern populations (mainly Japanese) outside these continents.

An event the size of a World Cup here is not only good for our economy, after all, all FIFA member countries always receive the monetary return from events like these and use it to invest in their sports entities and projects, but also for the entire the South American continent that is passionate about football and sports in general. The 2027 World Cup will democratize access to sporting events for many people and further expand the visibility of women's football here, which is already quite large.

We had access to last year's WWC broadcast for free on YouTube and had an audience of millions of Brazilians until the end of the competition. We are also home to the biggest women's football team in South America, which is currently the third best in the entire world and with titles comparable to FC Barcelona, Lyon and Wolfsburg.

I've already gone on too long about what I'd like to say and again I'm sorry for invading a conversation where I wasn't even called upon, but it's easy (and right) to analyze and point out the negative points of the victory in the Brazilian campaign, but it's also necessary to understand many things about our complex society and seeing how much things can change for the better in three years.

Hopefully BNG bid for the next WWC it’s way more reasonable than USA and Mexico or USA Mexico and Canada. I’m American and living on the east coast most of the games they would host would be on the west coast and in areas where everything is far too expensive. We also don’t have the transportation really to go from country to country or even state to state in a reasonable time. But then again it’s FIFA anything that is logical and would bring more money and eyes to the sport is always overlooked simply because of the bids made one countries federation. It’s truly dumb especially when looking at the bigger picture and how much he likes to tell the women to prove themselves. Like dude host it in places and countries where transportation won’t be the biggest issue or where Idk human rights are being violated and taken away left and right. This is why I don’t understand men they think small and don’t look at the big overall picture. While I’m happy it’s in Brazil (Brazil needs the boost) I just think it would have been bigger and better in BNG and would have brought more attention and a different atmosphere to the games. I bet the one after will be hosted by the US and Mexico (unfortunately because again FIFA will look at the bid but not the logical money maker)

i agree with you, safe, reliable and affordable transportation definitely plays a big part. not only for the players and staff but for the travelling fans as well. the public transport available definitely needs to be efficient because it contributes significantly to the overall experience the fans get.

take this most recent wwc for example. idk about the rest of the hosting cities but when i was in melbourne, it took only 20 minutes to get from the city centre to the stadium via public transport. it was the same for the reverse trip and that definitely made it a good experience for me because i didn't have to worry unnecessarily about the travelling logistics. there were also plenty of staff who did the directing so that the whole process went smoothly for everyone.

now i come from singapore which has extensive public transportations. you can literally get to anywhere within the country in under an hour, an hour and a half at a stretch, via the public transport. the government prides itself on it and has invested millions if not billions over the years. my point is that i'm not easy to impress and i was impressed with how melbourne worked the transportation out.

now that they're confirmed as the host, hopefully brazil are prepared to work their transportation out too and develop it sufficiently if necessary. the rest of the infrastructure, eg. stadiums and training facilities for the players as well. given how much the women's game is growing, it's only right that they do so.

i'm really glad that south america finally gets a chance to host a wwc because they completely deserve to. it will be great for their tourism and will definitely help showcase their players on a whole, not just legends like marta.

but as you said, fifa definitely ignores important issues like human rights and lgbtq+ rights in favour of money. the 2022 men's world cup in qatar clearly showed that.

however, unfortunately or fortunately, at the end of the day, fifa's decision has already been made and all we can do as fans now is simply hope that brazil and fifa invests properly in the 2027 wwc to make it a brilliant experience for all. it's what the players and fans deserve.

[majris]

[agent-sarahwalker]

Why r u rooting for the Uswnt and not brawnt?

cause im being realistic

[andiessoccerblog]

Group G Breakdown

Expected to move on: Sweden, Italy

Expected to exit in group stage: South Africa, Argentina

Sweden

FIFA Ranking: 3

Reputation: 

Sweden. What can I say, other than….Fuck Sweden. No, actually, they are a great team and a great group of women that are always serious contenders for the World Cup. I’m just a little bitter that they ousted the USA early from the 2016 Olympics. They finished runner-up in that tournament, and have never missed a World Cup or Olympic tournament, one of only a few teams to do so. They got silver again in 2020, and deserve a healthy respect from any team that goes up against them.

