Japan Wins World Cup

Japan finished off an unlikely fairy tale, twice coming back from a goal down to defeat the United States in World Cup Final by penalty kicks. The US twice squandered leads, once late in regulation and again late in overtime.

For a nation that has had what could only be called a tragic year, this was indeed a bright and shiny moment of hope. The Japanese team entered this tournament as longshots, but came out standing alone as champions.

As for the United States, one statistic told the story. They attempted 27 shots on the day, nearly one every four minutes, but only five of those shots were on frame. They absolutely dominated the first 70 minutes of this match, but they let Japanese keeper Ayumi Kaihori off the hook time and time again by not forcing her to make saves.

The United States got their first chance in the eighth minute. A Megan Rapinoe cross found Lauren Cheney at the near post, but she redirected it wide from inside the six. Seconds later, Abby Wambach put a 25 yard shot over the crossbar. Just two minutes after that, Carli Lloyd's uncontested shot from 16 yards also went just over the bar. A minute after that, Lauren Cheney beat the Japanese defense on the right side and crossed to Rapinoe whose shot from eight yards went wide of the right post. Four golden scoring opportunities in the first 12 minutes and not one found the net.

For the entire half, Japan rarely had possession anywhere near the US penalty area. Japan's first shot of the match was an effort from Shinobu Ohno that went well wide of the goal from over 30 yards in the 22nd minute.

The United States very nearly struck in the 28th minute. Abby Wambach drove a hard shot from the 18 that had Kaihori beaten, but hit the bottom of the crossbar and bounced away.

Japan created their best chance of the half when Ohno pushed a nice ball through to the left side of the US penalty area with Kozue Ando running onto it. Ando's shot from 10 yards was at a tough angle and it rolled right to Hope Solo.

In the 35th minute, Lauren Cheney had an uncontested header from the penalty spot with Kaihori off her line and put that over the crossbar. By halftime, it's not an exaggeration to say that the United States could easily have had three or four goals, while Japan was yet to truly have one dangerous attempt.

Pia Sundhage made her first substitution at the half, but it was forced by injury. Lauren Cheney had injured herself in the opening half and Alex Morgan was sent into the match.

It didn't take long for Morgan to get into the action. In the 49th minute, a Heather O'Reilly cross from the right side found Morgan making a run at the near post. Morgan was inside the six when she pushed the ball off the post, then the ball rebounded off Kaihori and landed one yard from the goal line, before Japan was finally able to clear. Just four minutes later, Wambach had Kaihori off her line, but skied the ball over the goal from 25 yards.

Japan's first real chance of the second half came in the 61st minute as Yukari Kinga broke into the box on the right side, but her looping shot went well over the net.

A couple of minutes later, Kaihori made her first big save of the match. O'Reilly sent the ball into the penalty area and Wambach's header appeared to be heading into the net just under the crossbar, but Kaihori was able to tip it over.

Japan's first two substitutions were Karina Maruyama and Yuki Nagasato for Ohno and Ando in the 66th minute.

The United States finally broke through in the 69th minute. Megan Rapinoe sent a long ball from well inside her own half, up the middle of the field. Alex Morgan beat the defender gathered the ball just outside the penalty area, and touched it just once to set up her shot. She drilled the ball into the lower right corner of the net and the US was on top 1-0. And one began to think that maybe, just maybe, with the US ahead by one and in control of the match, that they might be heading for their third title.

Japan, however, had other ideas. For the first time all day, they started to create some chances. Homare Sawa was able to get off a shot from 25 yards, straight at Solo, but it was a sign that Japan wasn't going to let this go easily. Japan started to find gaps on the right side and it resulted in some challenging foot races for American defenders.

In the 81st minute, United States made a turnover in their own end and it handed Japan the opportunity they had been waiting for. Nahomi Kawasumi intercepted a pass and sent the ball forward to Nagasato into the right corner. Nagasato cut back against Amy LePeilbet and crossed the ball into the penalty area. The United States made a mess of the clearance with the ball falling right to Aya Miyama's feet and she touched it in from just five yards out to tie the match.

Japan had one late chance to take the lead, but Mizuho Sakaguchi's shot from 18 yards went well wide of the net. At the other end, O'Reilly put one over the crossbar from 20 yards in stoppage time.

Morgan had the first scoring opportunity of the overtime, but fighting off two Japanese defenders, her shot went wide of the left post in the 95th minute.

Just before the end of the first overtime, the United States once again took the lead. After Japan had blocked a couple of shots, Morgan gained possession and drove to the endline. Then she chipped it perfectly to the six, where Wambach easily put her header in the back of the net. It was 2-1 for the United States heading into the second overtime period.

