Pia Sundhage made a number of changes from the squad that beat Costa Rica on Friday. Meghan Rapinoe, Lori Lindsey, Amy Rodriguez, Becky Sauerbrunn, Heather Mitts, and Morgan all joined the starting line up and Lauren Cheney, Shannon Boxx, Heather O’Reilly, Tobin Heath, Amy LePelbeit, and Rachel Beuhler were all confined to the bench.

It took only four minutes for Morgan to open the scoring. A long ball from Carli Lloyd was flicked on by Abby Wambach near the edge of the center circle and Morgan was on her horse, beating, and then holding off two Canadian defenders before cooly finishing to the lower left corner with her left foot.

Canada quickly looked to bounce back from the early goal just a minute later when some good work on the edge of the US box saw Christine Sinclair find Christina Julien with a through ball, but Hope Solo was quick off her line to smother the chance.

Morgan would turn provider as the US doubled their lead in the 24th minute. Some good work through the midfield saw Meghan Rapinoe play a good ball to Morgan 20 yards from goal. Morgan pushed the ball to the end line to the right of the Canadian goal and used her pace to track it down to loft a cross to the near post. Wambach made a perfect run, flicking a header into the far post just ahead of Canadian goalkeeper Erin McLeod.

Wambach ensured the rout was on when she added a third US goal just four minutes later. Carli Lloyd latched onto a bouncing ball 30 yards from goal and launched a low, hard drive off the right post with McLeod beaten. The rebound came straight to Morgan, who cooly squared the ball to Wambach who could not miss from six yards.

Canada would look to look to pull a goal back just before half time when it was Julien again through on goal, one on one with Solo from 18 yards. Solo calmly waited out the striker who dribbled straight at the keeper and then fired a right footed shot that was saved, with the rebound bouncing back off Julien and out of play.

Lauren Cheney replaced Abby Wambach at half time and would provide the service for Morgan’s second goal of the night on 55 minutes. Cheney saw space behind the Canadian back line, who were surprisingly high with the speedy Morgan lurking and chipped the ball into the open area. Morgan raced onto the ball, pushed it past the onrushing McLeod, and finished into the empty net just as the Canadian defenders came close to recovering.

Sydney Leroux and Rachel Buehler both saw time before the match was over and the US methodically killed off the final half hour with a comfortable lead. With the home crowd behind them, the Canadians were confident coming into the match. But it was the American depth and fitness that were on full display for all 90 minutes.

With Morgan in the starting line up and Cheney out on the evening, it was the first time in the tournament that the US started in a 4-4-2. With Rapinoe and A-Rod on the wings, it was a very speed oriented line-up that tested the fitness of the Canadians from the outset. Perhaps it was the competitive match that Canada was forced to play against Mexico on Friday or just the shear depth of the Americans, but the Canadians just never seemed up to the task physically.

The Americans scored 34 goals in 5 games of Olympic qualifying, and did not concede once. A relatively easy tournament was probably welcomed by Sundhage after last year’s difficulty in qualifying for the World Cup. The US will go into summer games as one of the favorites and in good form in competitive matches.

US: Hope Solo, Heather Mitts (Rachel Buehler, 69), Becky Sauerbrunn, Christie Rampone (capt.), Kelley O’Hara; Amy Rodriguez (Sydney Leroux, 63), Lori Lindsey, Carli Lloyd, Megan Rapinoe; Alex Morgan, Abby Wambach (Lauren Cheney, 46)

Pia Sundhage made two changes from the team that faced Mexico on Tuesday, preferring Tobin Heath over Amy Rodriguez and giving converted striker Kelly O’Hara a start at right back. Becky Sauerbrunn was confined to the bench and Rachel Beuhler moved to the center to partner Christie Rampone.

After a bit of an uneven start, Heath was able to cash in on 16 minutes when the US continued their set piece domination in the tournament. A corner toward the far post was headed back across goal by Shannon Boxx and Heath was unmarked inside the six yard box for an easy header into an empty net. The US has been excellent on set pieces in the tournament and these smaller CONCACAF teams must learn to defend them better if they are to try and stay competitive.