Player Pool:

Sweden has a really strong and consistent domestic league, and although the best players play in other countries, their league really strengthens the “second-string” domestic players, giving them roster depth. In a large tournament, roster depth can be the key to a winning run. Caroline Seger has the most caps for the country, and a trio of (very blonde) forwards leads goal-scoring: Stina Blackstenius, Sofia Jakobsson, and Fridolina Rolfö.

2019 WWC Performance: 

They won two of their group games, but played a reserved squad against the USA and picked up a 2-0 loss. Had they used their starters, the game might have gone differently, but as it was the last game of group stage, both teams were guaranteed a place in the knockout round. They fought their way through to the consolation round after a loss to the Netherlands, then picked up third place over England. Standout players of the tournament are Asllani, Sembrandt, and Seger. 

Italy

FIFA Ranking: 16

Reputation:

Italy used to be a powerhouse of women’s soccer in the 1990s, but has fallen down the rankings as other European countries strengthen. They do have a good domestic league where most of the players play, leading to a cohesive, flashy team that can hold their own against similar-ranked countries. In 2019 they had a strong performance,  but placed lower in the women’s Euros and had to go through additional qualification against other lower-ranked European teams to earn their spot in the World Cup. They are kind of a wild card in this bracket. 

Player Pool:

Young offensive player Sofia Cantore has been providing organization and structure to the front line and is still in the process of building a relationship with veteran Barbara Bonansea, so this World Cup will be a test of how well they can produce goals. Arianna Caruso and Manuela Giugliano hold down the midfield, and Lisa Boattin is the standout in defense.

2019 WWC performance:

Italy has a surprisingly good start to their World Cup run, beating Australia and showing that they were a force to be reckoned with. They kept pace with Brazil and beat Jamaica, proving that their presence in the tournament was no fluke and making their bracket one of the tightest competitively. They fought their way out of the round of sixteen against China, but fell in the quarters to the Netherlands. Their versatile trio of goalscorers is made up of: Bonansea, Galli, and Girelli.

South Africa

FIFA Ranking: 54

Reputation: 

This is South Africa’s second World Cup. Unfortunately, that probably won’t help them survive the group, as they are the only group without a true “debutante” in it, so they will likely end up in last place. However, they are young and full of spirit, and play with fire lit underneath them, and finished first in the African Cup of Nations in 2022.

Player Pool: 

The most promising players play outside of the South African league. Thembi Kgatlana plays in the USA, and has kept pace and scored goals against top-level American opponents. Linda Motlhalo plays midfield in Scotland and for South Africa. Both of them were in the 2019 World Cup, and have played around the world, so the team will rely on them and their experience to progress from group stage.

2019 WWC performance:

South Africa finished fourth in their group, but did manage to score a goal against Spain. Kgatlana scored their lone goal.

Argentina

FIFA Ranking: 28

Reputation:

Like any South American team, Argentina lacks the funding to be on par with their men's side, but they make do with what they do have. Argentina's tournament record isn't great, mostly because they haven't been in many tournaments, but they did hold their own in their 2019 group, playing three very close games and proving their mettle.

Player Pool: 

Goalkeeper Vanina Correa had an outstanding performance at the 2019 World Cup, but may not be the starter for 2023 after not many club appearances. Estefanía Banini is the most talented field player, and plays for one of the best clubs in the world, Real Madrid. 

2019 WWC performance:

Without a win, their two ties were not enough to send them through to the knockout stage. This is probably unfair, as the two ties were against Japan (a difficult opponent) and Scotland.  Argentina showed their stripes in the late comeback, scoring three goals in the last 25 minutes to earn a tie and prevent Scotland from advancing.