In the 108th minute, Japan crossed the ball in and once again the United States made a mess of the clearance, but in this instance, they finally managed to clear after a weak Japanese shot. In the 112th minute, the United States made yet another adventure of it as Aya Miyama crossed the ball into the area, with the ball deflected past a diving Solo. The US once again escaped as the ball was finally cleared and further danger averted.

The United States made their second substitution in the 114th minute, putting in Tobin Heath for Megan Rapinoe. Rapinoe had played a very strong match for the US.

The US escaped yet again in the 115th minute as Yukari Kinga once again got behind the left side of the American defense alone. Solo came out to cut of the angle, but Kinga chipped it over her with the ball heading right at the left post. Christie Rampone took no chances and cleared the ball away. But when you play with fire too often, you finally get burned.

After Solo was treated for an injury on that play, Aya Miyama took the corner from the left side. Her inswinging kick found Sawa at the six, actually running away from the goal. She reached up with her right foot and deflected it toward the goal. The ball may have touched a US player on its way in, but it zipped past Solo to tie the match. The United States had given Japan just one too many opportunities and the Nadeshiko had taken advantage.

The US had two chances left in them. O'Reilly crossed the ball from the right side in the 120th minute, but Wambach's sliding attempt went over the bar from the six. Then Alex Morgan was taken down just outside the penalty area, with Azusa Iwashimizu getting a red card for the play. The US attempted to play the ball into the six and had two players there, but the ball deflected away and Heath's shot was blocked.

After such excitement, the penalty shoot out was almost anticlimactic. The United States failed on their first three attempts. Kaihori stopped both Shannon Boxx and Tobin Heath and Carli Lloyd missed her attempt badly over the bar. Clearly, Kaihori's play in the last three matches made a big difference for Japan.

Meanwhile, Aya Miyama put Japan in the lead converting the first Japanese attempt, before Solo was able to stop the second by Yuki Nagasato. Solo was able to get her hand on Mizuho Sakaguchi's attempt, but it deflected into the net to give Japan a nearly insurmountable 2-0 lead with just two kicks to go.

Abby Wambach made her penalty to keep the United States alive, but only temporarily. Defender Saki Kumagai placed the ball into the upper left corner to give Japan a 3-1 victory in penalty kicks. Japan were the 2011 World Cup champions.

It had been an amazing road for the Nadeshiko. They squeaked by New Zealand 2-1, before a dominating performance in a 4-0 victory over Mexico in the group stage. They then had a very lackluster effort in losing the final group stage match to England, forcing them to play Germany in the quarterfinals.

But they slew three giants in the knockout rounds, first with an overtime victory over Germany, then another dominating performance over Sweden, and finally a come-from-behind victory over the United States. Homare Sawa scored five goals in the World Cup and she captured both the Golden Boot and Golden Ball trophies as the leading scorer and best player of the tournament. She had climbed the mountain in her fifth World Cup.

As for the United States, they may have played their best and most dominating match of the tournament in the final. But in the end, they didn't take advantage of their many chances and Japan did. The United States has now finished in the top three in all six Women's World Cups. This was the first time that they had ever lost their final match of the World Cup.

Hope Solo was received the Golden Glove as the best goalkeeper and the Bronze Ball for the third best player in the tournament. Abby Wambach received the Silver Ball for being the runner-up to Sawa as the best player in the tournament.

Congratulations to the Nadeshiko!

Nadeshiko Japan Over Sweden 3-1 to the Finals

Japan played a dominating possession game to defeat Sweden 3-1 in the World Cup semifinal before a crowd of over 45,000 in Frankfurt. The victory set the Nadeshiko up for a finals match against the United States on Sunday. The US had advanced earlier after a 3-1 win over France.

Sweden's bad news started even before the semifinal match had begun. Caroline Seger aggravated a calf injury in warmups and was scratched from the lineup. With her normal replacement, Nilla Fischer, out because of yellow card accumulation, Thomas Dennerby went with Marie Hammarstrom at one central midfield position.

Norio Sasaki made the first change to his starting lineup since this World Cup began, opting for Nahomi Kawasumi at one forward position over Yuki Nagasato. Kawasumi would make her coach look like a genius before the day was done.

After a ten minute feeling out process between the two teams, Sweden struck first and once again, it was a matter of taking advantage of what was given to them. A Homare Sawa pass in the midfield may have been a bit too soft and Josefine Oqvist stepped in front of it and headed for the Japanese goal. She dribbled to the left side of the box, where she released a brilliant shot that beat Ayumi Kaihori and found the right side netting. Sweden led 1-0.

