After a miracle against Brazil in the quarterfinals and a gusty victory of endurance over France in the semis, the United States' Women's World Cup team finds itself one win away from the ultimate glory, the World Championship in women's soccer. The game will be played Sunday, July 17, and it will be against a team to whom the U.S. women have never lost.
The women of the United States-who weathered a passing/ball possession storm in Les Bleus on Wednesday before scoring two late goals to put the game away-will face Japan, the fourth-ranked team in the world who surprised Sweden, 3-1, to make their first-ever World Cup final.
"Japan is a phenomenal technical team," U.S. Forward Lauren Cheney said. "It will be a battle."
That it will. Though the US has never lost to Japan (22-0-3 all-time in 25 matches, including an ongoing winning streak of 9-straight), they will be playing an opponent who has exceeded every expectation in the tournament thus far, can play a passing/possession game similar to the one that made the Americans look tired and off-balance for long stretches on Wednesday, and have emotional sentiment on their side.
"I think they are the sentimental favorite," US goalkeeper Hope Solo said of the Japanese. "Sentimentally, I'm cheering for Japan."
The sentiment, of course, comes from the March earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster that took the lives of some 15,000-plus in the Japanese homeland.
The response of the world-charity drives, mass donations of food, money and supplies, concerts held to raise money in the country's honor-have driven the Japanese team to hold a banner at each World Cup match thus far, thanking the world for its support.
It's been a great show of heart and resolve by the Japanese, but, of course, the real show would be winning the World Cup within a half-year of the disaster.
It's also an emotional game because it is the last World Cup for midfielder Homare Sawa, her fifth tournament appearance and, of course, her first Finals appearance.
"We've played (Japan) before," Cheney said. "We know them well, and we'll be able to focus on their game."
That game, according to ESPN.com's Women's World Cup site, is a pass-heavy game made possible by their tournament-best 76.8 pass completion percentage-Sawa, for that matter, holds the tournament record for an individual, with an 82.4 percent completion rate. ESPN.com reporter Michelle Smith calls the US "the bigger, more physical team" in her preview of the match, adding that Forward Abby Wambach should "be able to dominate in front of the net on high-ball opportunities" but also states that the Americans need to play better defensively, at the midfield, or risk another fundamental clobbering like they experienced with the French.
She pointed out that, unless something changes, it could be a very busy night for Solo at the net.
The match will be played Sunday at 2 p.m. ET, at which point the Americans will try to win their third WWC Championship, and first since 1999, their last finals appearance (they beat China, 5-4, in a penalty shoot-out that year).
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