The Costa Ricans responded well to going behind though, pressuring high up the pitch and keeping the Americans pinned back in their own end. Hope Solo, showing no effects of her injured quad, was forced into a good save on a ball over the top and then Fabiola Sanchez’s shot from distance rang the crossbar with Solo beaten. The first half finished with the ball pinballing around the midfield and a belief growing for the Costa Rican players.

There were no changes at half time, but the US took control of the game to start the second half. The fitness of the Costa Ricans seemed to fade and they were unable to maintain their high pressure style from the first half. Carli Lloyd had a chance from a free kick just outside the box after Abby Wambach was thrown to the ground, but the midfielder went for power and failed to hit the frame.

Alex Morgan was introduced for Tobin Heath and Amy Rodriguez for Heather O’Reilly with about 20 minutes to go in the game. Both subs used their fresh legs to run at an already tiring Costa Rican back line with Morgan looking to get in behind the defense and Rodriguez motoring down the wing.

A frantic sequence in the Costa Rican box on 72 minutes that included the ball being cleared off the line after some good work from Abby Wambach was finished when Carli Lloyd latched onto a bouncing ball and lashed a left footed shot into the lower right corner from 14 yards. It was a good finish from the hat trick hero of Tuesday night’s game after some frustrating set piece misses earlier in the half.

The impressive Alex Morgan secured the win when she scored with a great individual goal on 89 minutes. After a positive burst in the box to the end line, Morgan tried to cut back through two defenders when the ball bounced off a defenders thigh and landed perfectly for the striker to flick past the stranded Costa Rican keeper.

The Costa Ricans can go home with their heads held high after giving the Americans their toughest match of the tournament. Their high pressure frustrated the US team for the final 20 minutes of the first half and they were unlucky not to convert on either of their two big chances. The natural skill is there for many of the Costa Rican players, and given a little more time together with some additional fitness training, the Central American team should grow into a competitive squad in the region.

The US will go face Canada on Sunday night (8pm; universalsports.com, concacaf.com) in the championship game after the tournament hosts defeated Mexico 3–1 in the semifinal match following the US win. Both teams will have already qualified for the Olympics and the US squad could be altered to rest some key players, particularly in light of the injury to Ali Kreiger in the first game of the tournament. It should be a fairly hostile environment in Vancouver, even for a meaningless match.

US: Hope Solo, Kelley O’Hara, Rachel Buehler, Christie Rampone (capt.), Amy LePeilbet, Heather O’Reilly (Amy Rodriguez, 70), Carli Lloyd, Shannon Boxx (Megan Rapinoe, 79), Lauren Cheney, Tobin Heath (Alex Morgan, 72), Abby Wambach

Mexico’s World Cup qualifying victory clearly shook the US Women’s National Team to their core. On Tuesday night, the US settled the score, reminding Mexico, and the world, that there is still an enormous gap in class between the two sides. Were at not for some shoddy finishing and a whole lot of five-alarm defending, the score line could easily have been doubled as the US controlled the match from the opening whistle and were rarely troubled throughout the 90 minutes.

A true 10 emerging

While it means less time for players like Alex Morgan, what coach Pia Sundhage’s new formation allows for is Lauren Cheney to operate in her ideal position as a creative playmaker for the US attack. Protected by Shannon Boxx and Carli Lloyd, Cheney was free to run the show, spreading the ball to the wings, and working off of Abby Wambach to make the US offense tick. Compared to past formations where Lloyd and Boxx were required to provide chances, the new look US is markedly improved. This was easily seen based on not only the chances created but also the numbers the US got forward.

Domination on the wings

Carli Lloyd may win the headlines with her Johnny-on-the-spot three goal performance, but when it came to setting the table, and the tempo, Heather O’Reilly was without peer. Her speed and aggression were more than Mexico could handle and she spent 90 minutes carving them into pieces as she single-handedly commanded the right side of the pitch. On the world stage there are few who can match O’Reilly’s combination of pure pace and technical superiority, but it is her intensity that make her so special. Never throttling down, O’Reilly came out guns blazing and didn’t put them away until the game was well and truly secured.