But for most of the game, Sweden looked listless on offense, apparently missing Seger, their captain. They just never could seem to get comfortable and with Japan controlling possession for most of the match, never really did get a chance to set up shop as they had in their four previous matches. Lotta Schelin was held well in check for the entire match.

Even though Japan had fallen behind early, they continued to do the things they are best at. Keep possession, pass the ball with accuracy, and be patient. They held possession for long periods of time, methodically working the ball up the field.

In the 18th minute, Aya Miyama sent in a cross from the left side to the back post. Swedish goalkeeper Hedvig Lindahl started to come out to intercept the cross, then thought better of it, retreating to the goal. Kawasumi's and Oqvist's legs seemed to meet the ball almost simultaneously and the ball deflected through Lindahl's legs and into the net to tie the match. Kawasumi was credited with the goal.

Japan nearly scored again in the 28th minute as Kozue Ando got an uncontested shot from 12 yards, but it was right at Lindahl. In the 33rd minute, Miyama's free kick from 24 yards was heading toward the left post, with Lindahl deflecting it wide just to make sure. The half ended with the two teams tied at one.

Just a minute into the 2nd half, Shinobu Ohno nearly caught Lindahl off her line with her blast from 30 yards, but the ball skimmed the top of the crossbar and went over.

Lindahl had further problems in the 59th minute. Aya Sameshima sent a dangerous ball into the six from the left side. It appeared that Lindahl possibly could have caught the ball, but instead tried to push the ball away, doing so very awkwardly. The ball bounced into the air to Homare Sawa who nodded it over the head of defender Charlotte Rohlin and behind Lindahl who was out of the goal. It was Sawa's fourth goal of the World Cup and Nadeshiko had their first lead of the match.

Japan put the match out of reach just five minutes later. Miyama sent a long ball forward from the center line with Ando charging toward it. Lindahl came out nearly 25 yards to clear, kicking the ball away. Unfortunately for the Swedish keeper, the ball went right to Kawasumi, whose long lob from 32 yards went well over Lindahl's head and into the now vacant net to make it 3-1. It was Kawasumi's second goal of the match.

With Sweden having little of possession and not creating chances, it was too much of a hill for them to climb on this day. Dennerby attempted to insert new life into the match by sending in Sofia Jakobsson, Jessica Landstrom, and Antonia Goransson later in the match, but nothing much came of it. One can never truly measure how much missing personnel hurts a team, but Sweden certainly missed Caroline Seger.

Japan played out the final 25 minutes in typical fashion, maintaining possession and looking very good doing so. Kaihori and her back line never allowed Sweden to get chances in close. The Japanese keeper is visibly gaining in confidence with each match and she now has only one remaining for the championship.

So it will be the two teams of destiny in the finals and quite a contrast at that. The precision-minded, patient Nadeshiko of Japan against the never-say-die, gritty United States. It should make for quite a final on Sunday.

Japan Upsets Germany 1-0 in Overtime.

Japan pulled off one of the biggest upsets in women's soccer history in defeating the host German squad by 1-0 in overtime in a match played in Wolfsburg, Germany. In a match featuring two of most talented sides in women's soccer, it took 108 minutes before a goal was conceded, one that would shock the hugely pro-German crowd.

It was 2nd half substitute Karina Maruyama who became Japan's hero in the 108th minute. Perhaps her legs were just a little fresher than everyone elses at that late stage of the match. In perhaps of foreshadowing of things to come, Maruyama had scored a late goal against Germany five years ago in a 6-3 loss. This one had to be a bit more exciting for the Japanese veteran.

Once again, German coach Silvia Neid decided not to start Birgit Prinz. Little did anyone know that Prinz may have played her last World Cup match against Nigeria in Germany's second match.

Things started off on the wrong foot early on for the Germans. Just three minutes into the match, as both Mizuho Sakaguchi and Kim Kulig would go up to head a corner kick, Sakaguchi was knocked off balance and fell onto the leg of Kulig. Sadly, it appeared to be a serious injury for the German midfielder and she was forced to leave the match almost before it had started. Kulig was replaced by Bianca Schmidt, who entered as a defender, with Linda Bresonik moving from her outside back position into the midfield.

In the 9th minute, Kerstin Garefrekes broke through on the right side and sent a soft cross to the middle, but the Japanese defense were able to clear. It was a theme that would be repeated over and over throughout the match, Germany sending the ball into the penalty area and the Japanese defense clearing or Japanese keeper Ayumi Kaihori making a save.

A Melanie Behringer free kick from just outside the right side of the penalty area, came dangerously close to going in, with Saki Kumagai heading the ball out from very close to the goal line. Kerstin Garefrekes appeared to have control of the ball behind the Japanese defense on another free kick, but couldn't quite get a shot off and Japan once again cleared.

