Women's World Cup 2015 TV schedule: US vs. Japan in Sunday's final
The American and Japanese women face one another on the soccer pitch for the third time in just under five years.
United States forward Carli Lloyd (10) and Germany midfielder Lena Goessling (20) battle for the ball during the first half of the semifinals of the FIFA 2015 Women's World Cup at Olympic Stadium in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, June 30, 2015. Mandatory Credit:
Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports/REUTERS
Some might say this year's Women's World Cup soccer tournament is ending the way it should – with the United States facing Japan in a rematch of the final from four years ago, when the Japanese edged the Americans, 2-1, in Germany.
The 2011 World Cup final replicated itself a year later in the 2012 London Summer Olympics women's soccer gold medal game, where the United States came out on top with a 2-1 victory over Japan.
Now, the two nations will meet again Sunday evening in Vancouver with supremacy in women's soccer at stake.
The Japanese are led in World Cup scoring this year by Aya Miyama. The midfielder has two goals and two assists through six matches, in which Japan is undefeated.
Japan's defense and goalkeeper Ayumi Kaihori have only given up three goals in the entire tournament.
In terms of common opponents in this year's World Cup, both teams played Australia, with the US defeating the Aussies, 3-1, in group play, and the Japanese blanking them, 1-0, in the quarterfinals.
Carli Lloyd, who scored both goals in the US gold medal-winning game against Japan in the 2012 Olympics, also put home the first goal in the Americans' 2-0 semifinal win over Germany last Tuesday night.
While midfielder Lloyd has enjoyed offensive success in this tournament, both star forwards Abby Wambach and Alex Morgan, with one goal each, have struggled to find the back of the net. Morgan did have some chances against Germany. Wambach, who has been coming off the bench lately for US head coach Jill Ellis, is thinking more about the US's next opponent than her lack of scoring.
"In order to be the best team in the world at the World Cup, you have to beat the best teams," Wambach told NBCNewYork.com. "We just beat the No. 1 team in the world in Germany and now we face Japan, another team that we have so much respect for. They have an amazing team and they're the reigning World Cup champions, so I think it's going to be a fantastic final."
You can watch the US women take on Japan in the finals of the Women's World Cup tournament at 7 p.m. Eastern time Sunday on Fox.