Despite her unceremonious halftime substitution, Amy Rodriguez, who operates opposite O’Reilly on the right, was in top form as well. One of the fastest, most direct players in the US set up, Rodriguez has been allowed to drop deeper in the new formation, allowing her to face goal and run at defenders. Which she did, with aplomb. It was Rodriguez’s driving run that created O’Reilly’s goal, the second of the match, and the Mexican defense pushed numbers to cover her, leaving Wambach with more room to operate. Halftime subs are primarily used to reshape a team that is struggling. With the US in full-flight, Sundhage’s removal of Rodriguez was at the least confusing and quite unfair to a player who had been strong through the first stanza.

Confusing changes

Despite the United States’ first half superiority, Sundhage chose to make a halftime substitution and completely alter the team’s formation. Sydney LeRoux replaced Amy Rodriguez, pushing the red, white and blue into a 4–4–2 and taking much of the wind out of the American sails. With Cheney moved out to the wing, the service to the front line slowed markedly and Mexico began to come into the game as they gained more possession in the midfield. Universal Sports commentator Brandi Chastain said that this was a faster formation for the US, but that was patently untrue, not least of which for the fact that Rodriguez could easily best LeRoux in a foot race. The real issue, however, stems from the fact that with LeRoux up front, the US became markedly slower in midfield and the American buildup play suffered. Sundhage had a chance to rectify the situation when Megan Rapinoe replaced Abby Wambach, but the US coach pushed Cheney up top to partner with LeRoux, again depriving the US No.12 of her best position on the field.

Defensive certainty

The injury to Ali Krieger was terrible news for a US defense that was already short on options, but the back four took to their task against Mexico with great energy and put in a masterful performance. Credit goes to Becky Sauerbrunn, who stepped off the bench to again prove her immense quality in the heart of the US defense alongside the ageless Christie Rampone, who remains one of the world’s quickest defenders at 36 years of age. Rachel Buehler slid seamlessly to right back where she did not put a foot out of bounds in a sterling performance that also saw her directly involved in two of the US goals. Amy LePeilbet rounded out a unit that was never beaten on either wing and was able to limit Mexico to a few speculative shots from distance.

Solo insanity

Around the 60th minute, Hope Solo came up gimpy following an up-field clearance. Earlier in the first half, she was also seen stepping gingerly following a similar long ball. With the game thoroughly wrapped up, and an enormously experienced backup in Nicole Barnhart sitting on the bench, Sundhage did her team a disservice by not withdrawing Solo. It does not matter that Mexico didn’t look to be troubling the US goal; that’s even more reason to remove Solo and treat her injury. With a must-win match against Costa Rica on the horizon, and then hopefully a final against Canada or this same Mexico team to follow, the US coach took an extremely unnecessary risk. If Solo is unavailable for either match, US fans should look directly to the manager when assigning blame.

Top of the Match

Heather O’Reilly. See above. Put the US on the front foot and then kept them there the entire night. She was a class above. Carli Lloyd also deserves a share of the glory as her three goals but the game out of reach.

Struggler

Shannon Boxx turned in another stale performance for the US midfield Tuesday night. Her lack of pace is easily exploited by any midfielder who chooses to target her, but what is really concerning is her passing. She turned the ball over with nearly every attempted forward pass. Against a team whose best option was the counterattack, giving the ball away so cheaply in the center of the pitch presented Mexico with their best attacking opportunities and a better side would have made the US pay for many of her mistakes. There are a great number of potential replacements in the US system. Sadly, not a single one is on the Olympic qualifying roster.

Outlook

The only thing that can stop this team from claiming their place in the Olympics against Costa Rica is the kind of complacency that Mexico took advantage of to snatch their first win over the US before the 2011 World Cup. But that won’t happen this time around. Costa Rica is a far inferior opponent to Mexico and with no back door into the Olympic tournament, the US women will be looking to settle the matter quickly. If Costa Rica isn’t at the peak of their game, they could become the third team to suffer a double digit defeat to a US Women’s National Team that enters the semifinals in rampaging form.