But while Germany were getting their chances, Japan clearly dominated possession in the first half, playing a beautiful passing game to control the tempo of the match. They nearly scored in the 30th minute as Saskia Bartusiak muffed an attempted clearance and Yuki Nagasato gained control of the ball on the right side of the box. However, Nagasato hooked her shot well wide of the post from 15 yards out.

Throughout the match, again and again, Kaihori made solid plays in goal. In the 32nd minute, she thwarted Celia Okoyino da Mbabi's sliding attempt only a few yards to the right of her goal. Meanwhile at the other end, Japan were troubling German keeper Nadine Angerer very little, in spite of their possession advantage. The half ended scoreless.

Norio Sasaki would send Maruyama out to start the second half in place of Nagasato. Having already used a substitution for the injured Kulig, Silvia Neid made no changes.

In the 48th minute, Garefrekes sent a soft serve to the 12 yard mark, which Inka Grings headed well over the crossbar. One had to feel that in spite of Japan's solid play, it was only a matter of time before Germany would score.

In the 56th minute, Germany came as close as they possibly could to scoring the first goal. Melanie Behringer's free kick was served perfectly to the back post, where Simone Laudehr had an uncontested header from in close. She guided it to the inside of the right post, but Yukari Kinga cleared the ball off the line.

In the 62nd minute, Aya Miyama tried to hit the upper left corner from 20 yards, but her shot sailed wide with Angerer there to cover it if it was on net.

In the 64th minute, Neid sent Lena Goessling in for Bresonik, who had been ailing with the flu earlier in the tournament. Sasaki countered by sending in Mana Iwabuchi for Shinobu Ohno. Iwabuchi would certainly be troublesome for the German defense in the later stages of the match, but her size was a disadvantage against the German back line who were usually able to shield her off the ball before she could get a shot off.

A Japanese corner kick almost produced a good chance, but Mizuho Sakaguchi's shot from 12 yards was blocked by Lena Goessling. With only 15 minutes left in regulation, both sides had to be wondering if either would score.

Germany nearly scored in the 77th minute. Simone Laudehr attempted to dribble into the box, but the ball was knocked away, only to be picked up by Garefrekes, who burst through an opening on the right side of the penalty area. She dribbled to the six uncontested and crossed the ball to Behringer who volleyed it well over the bar from 15 yards out.

Both teams traded half chances in the latter stages of the match, but there would be no scoring and the game headed to overtime.

Japan would have a scary moment just as overtime started. Homare Sawa appeared to get kicked or take a cleat to the groin area and was down for several minutes. She had to come off the field and Japan played short for a few minutes while she recovered.

Germany would get the first solid chance of the overtime. Okoyino da Mbabi would turn on Japanese defender Azusa Iwashimizu and get off a left-footed shot from 14 yards that would go wide of the left post. Japan appeared to be tiring as they started to make unforced turnovers in their own end. One led to a wide open Grings shot from inside the box, but it too went wide of the mark in the 101st minute. Neid sent Alexandra Popp in as her final substitution for Grings toward the end of the first overtime.

A 40-yard Miyama free kick proved to be quite a bit of trouble for Nadine Angerer. As she waited to catch the ball, Iwashimizu flashed in front of her and she appeared to drop the ball with it rolling off to the side and wide of the goal. Just a minute later an Okoyino da Mbabi shot was blocked by Iwashimizu at the other end. The match headed into the second overtime, with penalty kicks looming.

Just as the large crowd starting singing in an effort to boost the home side, Iwabuchi picked up a loose ball in space touching it to Homare Sawa. Sawa put the ball through into the right side of the penalty area. Maruyama beat Bartusiak to the ball and released a shot from a very steep angle. Angerer guessed near post, but Maruyama went far post and the ball found the side netting just inside the post to put Japan ahead 1-0.

Japan had scored a stunning goal, but now they had to withstand 12 more minutes of German pressure. Almost incredibly, Kaihori appeared to get more calm and in control her penalty area as the pressure increased. In the 109th minute, Behringer hit a hard shot from 20 yards, but Kaihori punched it over the net. A couple of minutes later, Okoyino da Mbabi hit a looping header from 10 yards, but Kaihori tipped that one over the net as well.

Wave after wave of German attacks in the closing minutes, but Kaihori and the Japanese back line were able to withstand the pressure as time ticked away. Time finally ran out on Germany as the goal that everybody thought would come, never did.

While Maruyama's goal was obviously the moment and star of the match, there were many heroes for the Nadeshiko. Kaihori and her back line couldn't have played any better. Homare Sawa was solid in the middle and came back after it appeared an injury would end her day.