[sccpmccabe]

As a National Team, we're bad on penalties, like, REALLY, really bad. The last time I remember being happy with a penalty kick was in the Brazil x Australia game at the 2016 Olympics in Rio.

The "impressive" was because the team she made her way through caught everyone by surprise and are doing pretty well in our league. Tainá is eating!!!

About the sub, Lorena would be our starting keeper in 23 WWC, but tore her ACL before that :(

She was subbed on bcs she is known for being very good when it comes to penalties, but this was literally her first match since she was injured last year.

Also, I don’t know if you heard the – bad – news, but Lelê tore her ACL too. I sobbed when I learned about that.

Hey, bestie! I dunno if you watched the Brazil x Canada match buuuut I came here to talk about Tainá! Do you remember when we talked about keepers for Arsenal and I suggested her? Well, this bitch made an "impressive" start of the Brazilian season – for club football – in her new team and was our starting keeper tonight!

I'm pretty mad, sad and all about the result, but I kinda enjoyed the game.

Hellooo friend!! i did watch the match just now and im so mad too 😭 but oh well canada scammed again by taking the match to penalties lol. are brazil just really bad at taking penalties? because the penalties were not taken well i have to say

the gk tainá, her performance for the match was quite okay imo a few shaky moments here and there from her that got my heart racing 😅 but not too bad overall just average. what do mean by "impressive" start of the season? why did you put it in quotations? 😭 is her performance bad or something?

also why was she subbed off for penalties? why was the other gk lorena subbed on? i didn't quite understand that substituition

[wordsbyrian]

Skater Girl - Alex Morgan x Reader

Summary: Childhood friends almost always drift apart but sometimes they find their ways back together. This fic is set in between the 2015 WWC and the 2016 Olympics.

A/N: I was watching a documentary on my favorite skateboarder Andrew Reynolds in which he talked about his battle with addiction and this is what came of it.

Trigger warning: Heavy discussion of drug and alcohol abuse, jokes about sobriety

For as long as you can remember Alex Morgan has been your best friend.

Just like any pair of childhood friends worth their salt, the two of you knew everything about one another.

At least you did from the ages of 3 to 14.

But like all great childhood friendships, you started to drift apart in high school. She had started playing club soccer and was quickly becoming the face of the varsity soccer team and you found that you had more fun hanging out with the skateboarders and stoners than waiting for her to be able to make time for you.

So while she was busy becoming an all-American and a top college prospect, you were rounding up amateur sponsorships for companies like Blind and Independent Trucks.

Then when she was running all over people at Cal, you were dropping out of the photography program at UCLA because you were going pro and collecting sponsors like a child on Halloween.

Overall, you hadn’t spoken to her in nearly 10 years, which is why you’re so shocked to see her standing over you as you lay at the bottom of one of the largest hills in LA, cracked helmet still on your head.

“Oh my god, are you ok,” she asks, bending over to try and look you in the eyes.

“Alex,” you say, still somewhat out of it. “What are you doing here?”

It takes her a moment, but as you sit up and take off your helmet, you can see the realization bloom in her eyes.

“Y/N/N,” she asks, getting a nod in response. “Are you ok, I saw you smash your head into the ground.”

As you go to answer you begin to hear the shouts of the crew you’re filming with as they finally make their way to the bottom of the hill.

“Trips, dude, we thought you just died,” Jay, one of your best friends, shouts as he gets close enough, “Who’s this?”

“This is Alex, my childhood best friend and world-champion soccer player,” you say, “Also, clearly not dead, the brain bucket saved me. Go get the car, I’m ready to call it a day, I’ve got road rash on my entire back.”

Watching for a moment as he runs back to the rest of your friends, you turn back to Alex still staring at you with wide eyes.

“I’m sorry you had to watch me slam like that, you used to hate that.”