After demolishing the Dominican Republic (14-0) and Guatemala (13-0), the US women exacted a little revenge on their southern neighbors. The US fell to Mexico in 2011 World Cup qualifying and were forced to win a play-in match against Italy to qualify for the tournament. Tuesday’s match was never in doubt with Lloyd opening the scoring on 7 minutes and O’Reilly adding the second just two minutes later.

The Mexican back-line was under siege early and the game looked like it might be another blowout after the goals in quick succession. Lloyd was the quickest to react to a loose ball in the box after a US corner and headed into an empty net to open the scoring. O’Reilly would add a second just two minutes later, poking home from close range after some good work by Amy Rodriguez down the left wing.

With the news that starting right back Ali Kreiger will be out 6-8 months with an ACL/MCL tear after being on the receiving end of a reckless challenge in the match against the Dominican Republic, Rachel Buehler started on the right side with Becky Saurbrunn stepping into the center to partner Christine Rampone. The defense looked solid throughout the match, leaving Mexico with little chance to get in behind and limiting them to potshots from distance for most of the match.

Sydney Leroux surprisingly replaced Amy Rodriguez at half time and had two great chances to put the game beyond doubt before Lloyd finally did just that,  scoring her second of the match on 65 minutes. Lauren Cheney’s free kick from 40 yards drifted toward the back post where Lloyd rose highest and was able to put her header on target.

Lloyd completed her hat trick from another set piece on 88 minutes. A driven ball to the near post found Buehler cutting through the box and the defender was able to square a pass back to the six yard box from the end line for Lloyd to finish easily.

The US will face Costa Rica on Friday for the chance at Olympic qualification, as the top two teams from CONCACAF advance to the tournament, making the final somewhat irrelevant. The Americans will be glad to not have to face Canada in the semi-final, as the host nation easily won their group as well and look to be the only other decent side in the tournament. The final will take place on Sunday, January 29 at 8pm.

I tried to tune in to watch the USWNT take on the Dominican Republic at the appointed 10:30 pm start time last night. In the 10 or so minutes it took me to update the stupid Silverlight player and get the game to load, I missed the opening 3 goals, which all happened inside the first 7 minutes of the game.

Amy Rodriguez had 5 (and she only came on at half time), Heather O’Reilly had 3, Abby Wambach had 2, and Rachel Buehler, Tobin Heath, Carli Lloyd, and Lauren Cheney all scored 1 in a 14-0 demolishing of the small Caribbean nation in the first match of Olympic qualifying. The result was never in doubt after Wambach scored in the 1st minute and the score was 7-0 at halftime.

The story for Philadelphia fans was the flowing interplay between Amy Rodriguez and Lauren Cheney in the second half. Rodriguez has not officially re-signed with the Independence but it is generally assumed that she will. And All White Kit reported this week that Cheney was close to signing with the team, staying consistent with the news that Paul Riley gave me last week that Philadelphia had two huge signings in the works (midfielder Lori Chalupny was announced Wednesday).

Rodriguez was subbed on at half time for Tobin Heath and scored an amazing 5 second half goals, 3 of which were assisted by Cheney. The two looked on the same page from the start of the half, finding good space and moving off each other with ease. If the chemistry transfers to the club level, Independence fans will have plenty to cheer about in 2012.

The lone negative that came out of the match was what appeared to be a severe injury to starting right-back Ali Kreiger. Kreiger was stretchered off with what looked like a knee injury in the latter stages of the first half after a reckless challenge from Leonela Mojica. Former Independence defender Heather Mitts replaced Kreiger for the remainder of the match. Outside-back is not the deepest position on the US roster, with Mitts being the only other natural outside player on the roster. Becky Sauerbrunn has seen time in the outside positions, but is more comfortable in central defense. Kreiger was to have an MRI today.

