Team USA Capturing Its Fourth Women's World Cup Trophy, Defeating The Netherlands
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Of course, we wish him all the best as he about to endure that kidney transplant surgery.</s>ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.</s>WHITFIELD: Hello again, everyone. And thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. We begin with that historic moment in sports history. Team USA capturing its fourth women's world cup trophy, defeating the Netherlands 2-0. Messages of support are pouring in right now. Just moments ago former president Barack Obama tweeting his congratulations to the women's national team. And sitting first lady Melania Trump also tweeting her congratulations to the 2019 women's world cup champions. One person we have yet to hear from, President Trump, who has been criticized by members of team USA. At least one of those members saying not interested in going to the White House. This is before they won the world cup. Something tells me that point of view is still not going to change. CNN Sports Anchor, Amanda Davies joining me right now. She was inside the stadium and she joins me now from Leon, France. All right, what an incredible, electrifying moment. There have been so many moments along the way but today's win was really something else. You saw it all.</s>AMANDA DAVIES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Indeed, Fredricka. You are talking about electrifying moments. We have just had a pretty spectacular thunderstorm here in Leon. And I have to tell you it hasn't dampened the spirit of the fans who I can still hear. I can see just to the side of me leaving the stadium, flags waving, chanting, celebrating the success, because that is the way to make history. And of course this is a U.S. side that becomes just the second team to successfully defend the women's world cup crown. They have now won four out of eight editions of this tournament. I have to tell you they didn't have it all their own way inside the stadium. There had been overwhelming favorites, but the Dutch did give them a real run for their money, particularly in the opening stages. And there were a few nervous faces around me as we got past that 12-minute mark because all the matches up to today's final, the U.S. had scored at least one goal in the opening 12 minutes. But the Dutch really were giving it their all and it took until just on the hour mark, the 67th -- the 62nd minute for who else, but captain fantastic, Megan Rapinoe to step up and finally break the deadlock from the penalty spot to score her sixth goal in five matches this tournament. That goal actually confirming her as the tournament's top scorer. She not only goes home with a second world cup crown individually but also the golden boot award. It was one of the young stars from this US team, Rose Lavell, who scored the second goal, Jill Ellis' side. But what a way to dominate the women's game. Over the course of the last few weeks this team has scored 24 goals. That is more than any other side in the course of a women's world cup tournament. And they conceded just three. In fact they have only lost one game in 45 matches dating all the way back to 2017. They have without doubt confirmed their status as the top ranked side in the world. And Fredricka, we know for some long it's been the team of 99, the 99ers who have been heralded as the benchmark, the side that really took women's soccer to the next level. This team collected their trophies today on the pitch already wearing t-shirts with the number 19 emblazoned on the back and you strongly suspect that this is the side that will now be used as the next benchmark for years to come.</s>WHITFIELD: Amanda, I wonder have we heard from any number of the players, whether it's Megan Rapinoe or anyone else who was saying really what this win means? Because, you know, everyone else is trying to kind of, you know, calculate what it means to the game of sport, men's and women's, what it means for young, aspiring athletes. But what does it mean for them as individuals or even collectively as a team?</s>DAVIES: Well, we have heard from the coach, Jill Ellis. She said she was struggling to put it into words. The only thing she could say to her team immediately afterwards was enjoy this moment. This is your moment of history. And it really is. This is a side that all the way through the tournament have been talking about they were winners. That they are not just footballers, they are not just here to win trophies, they are also here to make a bigger impact until terms of social change. We have heard from Megan Rapinoe talking about not wanting to go to the White House. We have talked about -- we have heard from Alex Morgan talking about how she just wants to inspire the next generation to leave the game in a better state than when she entered it, to really spread the path, to start the journey for more and more girls to get into this game, which is growing all the time. That the targets for this tournament that had been set were immense, they were insane in terms of record television audiences, in terms of record ticket sales. They have hit all of those targets. There are more eyeballs on this game, on these players, on this team than ever before, and now it's about taking this moment, this momentum and moving it forward.</s>WHITFIELD: All right. Amanda Davies, thank you so much. That really positions us perfectly to talk about, you know, meaning and the measurement of meaning particularly for this team USA because we know these women have been lobbying for equal pay, leveling the playing field on so many ways. So Patrick Snell is with me now because this catapults that effort, that lawsuit, so that there is equal pay.</s>PATRICK SNELL, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Right.</s>WHITFIELD: To this effort, to this celebrity, to how it has galvanized the sport overall.</s>SNELL: Absolutely right, Fred. And what we are seeing is the U.S. women's national team looking to strike while the iron is hot. Never has that position been more powerful than just winning a fourth women's world cup title as they did earlier today. And this is a story that's been in the pipeline for the last three or four years now. And what we did get with these reports of a session of mediation on slate in the dye, if you like, for after the world cup is over.</s>WHITFIELD: And that's what has been agreed upon now.</s>SNELL: This is the time. We do have a statement actually from a spokeswoman representing the players. I'm going to put it out now and read it out. At this moment of tremendous pride for America, the sad equation remains all too clear and Americans won't stand for it anymore. These athletes generate more revenue and garner higher TV ratings but get paid less simply because they are women. It is time for the federation to correct this disparity once and for all. And this is the beef here. Earlier we see we had 28 members of the USA squad named as plaintiffs in this case. And it's quite simply the gripe that they are consistently paid more than their male counterparts. And their point, we are four-time champions of the world. Our male counterparts haven't won that tournament once. That is something that is a gripe to them. And also</s>WHITFIELD: Not now, but later.</s>SNELL: Right. But you compare, even when it does get to $60 million, you look at the men's world cup, which is slated for around the $400 million mark. That kind of speaks volumes, I think.</s>WHITFIELD: I wonder if there is anything to a potential argument of making that the case. If there's that push, then why not retroactively. Because I mean, this already is astounding. I mean, half of the tournaments played and half they have won as champions, you know, times four. So I think there will be another argument of why wait. What more does there need to be proven.</s>SNELL: It is a really, really strong bargaining point. But that's what I said earlier, striking while the iron is hot. Four times champions of the world. The most dominant force in U.S. women's world cup history. And I will tell you what, they have a squad that could have won a couple of times over. They are really in a strong position. No question about that. Congratulations again to team USA, what a performance.</s>WHITFIELD: Big time and they have won so many hearts. If you were a soccer or football fan before, you were in their camp. But if you weren't before, now suddenly you have piqued interest in this sport, in these women and in these amazing champions.</s>SNELL: And as I said last time, it is a shame that we have to wait another four years for next women's world cup. It's been that entertaining. And I want to just pick up from something earlier in the week. We had the semifinal between the United States and my home nation, England. That one actually garnering seven million viewers for the semi-final. Back in the UK, they had record viewing figures for a world cup game in that country as well. Around the 11 million mark the argument is very powerful for what this U.S. women's national team is pushing for.</s>WHITFIELD: Indeed. All right, Patrick Snell, thank you so much for bringing it to us. Appreciate it. Still ahead, former Vice President Joe Biden did something many had been calling for him to do for weeks, apologizing for his comments on segregationists. So how are his 2020 competitors reacting to that today?