“Just found out that I still do, that was one of the scariest things I’ve ever seen,” she says, helping you to your feet, “Your body flew through the air.”

Grimacing a little at the feeling of your shirt against the raw skin on your back, you pick your board up and say, “I’m fine I promise, nothing that a shower, Neosporin, and some sleep can’t fix.”

The two of you stare at each other silently for a few moments and you can feel all the things you felt for her growing up come flooding back.

Fortunately, the sound of Jay laying on the horn of your car breaks you free of the hold she’s always seemed to have on you.

“I, uh, I’ve gotta go,” you say, jerking a thumb over your shoulder.

As you start backing away she reaches out and grabs your wrist.

“Meet me at our spot tomorrow,” Alex says hopefully, “3 p.m?”

“I can do that.”

She smiles before letting you go and walking back to what you can only assume is her car.

Making your way to your ride, you aren’t surprised when the second you climb in you’re greeted by the cacophonous noise of all your friends asking you what just happened.

“Don’t worry about it.”

The next day finds you rolling up to the far back corner of your childhood park where you and Alex would go when you simultaneously needed escapes from your homes.

You hear Alex before you see her, her raspy voice ringing out, “You still bring that thing everywhere you, huh?”

“In all fairness, I get paid to bring it everywhere now,” you say, taking a seat next to her.

“You went pro? I remember that being all you talked about in middle school.”

“Sophomore year of college,” you say with a grin, “I signed like three pro sponsorships in a week and dropped out of UCLA, it was barely two months into the school year.”

“That’s awesome, I’m happy it worked out for you.”

“Forget me, Lex, you’ve got an Olympic gold and World Cup,” you practically shout at her, watching as a blush appears on her cheeks.

“It wasn’t just me, it was a team effort.”

“Whatever bro, I saw that goal you scored in Manchester against Canada and the one against Colombia at the World Cup.”

“Okay fine, some of it was me,” she laughs.

Then before you know it, the afternoon trails into the evening, and the two of you spend hours talking about everything that has happened since you graduated high school.

But the one thing you refuse to answer, no matter how much she asks, is how you’ve acquired the nickname Trips.

That is until Alex says something so shocking that you know you have to tell her the truth.

“You know we thought you were dead or in jail,” she says, voice becoming thick with emotion.

“What?”

“When you didn’t come back at Thanksgiving in 2008 and your parents refused to even be in the same room as anyone who mentioned you, we thought the worst,” she explains.

“Fuck,” you say, “Alex, you have to know that I never meant to put your family through that, I was just dealing with some things.”

“What could you possibly have been going through that you couldn’t call us? I was your best friend, we’d known each other our entire lives.”

“Alex, be serious, we haven’t been best friends since the summer before 9th grade and you know it.”

“Y/N/N,” she starts but you cut her off.

“It’s fine really, it happens, but I wasn’t going to just dump my problems on you after not being around. That would’ve made me a shitty person.”

“What problems were so big that you had to face them alone?”

“Addiction,” you say, turning to stare out at the park.

You can feel her staring at the side of your head in silence but you don’t give her a chance to say anything.

“I’m like 4 years clean now but I’ve been addicted to alcohol and other stuff since I was about 15. In high school, your dad once found me passed out in the driver’s seat of my car smelling like a distillery with puke down the front of my clothes,” you explain. “It got really bad after I went pro and I almost died before I got clean.” Taking a deep breath you continue, “That game against Canada at the Olympics was my second day in rehab, I was so sick with withdrawal symptoms but I remember watching the ball come off your head at the last minute.”

“Can you look at me please,” she says, voice shaking, “I need you to look at me.”

Turning your head, you’re somewhat surprised to see the sight of Alex Morgan with tears streaming down her face.

“I’m proud of you. I’m proud of you for getting clean, I’m happy you're alive and I’m sorry that you felt like you couldn’t come to me,” she says, tears flowing.