Olympic qualifying continues tomorrow when the US takes on Guatemala (who lost 7-0 to Mexico yesterday) before finishing group play against Mexico on Tuesday evening. The top two teams advance from the group stage to take on the top two teams from the other qualifying group which includes Canada, Haiti, Costa Rica, and Cuba.

It didn’t matter who won the 2011 Women’s World Cup final, the winner already had a title. Japan was the Team of Destiny that brought joy to their nation after a devastating tragedy. The US overcame odds—leading up to and then throughout the tournament—to improbably reach the finals. But much to the dismay of American fans, it was Japan that came out on top.

The Japanese outscored the Americans 3-1 on penalty kicks after the teams played to a 2-2 draw through extra time.

New US Lineup

US Coach Pia Sundhage featured a new starting lineup in the final, making her first change up top since before the World Cup. Philadelphia Independence striker Amy Rodriguez was benched in favor of Megan Rapinoe, who started out wide, with Lauren Cheney pushed up to striker.

First Half

The US played arguably their best half of the tournament to open the final. Carli Lloyd and Shannon Boxx looked comfortable together in the midfield and limited Japan’s possession. The US was able to get off a number of shots, although very few of them found the frame. Cheney played well up top, working well with Abby Wambach. They offered attacking runs down the wing, but for some reason both Rapinoe and Cheney chose to shoot the ball from a terrible near post angles rather than lay off for a teammate. When the ball was laid off, the Americans couldn’t seem to hit the net.

Second Half

The US took a step back in the second half. They had fewer dangerous chances, and a series of silly giveaways led to some threatening opportunities for the Japanese. Luckily, Hope Solo and Christie Rampone were always there to clean up in the first 20 minutes of the second half.

Halftime sub Alex Morgan (on for an injured Cheney) played well, and notched the game’s first goal in the 69th minute. Rapinoe played a ball over the top and Morgan was able to hold off and outrun three defenders before hitting a great left-footed shot low into the far post corner. With the Japanese still struggling to create some dangerous chances, it looked like the Americans would be able to ride out the final 20 minutes.

However a defensive breakdown in the 80th minute let Japan back into the game. Rachel Buehler was unable to clear a cross first time, and instead of kicking the ball out of bounds, she tried to clear it through the middle. Unfortunately, it knocked into Ali Krieger, and the deflection landed at the feet of Aya Miyama, who was not going to miss from 8 yards out.

Extra Time

The Americans created numerous chances during extra time, and were knocking on the door throughout the first 15 minutes. In the 104th, Alex Morgan took the ball to the endline, and put a hard cross onto Abby Wambach’s head at the six yard line.  Wambach did what she does best and buried the header in the back of the net with aplomb.

Once again, it looked like the US had the game in hand. However they were unable to get an insurance goal, and that would come back to haunt them.

The Japanese earned a corner kick in the 117th minute. Captain Homare Sawa deflected the near post cross on frame, sneaking it past Hope Solo to tie the game.

Penalty Kicks

The US shot first in PKs, and hoped to put pressure on the Japanese kickers. This was eerily similar to 1999, and one would think the US had the advantage, considering they already had one PK win in the tournament. Shannon Boxx led off the PKs, but her shot to the right side was saved by Japanese keeper Kaihori. Japan’s first kicker, Miyama, put her team up a goal.

The US has Hope Solo, so going down one PK is not the end of the world.

The second American kicker Carli Lloyd put her shot over the crossbar. Hope Solo kept the US in it with a save on Nagasato’s PK, but US substitute Tobin Heath took her country’s third kick and Kaihori made an easy save to the left side, leaving the US with their backs against the wall.

Solo nearly had the shot by Japan’s third kicker, Sakaguchi, but the powerful strike skipped under the keeper’s outstretched glove. Wambach was the fourth shooter for the US and the first to score. She blasted her shot straight into the back of the net.  If nothing else, you had to know that the US would not lose on Wambach’s shot.

But Solo was unable to produce magic, and Japanese defender Kumagai put the ball past her to give Japan their first ever World Cup title.

