The Brief: The U.S. Women's National Soccer Team is taking on the 2019 FIFA World Cup semi-finals, along with sexist comments and wage disparity, in this series of memes.

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DEEP DIVE

Summer’s here, July 4th is near, and the whole world is focused on one thing only: Women’s Soccer.

Today, the United States Women’s National Soccer Team takes on England for the World Cup Semi-finals and soccer (or football) stans can’t contain their excitement.

The hashtag #USAvENG started trending this morning on Twitter, well before the game’s kick off.

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World Cup mood 😂 via @foxsports

A post shared by USWNT (@uswntdailyy) on

With America’s Independence Day just around the corner, it’s no surprise that this latest batch of memes roast the Brits in a historical context.

There had to be at least one Hamilton reference.

The American team, which currently reigns as FIFA’s Women’s World Cup Champions, has proved on more than one occasion this season that they’re a force to be reckoned with.

Moreover, they’ve proved to be the most memeable team on the block.

Meme Queen Megan Rapinoe

For anyone that hasn’t been watching the 2019 Women’s World Cup, it’s likely they’ve still heard the name, Megan Rapinoe.

Megan’s “power pose” from the quarterfinals stuck with many fans on Twitter and Instagram… so much so that they turned it into a viral meme.

This meme has been used to convey a sense of accomplishment and pride, even for taking on the most basic tasks.

This user commented on Rapinoe’s BDE.

Don’t @ her, she’s ready.

Rapinoe vs. Trump vs. Twitter

In a recent interview, Rapinoe admitted that she had no interest in attending the White House, should the U.S. Women’s Team take home the World Cup.

In fact, she rather emphatically declared, “I’m not going to the f**king White House.”

Several people took to Twitter, trolling Rapinoe for her comment and dragging her for being “unpatriotic”. Earlier in the tournament, Rapinoe received backlash again for exercising her right to kneel during the National Anthem.

Despite the criticism Rapinoe and the entire Women’s U.S. Team have endured, including a tweet from President Trump himself, there’s also been an overwhelming amount of public support on social media. Much of it praises Rapinoe for standing up for what she believes in…

While other comments target President Trump, directly.

Some meme-makers have even photoshopped Rapinoe’s now-iconic photo to include the President.

Someone went above and beyond with this Wikipedia page FTW.

It’s clear that she’s got quite a fan club.

Rapinoe & Bird

Nobody’s support can compare with that of Rapinoe’s long time GF, 3-time WNBA champion, Sue Bird. Just this morning, Bird released an op-ed piece with The Players’ Tribune titled, “So the President F**king Hates My Girlfriend”.

In general, soccer fans, the LGBTQ+ community, and general Twitter followers were extremely pleased with what Bird had to say and have showed their support via memes and tweets.

The internet may have found a new couple to ship.

Make way for the future First Couple.

While it remains to be seen whether or not the U.S. will solicit an invitation to the White House, Rapinoe has other options. AOC issued the entire team an invite to the House of Representatives…

Which Rapinoe happily accepted.

Let the fanfiction begin!

Sexism and Soccer

Perhaps the most noteworthy memes regarding the 2019 Women’s World Cup have been those calling out people’s blatant sexist comments.

This is definitely not something to LOL about.

Moreover, there’s also been much discussion regarding the obscenely unequal pay scale for professional male and female soccer players.

While several people have tried defending the pay scale, blaming it on men’s soccer being more “marketable”, others have expressed their opinions that men are stronger and more qualified to play the game than women.

The US Women’s National Soccer Team defeated Thailand in the first game of the 2019 Women’s World Cup with a record-breaking 13-0 score. The players were immediately criticized for their resounding victory.

After proudly admitting that she would not attend the White House because of Trump’s politics, Megan Rapinoe was verbally attacked on social media.

Soccer insiders have straight-up reported that women’s soccer games generate more revenue than men’s, but the players still earn less.

It’s clear that there’s both an economic and socio-disparity between men’s and women’s soccer that most likely won’t be solved anytime soon. However, players like Megan Rapinoe have laid the foundation for such issues to be addressed by creating an open dialogue.

For now, fans can watch as America takes on England this afternoon!