“Quit crying, you know I hate it when you cry,” you say, hoping that the reaction you used to have as a kid, would get her to smile like it used to.

It does and you get to watch as she smiles and wipes the tears from her face.

“Are you done now?”

“I’m done now,” she says with a laugh.

“Cool, your apology isn’t accepted by the way.”

“What? Why not?”

“Because you have nothing to be sorry for, bozo,” you say, “Both your parents and my parents tried to get me help while we were still in school and it didn’t work. So don’t try to apologize to me again, got it?”

“You’re still the nicest asshole I know,” she says, “who the fuck yells at a girl for crying?”

“An idiot whose nickname is based on her being a drug addict,” you guess.

That doesn’t get the laugh that you were hoping for but it’s enough to get you a small smile.

As the hours continue to pass, the conversation gets lighter as you reminisce about the crazy things you got up to as kids.

Eventually, you both have to leave but before you do Alex manages to secure a promise that you’ll attend her game in a couple of days with no new bumps, bruises, or scrapes.

So that’s exactly what you do.

That Saturday afternoon sees you walking down the steps in the stadium to your seat, which thanks to some magic pulled by Alex is so close that you feel like you’re on the field.

When you reach your seat you’re not completely surprised to see Alex’s parents and her sisters but they don’t seem surprised to see you.

“Y/N/N,” her mom asks in shock when she sees you coming down the row.

“Uh yeah,” you say, awkwardly scratching the back of your neck. “Hey Morgans.”

Before you have a moment to fully process what’s happening, you’re being pulled into a hug by Mr. Morgan and passed to each of the women in his family, but you end up back in his arms at the end.

“You have no idea how glad we are to see you,” he says.

“I think I might,” you reply. “Alex filled me in on what your worries were, they were pretty close up until a few years ago.”

That gets a few sad smiles out of the family which lets you know that Alex has filled them in on what you’ve been up to.

“That’s not funny, Y/N,” Mrs. Morgan says.

“It kind of is,” Jeni says, with Jeri nodding behind her.

“Jeri’s right,” you say, “Besides since I’m sober now, so you have to laugh at all my jokes about not being sober because I pulled myself together.”

“That’s not how it works, kid,” Mr. Morgan says.

“Welp it is now.”

It’s at that moment the teams begin walking out for the anthem and as though she could feel your eyes on her Alex immediately turns towards you, a grin appearing on her face as you lock eyes.

The first half of the game is fast and physical and you find yourself flinching every time Alex is taken down by a defender but just like when you were kids, she’s back on her feet before you can blink.

The half comes around and the US is up 2-0 but you still feel the need to get up and move around.

“Hey, I’m gonna get some tenders or something, does anyone want anything?”

“I’ll come with you,” Jeni says.

“Or you could tell me what you want,” you respond.

“I’m not making you buy me a beer.”

“I know that I’m not dressed like it right now but I can more than afford to buy you a 15-dollar beer,” you say before you understand why she’s protesting. “Fine, you can come with me but I’m still paying for it.”

When you get to the concession stand you ask her what kind of beer she wants but that isn’t what she’s focused on.

“When are you going to tell my sister that you’re in love with her?”

“I’m sorry, what?”

Rolling her eyes, she speaks slower like you are some kind of dumbass, “When are you going to tell Alex you’ve been in love with her since forever?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” you say, moving forward with the line.

“And I’m Elvis Presley,” Jeni sighs and runs a hand down her face.

From there the conversation switches to how you're doing with skateboarding and your sobriety, so you promise to show her some of the clips you’ve put together for your next video part.

That’s why it’s so surprising when the first thing out of her mouth when you get back to your seats is: “Mom, Dad, how long have Alex and Y/N been in love with each other?”

You’re even more surprised when neither of the elder Morgans looks up from their phones before answering: “Forever.”

“And how long have they both been acting like they're not?”