Final thoughts

With that, the Japanese were off to their celebrations and the Americans were left dazed and confused. There will be lots of talk as to what went wrong, but truthfully, it comes down to closing out games. The Americans were the better team on Sunday but they did not capitalize on enough opportunities to put the game out of reach.

Credit has to go to Japan because their heads were in the game for all 120 minutes and the PKs. I’m not sure the same can be said for the US. Congrats to Japan, you earned it. For the Americans, we’ll have to look for the Olympics in 2012, and continue to hear “since 1999.”

Japan – USA: Sunday, ESPN, 2:45 PM

The US women are in the World Cup final for the first time since 1999. Many wondered if they would have a letdown in their semifinal match against France following the emotional quarterfinal win over Brazil. In truth, they didn’t play very well. But they had more goals at the end of the game and that’s what matters.

A disturbing pattern

Wambach scores the go-ahead goal against France

In fact, the US women have not played well for most of the tournament. Their best moments have come with their backs against the wall in the Brazil match, playing down a man for the final 55 minutes. They have not seemed to play with a sense of urgency until they realize they are running out of time, something that cost them when they gave up the tying goal to the French.

However, the Americans have been playing with a chip on their shoulder. They are tired of hearing “since ’99,” and so they play with the mentality that they will not lose, regardless of the quality of their play. It’s like they know that they’ll score (on a Abby Wambach far post header, perhaps?) at exactly the right time to swing the momentum in their favor.

A driven opponent

However, in Japan the US will face an opponent that is playing for something much more than a sporting legacy. The team has dedicated its World Cup play to its country, which is recovering from the devastating earthquake and tsunami in March. They are playing for respect and pride in their nation, and that spirit and community gives the team something special to fight for.

What the US needs to do

Homare Sawa

It won’t be easy for the US to defeat Japan on Sunday. The Japanese are technically sound and have only gotten better as the tournament has gone on (save the 2-0 loss to England). The Japanese will control the midfield; they have done it in every game, and will continue to do so against Shannon Boxx and Carli Lloyd, who have both struggled throughout the tournament. Japan’s veteran leader Homare Sawa does a great job in the middle. She distributes well to the outside and she’s a threat in the air (with three header goals in the tournament).

The struggle for Japan will be that they will be facing a stronger defense backed by the best keeper in the world.

Yes, Hope Solo made some mistakes last game. She gave the ball away with her feet in the box but, thankfully, Necib couldn’t capitalize. She also should have done better on the French goal. However, that was the first goal given up by the US for which Solo shares some fault.

Japan got a lot of help from Sweden’s keeper, but they will not get the same gifts on Sunday with Solo in net. USA’s defense is also stronger than Sweden, and although they’ve been prone to mistakes, captain Christine Rampone is always there to clean up after her younger teammates.

Who will win

The US is the stronger team offensively. Wambach, O’Reilly and Cheney, along with supersubs Rapinoe and Morgan, have all scored this tournament. The team may not be dominant, but they know how to to hit the target and score important goals.

Japan is the opposite. They can dominate and control the run of play, but they struggle to create and capitalize on dangerous chances.

Sunday’s final will be a tight match-up. Japan will control the ball, but the US will be the team that finds the back of the net.

Frankie’s Pick: USA 2-0

Yes. Yes, we can.

France – USA 12:00 PM Wednesday

Much has been said about the USA’s improbable comeback against Brazil. Personally, I can’t stop watching highlights and looking for new articles about the game. It’s been dubbed one the greatest American soccer games of all time, and it was only a quarterfinal match!  The team must now channel their energy into preparations for the French, penalty kick winners themselves.

France was the better team in their quarterfinal match against England, yet struggled to find the back of the net. Fighters til the end, they sent the game to extra time with a strike from Bussaglia in the 88th minute.  France’s biggest weakness is their back line, members of which have not always communicated effectively throughout the tournament. One plus for the French is that they’ll have their starting goalkeeper, Sapowicz, back from her one-game red card suspension.