For Germany, this has to be a bitter disappointment. They had been prohibitive favorites to win their third in a row and appeared to have the best team. But they just never took advantage of their many chances. While taking nothing away from the Japanese, it is in many ways a shame that Germany are out. They have had great support from huge crowds in Germany.

Japan will now take on the winner of the Sweden-Australia match which will be played tomorrow. And perhaps Japan has gone from being the big underdog against Germany, to being one of the favorites to win it all. With the 2nd ranked Germans out of it and either the #1 USA or #3 Brazil being eliminated tomorrow, they will be the second highest ranked team remaining.

England 2, Japan 0

England did not tempt fate and decided to take care of business themselves, defeating Japan 2-0 in their final group stage match. England are through to the quarterfinals, placing first in Group B play. They will await the result of the Germany-France match, as will Japan who finished second in Group B.

While England could have played conservative, as a tie would have been good enough going in, they played attacking soccer and looked better than they had in their two previous matches. Hope Powell inserted four different players into the starting lineup...Ellen White, Anita Asante, Sophie Bradley, and Jess Clarke.

Japan took the first shot of the day, but Kozue Ando's shot from distance was right at Karen Bardsley and the English keeper had no problem with it.

England struck in the 15th minute as Karen Carney struck a long ball up the middle from just on the English side of center. The ball split two Japanese defenders, Saki Kumagai and Aya Sameshima, as did Ellen White. White ran onto the bouncer and chipped a lob over Ayumi Kaihori, who got caught off her line. The ball went into the upper right corner of the net, as Kaihori was unable to do anything about it. England 1, Japan 0.

In the 35th minute, Japan was awarded a free kick. Japan caught England napping, with Miyama taking a quick short ball out to Yukari Kinga on the right wing. She hit a dangerous cross into the box, but Alex Scott just barely beat Ando to the header and English defender Sophie Bradley cleared the ball out of trouble just in the nick of time.

Two minutes later, Jill Scott stole the ball from Sameshima, but could only take a weak shot right at Kaihori. Then in the 38th minute, Jess Clarke's cross from the left side found Ellen White in the center of the box. White's bicycle kick nearly looped over Kaihori, but the Japanese goalkeeper made a great recovery, tipping the ball over the net at the last possible moment.

Japan came right back in the 40th minute. Karen Bardsley came out to punch the ball away from the goal on a Japanese cross, but the ball went right to Kinga. With Bardsley on the ground, Kinga had a golden opportunity, but her drive from 15 yards went well over the crossbar. It may have been Japan's best opportunity of the day and the game went into halftime with England leading 1-0.

England subbed in Rachel Yankey for Jess Clarke at the half and that move turned out to be fortuitious for England.

However, as the half started, Japan appeared to take over the initiative. Aya Miyama's free kick in the 49th minute was placed beautifully over the English defense, but Yuki Nagasato's sliding effort went wide of the post. In the 61st minute, Miyama's corner found Kinga 22 yards out in front of the goal, but her blast was blocked by Rachel Unitt. It appeared that it was only a matter of time before Japan might draw even.

But England would be the team to get the next goal. Unitt crossed the ball from the left side, with Rachel Yankey cutting in front to deflect the ball to the left side of the six yard box. Kaihori attempted to come out to block, but Yankey beat her to the ball and hit a clean shot over Kaihori to put England up 2-0.

In the 79th minute, Karen Bardsley twice came up big, punching out Japanese crosses on consecutive plays within seconds of each other. Bardsley was heading for her first shutout in World Cup play.

Japan would have two more opportunities in the closing moments. Azusa Iwashimizu's shot went wide of the right post in the 89th minute and then Nahomi Kawasumi's effort from 10 yards went over the crossbar in stoppage.

England had gotten the job done on this day. Hope Powell seemed to be pushing all the right buttons today and her decision to start White and sub in Yankey both proved to be excellent moves. England was able to shake off two rather average efforts to play a good match when they needed to. Alex Scott had a very strong match and the English defense as a whole quieted some of their detractors with a solid effort.

As for Japan, they played well, but throughout the match, they seemed to want to make the extra pass, often losing possession before getting a shot off. Their defense showed a few holes as well, which will cause them problems against either Germany or France, whichever turns out to be their quarterfinal foe.

England wins the group with seven points, with Japan finishing second with six points. Both England and Japan will play their quarterfinal matches on Saturday with their opponents to be determined later today.

Japan 4, Mexico 0

Homare Sawa turned in the first truly great performance of the 2011 World Cup as Japan defeated Mexico 4-0. Sawa scored three goals, two of them on headers no less. But it wasn't just the goals, but Sawa's superb overall play that led Japan to victory.