“Since at least the 7th grade, maybe earlier,” Jeri says.

“Can I just eat my tenders in peace,” you beg, not wanting them to notice the blush rapidly spreading from your cheeks to your ears.

Luckily, before anyone can respond the teams are trotting back out for the second half.

Unfortunately, the other team is much more physical in the second half, so you have to watch with bated breath as Alex gets taken down twice as much as she did in the first without any fouls being called.

Every time she hits the ground you wince a little bit harder, much to the amusement of both her sisters.

Then, there’s a corner in the 88th minute and you get to watch, in what feels like slow motion, as Alex gets her head to the ball and sends it into the back of the net.

“Fuck yeah, Alex,” you scream, leaping to your feet with the rest of the crowd.

You know she can’t hear you but the smile she sends in your direction makes it feel like she can.

Moments later, the match is over and after quickly shaking the hands of the opposing team and a short huddle, Alex is racing towards where you're sitting like she didn’t just play a full 90.

Much to your surprise, and her sisters’ enjoyment, she ignores the other Morgans completely to climb the barrier and pulls you into a hug.

“You came,” she whispers into your ear, trying to be heard over the nearby fans screaming her name.

“I did,” you respond. “You played amazing, that goal was magic.”

“Are you coming to dinner with us,” she asks, still not letting go.

“Yup, your parents have designated me as your chauffeur.”

She nods so you let her go, not at all shocked by the smile on her face as she greets her family.

It doesn’t last long though because one second Jeri is whispering in her ear and the next Alex is glaring back at her and dropping to the ground to join her teammates in greeting fans.

You and the Morgans stay for a bit watching her before making your way out of the stadium and to the parking lot. There you make promises to meet them at the restaurant, hauling Al along with you.

You don’t have to wait very long on your own in the lot, at least you don’t think you do but time does tend to get a bit weird when you’re practicing a new trick.

It's the sound of Alex’s voice yelling at you to do a kickflip that breaks your focus, (You do of course land a kickflip for her.)

“Not bad,” she says, reaching your car and throwing her stuff in the back before climbing in.

“I do aim to impress.”

The ride to the restaurant is calm, the only real noise being the sound of her playlist intermingling with the sound of LA traffic.

When you park and go to get out, you’re stopped by her relocking the doors.

You try to unlock them but she just locks them again, in a pattern that continues four times before you turn to look at her.

“Seriously Al?”

“I want to ask you something,” she says, “but you’ve spent the whole ride trying your hardest to ignore me.”

“I wasn’t ignoring.”

She cuts you off, “Yes you were. What did my sisters  say to you because I thought we were gonna try being friends again.”

“They didn’t say,” cut off again.

“Just tell me what they said.”

You take a moment to think about whether or not you should and the somewhat desperate look on her face leads you to tell her.

“They said that you’ve been in love with me since forever. Your parents did too but that’s not possible,” you tell her, “because I definitely would’ve noticed if you were. I mean I literally spent our entire childhoods trying to impress you so I think Jeni and Jeri were just messing with me like they used to because you’re way too awesome to have ever been in love..”

You're cut off again but this time by the feeling of Alex grabbing you by the back of the neck and pressing her lips to yours.

Before you can fully process what’s happening, she’s pulling away which is the opposite of what you want so you pull her back in so your lips meet again.

The second kiss is much longer than the first but before you can deepen it she pulls back.

“I am in love with you,” she says, slightly breathless, “and I’ve been in love with you for as long as I can remember.”

You smile so widely that to an outsider it might’ve looked painful, “That’s awesome but there’s no way you’ve loved me longer than I’ve loved you.”

“Whatever Y/N/N,” she kisses you again, a slight peck this time, “let’s head inside before my parents start freaking out.”

She unlocks the car doors and gets out, stopping briefly to make sure you’re following her.

And you are, just like you did when you were kids and just as you will be for the rest of your lives.