France's playmaker Necib

The French front six are playing well and created many chances against England, though they had difficulty converting.  They do a great job of utilizing space on the sidelines, and have some creativity in players like Necib, Thiney and Abily.  The French scored both goals against Germany on corners, indicating their strength in the air.

The USA will have a new face in the back line due to Rachel Buehler’s red card against Brazil.  Becky Sauerbrunn will take Buehler’s spot at center back.  This will be her first appearance in the 2011 World Cup.

The USA has played inconsistently throughout the World Cup, but the Buehler red card may have been the best thing to happen to them.  Playing down a man, they finally played with urgency and began to push for a goal, rather than waiting for the moment to present itself.  The US needs to play the way they finished the Brazil game right from the start.  They are the better team in this game and need to play like it.

USA Goalkeeper Hope Solo

If Boxx and Lloyd control the middle of the field, this game will go to the US.  Abby Wambach is playing with confidence and is willing to put this team on her shoulders to keep them moving towards her first World Cup title. The US also has the world’s best keeper in Hope Solo, who at times single-handedly keep them within striking distance of Brazil.

Expect a defensive breakdown due to miscommunication with Sauerbrunn to lead to a French goal, but the US will be the better team, and will come out on top.

Frankie’s Pick: USA 2, France 1

Japan – Sweden 2:45 PM

Both of these teams have gotten progressively better as the tournament has gone on. Japan looked flat in the first half against Germany, but controlled the middle of the field in the 2nd half and extra time. Although they didn’t create many dangerous chances, they looked calmer on the ball, and frustrated the Germans with their stingy defense. Japan was patient, and came out the winners on a crafty shot by Maruyama in the 108th minute.

Japan's Sawa wins the ball against Germany

Japan is playing very well right now. Their strategy is to possess the ball, and they have the potential for some delightful creativity. They are the shortest team left, but can make up for that with speed up front and on the wings. They’ll ride on the backs of veteran Sawa, who played the ball to Maruyama that was finished for the goal against Germany.

Sweden is the only team that won their semifinal in 90 minutes, but in Japan they’ll be facing a much more formidable defense than the Australian back line. Sweden has dominated the midfield in every game of the tournament (remember that US loss?), and now they have started the back of the net, which they struggled to do in their first two group matches.

Seger and Dahlkvist will look to find Oqvist up top and Schelin and Sjorgran on the wings to create their offensive chances. Sweden is the larger team and they are very strong in the air.

Whichever team is able to control the midfield battle will be the winner of this game.  This one will need extra time to find a winner.

Frankie’s Pick: Japan 2, Sweden 1 in extra time

This was a moment.

All the stories about this moment that make it about something big: Women’s soccer, American pride, personal glory or redemption, desire, belief, composure. All that is part of it. The neutral crowd: aimlessly mirthful and raucous. Fans at home: Instantly transported into a new reality where the doubts and disappointment around which our minds cast morose futures were magically zapped into the minds of Brazilians like some weird, sporting sequel to a Freaky Friday-type movie.

This moment was all of that. And it is every word of every conversation and article that millions of people will speak and write. To call the moment any one of those things, to call it anything less than all of it at once, is to undervalue it.

The sound that Abby Wambach made after she scored – a similar but more emphatic version of the sound so many people watching the match made – was an unhinged scream. No words. No language of any kind. Just noise. The vocal expression of an emotional cocktail so primitive and basic that it resonates with us whether we know it’s cause or not. A sound that can make you feel like your heart is smiling or that it has just dropped out of your chest and left a bottomless void in its place.

The United States Women’s National soccer team did something special. By defeating Brazil on penalty kicks, the U.S. advances to Wednesday’s semi-finals to face France at 11:30am.

Recipients of a fortuitous early goal and victims of a technically-correct-but-realistically-absurd refereeing decision, the U.S. team gave up a goal at the beginning of overtime and played the entire extra period with the prospect of an imminent tournament exit creeping from the back of their minds into their peripheral vision.

