USA women's World Cup Soccer Team controversial 13-0 rout over Thailand....

To be honest.. I didn't watch the game. But it's almost impossible not to get caught up in the backlash.

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On Tuesday, The US Women's Soccer Team kicked off their defending world cup appearance with an unrelenting 13-0 thwomping against Thailand. It was a historic win for the reigning champs, but instead of being lauded with laurels the team was lambasted!

Social media and news outlets alike was ablaze with people up in arms against the unsportsman-like conduct of the players, who continued to rejoice and celebrate late into the game as the romp was outright obvious.

The team's reputation has been tarnished and many claim that their performance left a sour taste in their mouth and put a big target on their backs for the rest of the tournament.

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Now many others are rallying behind the US women's players quick to take up the vanguard of defense... Amidst the backdrop of this uproar lies a lawsuit that was filed by the team against the U.S. Soccer Federation citing unequal pay and sexism. The game, the outcome and the criticism for and against has become a banner for both sides in a larger fight for women's rights on and off the field..

Many claim that if this was the men's team, it would not have received this kind of response and go on to cite infractions against Venus Williams for cursing, claiming Andy Roddick has reacted a LOT worse without penalty.

They say it was right for the women's team to run up the score in the game, and fine for them to celebrate their joy in doing so.

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I'm in two minds about the 13-0 trouncing Thailand received at the hands of the defending world champs, and the subsequent fallout it's received.

On one hand, I don't think it was right to continue to dance and spin around after you're 8, 9, 10.. goals up and there's less than 10 mins left in the game.. come on, show some modesty.

I'm also irked that this has become a battle-ground over the sexism battle, and women's rights. I think that you can take anything and twist an issue out of it. Let's not read so much into what's basically a soccer game.. I have little pity for the strife side of the argument that the US women's team had to battle to prove themselves.. Living in Thailand, and knowing how the country operates.. it's kinda hard to have sympathy for the US team and their (most likely) state of the art training facilities and corporate funding.. Thailand's women's team don't have access to a fraction of what the US women's team have.

But on the other hand.. this is the World Cup, and on the global stage, the tournament is counting points score for and against when it comes down to qualifiers and deciders.. what happens if the US held back and won a respectable 5-0 or 6-0.. and then the Swedish team comes around and stomps Thailand 11-0 or 12-0, this could very well result in a first round elimination for the US team, or at least having to settle for 2nd on the group stage.. then what.. most likely the reaction would be "That's how the game is played, tough cookies!"

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So upon reflection.. while it was hard to watch.. I can't blame them for the goal tirade they infringed upon the Thai Women's team on Tuesday, but I don't think it would hurt to show a little humility when you are drubbing a severely disadvantaged team in the future..

_{Thai Women's team humble as ever in their loss}