This is Sawa's fifth World Cup. She played in her first at age 16 in 1995. But in all those years and all those World Cup games, she had never turned in one quite like this.

The first goal came in the 13th minute. Japan won a free kick on the left wing, about 28 yards from the goal. Aya Miyama's serve was absolutely perfect into the box. Sawa was able to get space between herself and Nayeli Rangel and rise to easily head the ball inside the right post from six yards out.

In the 15th minute, the ball was played to Yuki Nagasato at the edge of the penalty area. She worked her way back to the right, touching the ball over to Shinobu Ohno. Ohno cut between Mexican defenders Alina Garciamendez and Luz Saucedo, then drove the ball into the upper part of the net just inside the right post from about 15 yards out. In a matter of just a couple of minutes, Japan had struck like lightning and the match was already slipping away from Mexico.

Mexico's first shot came in the 19th minute as Dinora Garza tested Japanese keeper Ayumi Kaihori from 25 yards, but the ball one-hopped right to Kaihori and she had no trouble with it.

Sawa nearly got her second in the 28th minute, but her header went just wide. Japan was putting on quite a show with their skill and precision passing.

Mexico's nightmare on set pieces continued in the 39th minute. Aya Miyama's corner this time went to the near post, with Sawa making a perfect run in that direction. Sawa flicked the header past Cecilia Santiago's right hip and into the net and it was 3-0 for Japan.

Mexico came close to getting one back early in the second half. Stephany Mayor's strike from 25 yards was headed toward the left post, but Kaihori was able to dive and knock the ball wide. The ball was probably going to go just wide anyhow, but the Japanese keeper was taking no chances.

Yuki Nagasato almost had a goal in the 56th minute, but Natalie Vinti was able to deflect the ball just enough that it hit the post instead of going into the net and Mexico had dodged a bullet.

Sawa made it a hat trick in the 80th minute, but Yukari Kinga must get a lot of credit for this one as well. Kinga worked a give and go with Mana Iwabuchi on the right side, with Kinga taking the ball to near the end line. She then crossed it back across the middle where Sawa found open space and finished from nine yards inside the left post.

Indeed, Japan had played one of the best matches of the tournament. They controlled the midfield and were able to create chance after chance, often methodically working the ball up the field with sharp, short passes.

It was the second straight disastrous day for Concacaf teams. Canada was blitzed by France by the identical score on Thursday. In Mexico's defense, not many teams would have beaten Japan on this day, but their marking on set pieces was substandard at best. Maribel Dominguez, Mexico's best offensive option, was held in check by the Japanese and rarely threatened.

Japan secured a spot in the quarterfinals with the victory and they will meet England with a chance to win Group B on Tuesday. Mexico put themselves in a very precarious position because of the size of the defeat. They now have to defeat New Zealand, probably by a fairly large margin and hope England loses to Japan. Even defeating New Zealand, a team that played both Japan and England to one goal, will not be an easy task.

Japan 2, New Zealand 1

Aya Miyama's goal off of a free kick in 68th minute proved to be the winner as Japan defeated New Zealand 2-1 in Group B play on Monday.

Japan came into the match as the favorite and they wasted little time getting on the scoreboard. Shinobu Ohno hit a soft chip that split New Zealand's two central defenders and sent Yuki Nagasato through. With Ferns' goalkeeper Jenny Bindon coming out, Nagasato chipped the ball neatly over Bindon's head to make it 1-0 for Japan just six minutes in.

New Zealand's strategy for the day was to test the Japanese defense with long balls and it paid off in the 12th minute. Anna Green sent a long ball out of the back that Ria Percival ran down in the deep right corner. Percival crossed the ball to the far post, where Amber Hearn was waiting for the opportunity. Hearn rose up and headed it past Japanese goalkeeper Ayumi Kaihori to tie the match.

Japan maintained a healthy edge in possession throughout the match, but they had to be wary of long balls over the top and counterattacks. The Nadeshiko created several chances later in the first half.

Bindon was forced to make a diving save on Ohno's drive from 22 yards in the 17th minute. Just a minute later, Yukari Kinga hit a cross from the right side and Mizuho Sakaguchi volleyed it off the left post, with Bindon making a save against Homare Sawa on the rebound. The Japanese team had come so close to regaining the lead.

Later in the half, Ohno struck one just over the bar from 15 yards out and a Nagasato header off of a corner kick went tantalizingly wide. However, the half ended with the score still tied at one.

The first 20 minutes of the second half were remarkable only for the lack of chances produced. Japan continued to control possession, while New Zealand continued to look for counterattacking opportunities.

