Former U.S. women's national team great Abby Wambach shared her observation of the 2019 Women's World Cup championship team, giving praise to the players not only for their accomplishments on the field, but also the conversations they sparked off of it. 

“They’re trying to redefine what it means to be a woman,” Wambach told USA Today. “So many women believe ... that we’re just supposed to be polite and say, ‘Thank you so much, we’re so grateful to be here.’ And you know what, that was so four years ago.”

The national team that competed in France started political conversations, faced criticism about their celebrations and grew awareness around the pay gap between the women's and men's game — demanding a change to be made. 

Wambach, who played in the 2003, 2007, 2011 and 2015 World Cups, said she's proud of the national team for taking a stand.

“They’re saying, 'You know what, we’re going to do this our way. We’re going to be unapologetic, we’re going to be confident and we’re going to celebrate our a— off because guess what, that is what we want to do,’” Wambach said. “And (they’re) allowed to do that because they’re strong, powerful women who deserve it. And when one woman does it, then it gives permission for the next woman to do it.”

In the months leading up to the World Cup, the U.S. national team started conversations about the pay gap as 28 members — including Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan — filed a lawsuit in March against the U.S. Soccer Federation, claiming there is institutionalized gender discrimination between the women's and the men's sport.

The issue extends internationally, as well. The U.S. will share a pot of $4 million for winning the tournament, while France's men's squad earned $38 million for winning in Russia last year. At the next Women's World Cup in 2023, FIFA president Gianni Infantino wants to increase the prize money to $60 million, yet at the men's competition in 2022, teams in Qatar will have a pot of $440 million.

During the Women's World Cup, the players who filed the lawsuit announced they had agreed to mediation and will resolve the issues after they get back to the United States. France's tournament gave the players even more of a platform to speak out and demand a change from FIFA as Infantino was booed during the trophy presentation and chants of "equal pay" broke out.

“Four years ago, our world wasn’t ready for somebody to be as vocal and unapologetic as Megan Rapinoe is. They are now,” Wambach said. “The way that she’s gone about it and the way that she’s navigated this whole thing has been nearly perfect in my mind. The team and Megan have fought for something that is bigger than just soccer because a win for this team is a win for women everywhere.”

Rapinoe embraced her platform in France, as she brought attention to women's soccer and controversial issues throughout the world.

“It’s our responsibility to make the world a better place,” Rapinoe said in a speech at the USWNT victory parade in New York. “I think our team does an incredible job of taking that on our shoulders and understanding the position that we have and the platform that we have. Yes we play sports, yes we play soccer, yes we’re female athletes, but we’re so much more than that. … This conversation is at the next step. We have to collaborate, it takes everybody.”