SOCCER

Armour: World Cup final rematch with Japan exactly what U.S. wanted

Nancy Armour
USA TODAY Sports
Japan celebrates its semifinal victory over England.

EDMONTON — The Americans got what they wanted.

The U.S. will play Japan for the World Cup title Sunday in a rematch of the 2011 final. You know, the one the Americans lost on penalties after having the lead not once but twice, extending their oh-fer streak at the World Cup to 16 long years.

They got a measure of revenge in 2012, beating Japan for the Olympic gold medal. But it's the World Cup title that determines greatness in soccer, and no matter how diplomatic the Americans tried to be after beating Germany, they wanted Japan.

Bad.

"It's so hard to get to a final. This is our journey this time, and whoever we face, we'll be happy with," Megan Rapinoe said Tuesday night before pausing, a grin creeping across her face.

"But, obviously, if we could get one back on Japan, that would be great."

Get one back for the Mother Country, too.

England was the surprise of the tournament, advancing further than anyone but the players and coach Mark Sampson imagined. The Lionesses are the first England team to reach a World Cup semifinal since the men in 1990, and only the third overall.

Even the notoriously snobby England fans have gone gaga for women's soccer. The Three Lionesses got a phone call from Prince William on Wednesday morning, and Wayne Rooney and David Beckham wished them luck via Twitter.

Which only makes the way Wednesday's game ended that much more gut-wrenching.

With the game knotted at 1-1 and less than a minute left in extra time, Nahomi Kawasumi floated a ball forward. Knowing Yuki Ogimi would have had a clear shot at the goal, Laura Bassett came in behind Ogimi and tried to clear it.

But it went horribly wrong. The ball hit the crossbar and, despite Karen Bardsley's desperate swat, rattled into the net for an own goal.

Bassett was inconsolable when the final whistle blew seconds later. Sampson and Bassett's teammates tried to comfort her, but she sobbed uncontrollably for what seemed like hours, her face buried in her hands.

"Ah, what a tough one. What a tough one to take," Sampson said, his eyes red-rimmed.


"(Bassett) knows she's got the support of this whole group," he said when someone asked whether Bassett can ever get over the gaffe. "There's not one manager in the world who wouldn't want Laura Bassett in their group."

Brutal as the loss was, and as much as the U.S. players surely feel for Bassett, the Americans aren't upset at getting another shot at Japan.

"I think it's fantastic," U.S. coach Jill Ellis said. "These are two talented teams with a lot of history and rivalry, and I think it will be a classic match-up. Both teams have a lot of the same players from 2011, but that said, this is a different team on a different journey, and I know all 23 players and our staff are tremendously excited for this next challenge."

Especially knowing they're heading into the final as the stronger team — the much stronger team.

After scuffling through the early part of the tournament, the Americans have finally hit their stride, blazing into the final with back-to-back commanding performances. Never mind the poor calls on the penalties in the semifinal with Germany. They took the game to the world's No. 1 team from the opening whistle, and the mighty Germans are still trying to figure out what hit them.

Japan, on the other hand, has looked vulnerable despite not dropping a game this tournament. It took a questionable penalty to get by Australia in the quarterfinals, and now an own goal to reach the final.

"I'm excited," defender Ali Krieger said. "It's somewhat of a rematch from four years ago, but you want to play the best teams and Japan proved themselves in the other side of the bracket. You always want a great game in the final, and that's why we are here."

Winning a World Cup title would be the ultimate achievement for the U.S. Exacting some revenge in the process would make it that much better.

Follow columnist Nancy Armour on Twitter @nrarmour.

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