But in the 67th minute, Ferns' veteran Rebecca Smith was whistled and carded for tripping Mana Iwabuchi just outside the penalty area and a free kick was awarded. Aya Miyama calmly struck the shot into the upper right corner of the net from 20 yards out, just beyond Bindon's hands and it was 2-1 for Japan.

In the 69th minute, Green very nearly caught Kaihori off guard, as she elected to shoot her free kick, with the ball going just over the crossbar. Unfortunately for the Ferns, it was one of the last chances they would have to draw even.

Iwabuchi nearly increased the lead in the 89th minute, but her drive from 22 yards missed the left post by inches. The 18 year old, who came on as a 2nd half substitution, looked very good in the 35 minutes she was in the match.

New Zealand had one final chance after being awarded a free kick 25 yards out in stoppage time. Amber Hearn's attempt dipped just over the bar and Japan preserved the 2-1 victory.

Japan will take on a game Mexican squad the Friday, while New Zealand will play England in the other Group B match.

Group B Preview: Japan

Japan (#4)
Region: AFC
Coach: Norio Sasaki
How They Qualified: Finished in 3rd Place in Asian Cup.
Prior Cups:
2007: Group Stage
2003: Group Stage
1999: Group Stage
1995: Lost in Quarterfinals
1991: Group Stage
Returnees from 2007 WWC: (12) Ando, Fukumoto, Iwashimizu, Kinga, Miyama, Nagasato, Ohno, Sakaguchi, Sawa, Utsugi, Yamago, Yano.

Roster (Average Age: 25.70)

Name	Pos	Club	Age	Caps/Goals
Miho Fukumoto	GK	Yunogo Belle	27	54/0
Ayumi Kaihori	GK	INAC Leonessa	24	17/0
Nozomi Yamago	GK	Urawa Red Ladies	36	96/0
Azusa Iwashimizu	DF	NTV Beleza	24	63/8
Yukari Kinga	DF	INAC Leonessa	27	61/4
Saki Kumagai	DF	Urawa Red Ladies	20	22/0
Aya Sameshima	DF	Boston Breakers	24	26/2
Kyoko Yano	DF	Urawa Red Ladies	27	67/1
Kozue Ando	MF	FCR Duisburg	28	85/17
Megumi Kamionobe	MF	Albirex Niigata Ladies	25	13/2
Nahomi Kawasumi	MF	INAC Leonessa	25	14/2
Aya Miyama	MF	Yunogo Belle	26	92/23
Mizuho Sakaguchi	MF	Albirex Niigata Ladies	23	37/15
Homare Sawa	MF	INAC Leonessa	32	166/75
Asuna Tanaka	MF	INAC Leonessa	23	2/0
Rumi Utsugi	MF	Montpellier	22	43/5
Mana Iwabuchi	FW	NTV Beleza	18	5/2
Karina Maruyama	FW	JEF Utd Ichihara Ladies	28	61/13
Yuki Nagasato	FW	FFC Turbine Potsdam	23	63/31
Shinobu Ohno	FW	INAC Leonessa	27	86/34
Megumi Takase	FW	INAC Leonessa	20	16/4

Recent Matches:

Date	Opponent	Competition	Result
6/18/11	Korea Republic	Friendly	T 1-1
5/18/11	USA	Friendly	L 0-2
5/14/11	USA	Friendly	L 0-2
3/9/11	Sweden	Algarve	W 2-1
3/7/11	Norway	Algarve	W 1-0
3/4/11	Finland	Algarve	W 5-0
3/2/11	USA	Algarve	L 1-2
11/22/10	Korea DPR	Asian Games	W 1-0
11/20/10	China	Asian Games	W 1-0
11/18/10	Korea DPR	Asian Games	T 0-0
11/14/10	Thailand	Asian Games	W 4-0
5/30/10	China	Asian Cup	W 2-0
5/27/10	Australia	Asian Cup	L 0-1
5/24/10	Korea DPR	Asian Cup	W 2-1
5/22/10	Thailand	Asian Cup	W 4-0
5/20/10	Myanmar	Asian Cup	W 8-0
5/11/10	Mexico	Friendly	W 3-0
5/8/10	Mexico	Friendly	W 4-0

Homare Sawa played in her first World Cup in 1995 at the age of 16. She is one of the most respected players in the world. Now 16 years later, she will be competing in her fifth World Cup as a member of the highest ranking Japanese team ever.

The Japanese have competed in all five previous Women’s World Cups, but have only made it as far as the quarterfinals once. That was in 1995. This team has the potential to go that far or even further. They return 12 players from their 2007 team, among the most of any team here. And while no group can be considered easy, Group B certainly is one from which they should advance.

