'Everything on the line' for U.S. in World Cup final
VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Now there is just one game left. Just one more victory is required for the United States to finally raise the Women's World Cup for the first time in 16 years.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Now there is just one game left. Just one more victory is required for the United States to finally raise the Women's World Cup for the first time in 16 years.
As coach Jill Ellis and her players prepare to face Japan, nothing else matters. It is the ultimate manifestation of the unparalleled mental strength that is the program's greatest calling card: Just win.
The circumstances are almost ideal, and not only because the packed house at BC Place will be overwhelmingly dressed in stars and stripes. In their last few games, the Americans have really hit their stride on the field - especially in Tuesday's 2-0 semifinal triumph over No. 1-ranked Germany.
But as midfielder Carli Lloyd made clear, the team is far from satisfied.
"I think we have really good momentum [and] I think we also have really good confidence within our group," the Delran native said Friday. "But I also think that we need to raise our game as well. This is a final, this is where you put everything on the line - there's no holding back, there's no reserving energy, it's full throttle."
What got that momentum going? When asked, Ellis didn't cite one specific moment, choosing instead to say that "internally, we always knew within our group what we had inside of us."
Former U.S. midfielder Julie Foudy, a star of the team that won it all in 1999, saw two big factors. First was a renewed emphasis on high-pressure defense in the 1-0 quarterfinal win over China, and second was improved ball movement from switching to a 4-3-3 formation against the Germans.
"They had a different mentality defensively [when] they started pressing more, and the real change came when they got the formation change and secured the midfield," said Foudy, who's here working as an analyst for ESPN. "They've got to press [Japan], and they've got to go after them."
Japan is the only team that has won every game it has played at this World Cup, thanks to a beautiful mix of slick passing and individual skill. The world's No. 4-ranked team goes into Sunday night with plenty of its own confidence, and for good reason.
"The strength of the U.S. team is power and also their organized way of playing, and their strong desire to win," coach Norio Sasaki said through an interpreter. "We don't really have as much power, but we have skills, techinique, and also the network [of chemistry] among the players. . . . I think in these three areas we are better, and in terms of the desire to win, I think both teams are at the same level."
Four years ago, Japan beat the United States in the World Cup final. The next summer, the Americans got a measure of revenge by winning a rematch in the Olympic gold medal game. But this one counts more.
"We know what it feels like from four years ago [to finish second], and it's not a good feeling," forward Abby Wambach said.
And with her trademark bluntness, she laid out her ultimate goal.
"I just want to be a world champion," she said.
So does the rest of her team, and so does the rest of her country.