World

These women of the U.S. soccer team, you simply can’t ignore them. They won’t let you, for one thing. Every World Cup game is another assault of talent, attitude and audacity. And for another, why would you want to? It’s the best show around, 90 minutes-plus of riveting soccer and mesmerizing theater. Look away at your own risk, and ignore to your detriment. Some are criticizing the American women, of course, for being…what? Too brash. Too arrogant. Too boastful. Too political. But as the United States prepares to meet the Netherlands for the championship on Sunday morning, I would swat away those claims like American goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher against England. Abby Wambach, the great star of past World Cups, stated critics needed to “stop judging these women with patriarchal glasses.” I’m trying hard to judge them on their own merits – and they truly stand up to any standard that I would put on a sports team. Here’s what I see: A … [Read more...] about As World Cup final nears, U.S. women don’t care what anyone thinks of them. Nor should they.

Pope Francis on Sunday decried “the culture of comfort” that leads to indifference in the face of a global migration and refugee crisis.The pope who has made caring for migrants a hallmark of his papacy spoke during a Mass for the World Day for Migrants and Refugees.“We cannot be indifferent to the tragedy of old and new forms of poverty, to the bleak isolation, contempt and discrimination experienced by those who do not belong to ‘our group,”’ Francis said. “We cannot remain insensitive, our hearts deadened, before the misery of so many innocent people. We must not fail to weep. We must not fail to respond.”WATCH: Trump admin says ‘perception’ that migrants can successfully make it to the U.S. must change The pontiff has often spoken of the need to be welcoming to migrants, travelling to the Italian island of Lampedusa in 2013 on his first trip as pope to comfort refugees. His message found political resistance in … [Read more...] about Pope Francis decries world’s indifference to global migration, refugee crisis

NEW YORK — There were words of gratitude, the usual forgettable verbiage from public officialdom and a presentation of the keys to the city. Then the people gathered at the City Hall rally for the U.S. women’s soccer team on Wednesday finally got to hear from the woman most of them were waiting for: Megan Rapinoe. Rapinoe did not disappoint. In a memorable speech, she lauded her teammates, spoke of the politics of division and equal pay and let forth a profane tribute to New York City. “This is my charge to everyone: We have to be better, we have to love more and hate less. Listen more and talk less. It is our responsibility to make this world a better place,” Rapinoe told the crowd. The ceremony came after the team rolled up Broadway, cheered by thousands and showered in confetti. The team, which defeated the Netherlands, 2-0, on Sunday in the final in Lyon, France, traversed the Canyon of Heroes, a stretch of Broadway from Battery Park to City Hall. Rapinoe … [Read more...] about Megan Rapinoe steals the show at the World Cup rally in NYC

NEW YORK — Adoring fans lined New York City’s Canyon of Heroes on Wednesday to praise the World Cup-winning U.S. women’s national soccer team as athletic leaders on the field — and as advocates for pay equity off it. Construction workers sounded air horns above crowds chanting “USA! USA!” as the hourlong parade moved up a stretch of lower Broadway that has long hosted so-called ticker tape parades for world leaders, veterans and hometown sports stars. Co-captain Megan Rapinoe and her teammates shared a float with Mayor Bill de Blasio and U.S. Soccer Federation president Carlos Cordeiro. Rapinoe struck her now-famous victory pose, took a swig of Champagne and handed the bottle to a fan. Goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher held the World Cup trophy aloft. Aly Hoover, 12, of Glen Ridge, New Jersey, stood at the sidelines with a poster of the face of Alex Morgan, another team star. “I just want to be like them,” she said. Garret Prather brought his … [Read more...] about Swigging Champagne, World Cup champion US women parade through NYC’s Canyon of Heroes

LYON, France — It was late Sunday night, moments after the U.S. women’s soccer team had clinched its second consecutive World Cup title, and coach Jill Ellis was trying to articulate how Megan Rapinoe, her star left wing, had taken the monthlong tournament and made it her personal performance stage. “Megan was built for this,” Ellis said, shaking her head while sitting inside a news conference room at the Stade de Lyon, “built for these moments, built to be a spokeswoman for others.” Rapinoe was meant to be sitting beside her coach, but she was running late after being randomly selected for a postgame doping test. In her absence, Ellis showered her with praise: about her eloquence, about her honesty, about how women’s soccer needed players like her. “The bigger the spotlight, the more she shines,” Ellis said. “I think spotlights can burn people, but for Megan, it just highlights who she is.” Two minutes later, Rapinoe … [Read more...] about Megan Rapinoe, reveling in the spotlight, celebrates another World Cup win