But lately, Nadeshiko Japan has not been performing like…well, like Japan normally does. They looked flat in a recent two-game series in the United States losing both by 0-2 margins. Their most recent outing was a 1-1 tie against non-qualifying Korea Republic. Last year, they earned their spot in the World Cup by beating China for the third place match in the Asian Cup, after losing to Australia in the semifinals.

Still, they are the fourth ranked team in the world and they did perform reasonably well at Algarve, defeating Norway and Sweden after losing a close match to the United States.

Their strength is their technical ability. They have a great passing game and don’t give up possession easily. They have a talented and experienced midfield led by Sawa and Aya Miyama. In addition to being a strong technical player, Miyama can place a free kick pretty much anywhere she pleases with deadly accuracy.

On offense, Shinobu Ohno has blazing speed and has been their best scorer lately. Yuki Nagasato is another veteran forward who knows how to score, although she is still only 23 years old. It will be interesting to see if young Mana Iwabuchi makes any impact at this competition. She looks to be a star of the future for the Japanese side.

Perhaps the weakest position for the Japanese is their defense. Not their ability or their experience, but their lack of size. They will be going against several big, strong teams in this tournament if they are to advance very far. Set pieces on the defensive end could be an Achilles heel for Japan, as the recent trip to the United States proved to some extent.

In goal, the Japanese have good depth and experience. Nozomi Yamago has been a national team keeper for a long time. She played in six World Cup games in 1999 and 2003. Ayumi Kaihori has seen her share of starts lately and appears to be the heir apparent.

In light of the recent tragic events in Japan, there will be much on the players’ minds that doesn’t involve soccer, which is quite understandable. But hopefully, this team will be at the top of their game when they open in Germany in less than a week. If they are, they will be a hard team to face and they could well advance far into this competition.

Note: Some information for this article was obtained on www.fifa.com and www.jfa.or.jp.

US Defeats Japan 2-0 in Rematch

The result was the same as four days earlier, but it was much better performance out of the USWNT tonight as they defeated Japan by a 2-0 margin in Cary, North Carolina.

Pia Sundhage went with the exact same lineup as she did Saturday and early on, the game appeared much the same as well. Japan put high pressure on the United States' defense early on and this created a bit faster tempo. The Japanese had the better of possession for the first 20 minutes of the match, but the American defense was solid and Japan was unable to get a good scoring chance.

The United States appeared to grow stronger as the first half progressed and once again, they were able to strike first in the 28th minute of the match. Shannon Boxx sent a long cross-field pass to Heather O'Reilly who gained possession on the right side near the end line. O'Reilly was able to beat a defender to the outside and sent a beautiful cross back to an open Amy Rodriguez. Rodriguez finished, in spite of Japanese keeper Ayumi Kaihori getting her hand on it, and the United States led 1-0.

Sundhage made one halftime substitution, sending in Amy LePeilbet at left back for Stephanie Cox. LePeilbet had been nursing an injury and did not appear in Saturday's match. The United States turned up the pressure in the second half, creating chance after chance.

Two more substitutions were forthcoming in the 60th minute as Alex Morgan and Lori Lindsey entered the match for Rodriguez and Boxx. Boxx had one of her best all around performances in this match.

It didn't take long for Morgan to get into the mix, as Carli Lloyd sent a long ball over the top of the Japanese back line. Morgan timed her run perfectly and was able to beat Kaihori to the ball tipping it past her. Morgan gained control just outside the six-yard box on the left side, but took a bit long to set up her shot as defender Azusa Iwashimizu made a great sliding save just before the ball reached the goal.

Three minutes later, it was the Lloyd-Morgan connection again, this time with Lloyd sending a beautiful ball through to Morgan who got within eight yards of the goal. This time it was Kaihori making a great save to rob Morgan.

The Americans kept knocking on the door and it finally opened in the 69th minute. Lloyd sent a ball wide right to O'Reilly, who this time cut inside with the ball. She hit a well-placed strike from 15 yards out just inside the left post to put the US up by a 2-0 score.

USWNT goalkeeper Hope Solo got her sternest test in the 81st minute as Karina Maruyama hit a solid strike that appeared to be heading just under the crossbar as a leaping Solo tipped the ball over the net.

The match ended in a well-earned US victory. Their next match will be June 5, in what will be a rematch of the Concacaf semifinal where Mexico stunned the US and nearly put American World Cup hopes on the ropes.

Other World Cup teams in action today:
Mexico 3 (Morales, Perez, Cuellar), Costa Rica 0
France 1 (Bussaglia, pk), Scotland 1 (Ross)
Canada 2 (own goal, Julien), Switzerland 1 (Crnogorcevic)