Just when you think you’ve seen it all in women’s soccer, something new always manages to knock your socks off. For example, when the #1 ranked USA team lost to both Germany and Spain back in November of 2022, it sent ripples of excitement through the world. The US women lost 3 straight matches for the first time in almost three decades and the soccer world took notice.
They’re beatable.
That was the big takeaway. Long the most feared bully on the block, the new-look Team USA under coach Vlatko Andonovski didn’t (and to many, still doesn’t) seem to have the same swagger or the same upside.
Then again, the teams they lost to aren’t slouches either.
Spain might be the most up and coming Women’s Football program on the planet, and in the last World Cup, when the United States was focused on opponents like Sweden and France, it was actually Spain that gave them their most daunting challenge.
Ditto Germany, a powerhouse program with huge international names. Losing to Germany is not a shock for anyone but the USWNT. Everyone loses to Germany. They’re a top 3 program.
So what can we infer from Die Nationalelf’s shocking loss to Zambia today in an international friendly? Has the rest of the wizarding world caught up to the better-resourced-and-funded Western magicians, or is this just a fluke? Has Zambia’s national team, nicknamed The Copper Queens or The She-polopolo, really taken such a quantum leap forward, or is it that their captain, 23 year old Babra Banda, who scored twice, is that dominant?
Zambia rushed out to a 2-0 lead after being knotted at zero at the half. Germany powered back, thanks to the dominant physical presence of their captain, Alexandra Popp, tying up the match in stoppage time to complete what felt like a Cinderella-style comeback.
But two minutes later, in the 112th minute, a streaking Banda put the match away for good, giving Zambia the 3-2 victory.
It’s only a friendly, so it doesn’t count for anything except pride – and perhaps a wake-up call – but if this match is an indication of the level of tenacity we might witness over the next six weeks? The world may be in for a very memorable Women’s World Cup.