Players become full-time athletes, leave other pursuits aside, and strive to create an endless array of game situations in practice so that, in the extra thirty minutes beyond the point of normal exertions, quality will remain. Quality that exists on the same primitive level as a post-goal scream.

Quality that reveals itself in the left foot of a substitute who used to be a starter; and in the concentration of a striker famous for her aerial prowess, playing in what seemed to be the last moment of her international career.

Quality we recognize only as “chills” or “goosebumps.” That turns vague interest into rabid patriotism.

Quality that lays the groundwork for special moments.

Abby Wambach’s goal and Hope Solo’s penalty kick heroics won’t save the struggling WPS or turn women’s soccer into America’s game. It won’t turn a generation of young girls on to the sport (they already know about it and love it).

It was just a moment. And the fact that you know what that means. And I know what that means. And when it happened, we all screamed.

Photo: Paul Rudderow

Brazil’s Early Miscue

The United States jumped out to an early lead thanks to a flub by Brazil just 74 seconds into the game. Shannon Boxx’s solid cross deflected off sweeper Daiane’s leg and into the goal for a score. The goal jump-started the U.S. effort and led to the strongest first ten minutes that the United States has played all tournament.

Rachel Buehler’s Red Card, Hope Solo’s Save, Marta’s Penalty Kick

It was at this juncture when we knew we weren’t in for just a regular game. In the 65^th minute, Marta beat Buehler and Christie Rampone in front of the U.S. goal with a clever flick over the two defenders. As Marta sidestepped the pair to collect her flick, Buehler stuck with her and lunged in unison with the striker, sending Marta crashing to the ground with Buehler below her. According to the referee, Buehler’s challenge was a denial of a goal scoring opportunity and grounds for a penalty kick and a red card. To an untrained eye, the challenge wasn’t anything spectacular, but the fact that it occured so close to the goal, and that it was the world’s best player, most likely went in Brazil’s favor.

Cristiane took the kick, but was stonewalled by Hope Solo, who pushed the shot to the side. But instead of celebrating the save, the Americans were thrown into confusion as the referee awarded a re-kick. Before the kick was taken (we think) Christie Rampone stepped into the 18-yard box, making her guilty of encroachment. Hope Solo was then awarded a yellow card for (we think) dissent. None of this was explained to the U.S. squad, who were enraged by the calls.  Marta stepped up and nonchalantly netted the second attempt, evening the score at 1-1.

Marta’s Overtime Goal

Marta asserted her dominance just two minutes into overtime when she volleyed a Maurine cross into the back of the net to give Brazil a 2-1 lead. Her touch was so deliberate and specific, with just enough weight and placement on it to fool Solo and still land inside the goalmouth, that no other player in the world could have made that same touch for a goal. Some blame falls on Shannon Boxx, who was too busy signaling to the assistant referee for an offsides call to keep tabs on Marta, but the striker put up a flawless ball.

Abby Wambach’s Goal

This was the one that shook the world. Already in stoppage time of the second period of overtime, the United States has one last push at goal left in them before they would be eliminated from the tournament. After receiving a ball from Carli Lloyd, substitute Megan Rapinoe took the ball up the wing and launched a cross towards the goal. Waiting on the other end was Abby Wambach who out-jumped an outstretched defender and nodded the ball in the back of the net for the equalizer. It had shades of Landon Donovan’s miracle goal against Algeria and came fittingly on the 12-year anniversary of the 1999 Women’s World Cup championship game. As soon as the ball hit the back of the net, even with penalty kicks still to come, you knew that momentum had permanently swung to the U.S. corner.

Hope Solo’s PK save

After being robbed of a PK save in the second half, Solo was vindicated when she stopped Daiane’s penalty, giving the U.S. a 3-2 lead. As Daiane shot, Solo dove to her right, deflecting the shot and landing on her right shoulder, which still hadn’t healed from surgery. Solo was celebrating before she hit the ground, knowing that she’d given the U.S an insurmountable lead, and subsequently, a spot in the semifinals. Full penalty kick highlights.