The United States Women's National Team have been thinking about this moment for four years. The team found themselves in this situation four years ago after a big win over Brazil. The team lost in penalty kicks, walking away as Japan celebrated. Fast forward and the US is fresh off a big win over No.1 Germany and will rematch against Japan in hopes of getting different results.
By all accounts, the US defied expectations by beating Germany who was viewed as the tournament favorite thanks to their lethal offense. However, the US matched that with a tough defense that they failed to break through. Now they are one win away from history and becoming World Cup champions once again. The Americans have not been the scoring powerhouse they were four years ago, but that has not mattered considering their defense has come up big so many times. Can they count on that once again facing Japan?
The US returns with 11 members on the current roster that were a part of that loss to Japan. Abby Wambach has made it clear that they have not forgotten what it felt like to walk away as losers in that game and have no intentions of repeating the feeling. She may not be a starter in this match, but all she cares about is winning.
"All I care about is winning this World Cup," Wambach said, via ESPN.com. "And, of course, it being my last World Cup chance, we're one game away. It excites me. And it's really nerve-racking. It's brutal. I'm not going to say this because it's brutal to sit on the bench because I'm not playing; it's brutal to sit on the bench because I really feel like it's taking years off my life. I now understand what my parents have been going through. I get what our friends and family talk about, how stressful it is, because you don't have control of the outcome of what's going on unless you're on the pitch."
Like the US, a majority of the Japanese roster was a part of that game in 2011. They reach the Finals following an England own-goal to give them the late win in the semi-finals. Japan is a technical team that will not make many mistakes in this match. An early injury put them at a loss to start the tournament, but they overcame that issue and are ready for a rematch to win back-to-back World Cups.
