The U.S. Women's Soccer Team (
@uswnt ) is TIME's 2019 Athlete of the Year. A trophy—even for the world’s most prestigious soccer tournament—rarely alters the life of someone who didn’t win it. Nor does a game played in summer tend to generate dinner-table discussions as fall gives way to winter, least of all about gender equity in the workplace. But if there was any question before the World Cup that the U.S. had sent over a team that transcended sports, writes
@sgregory31 , it was emphatically clear upon their return from France. Thousands of supporters lined the streets of lower Manhattan to share the rapturous joy of 23 women whose unalloyed pride in their accomplishment, and determination to see it shared, seemed to mark a new era. “We’re in a movement, not a moment,” says
@mrapinoe , the 2019 FIFA player of the year, recalling not only the heady days after the victory but also the conversations with grateful strangers for months afterward. The team was photographed in Columbus, Ohio, on Nov. 4 (not pictured: Alex Morgan and Tierna Davidson). Read more at the link in bio. #TIMEPOY Photograph by
@caitoppermann for TIME
