You can read the report from tonight’s game here:
Closing thoughts. USA came out to one of the most incredible starts I’ve ever witnessed in any sporting event, and it won them the game. Or Carli Lloyd won them the game. We knew she was that old cliche, a big game player. But we didn’t know she was that good. Take away her goals, and it was a pretty even game - and the second-half in particular was a more balanced affair. But then USA didn’t need to be particularly good in the second period - because they had Lloyd.
USA were pedestrian in the group stages, they looked like a once great team slouching forward on past glories. Ellis looked out of ideas. But they transformed in the semi-final, thanks to clevee coaching a brilliant individual performances. Ellis was smiling at the start of the game: she knew how good the US were - and soon we would too.
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Wambach and Rampone lift the trophy with a huge cheer. And we confirm what we suspected after around 15 minutes of this remarkable game – USA are world champions.
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And the US are on the podium now. Many, many hugs. Many, many smiles. Wambach and Rampone approach the stage last - a lovely touch for the two veterans.
Japan trudge to collect their runners-up medals. The US form a tunnel to applaud them, I imagine they’re feeling as charitable as the Red Cross at the moment.
Carli Lloyd is back to pick up the Golden Ball for player of the tournament. Barack Obama agrees. Hell, we all agree:
What a win for Team USA! Great game @CarliLloyd! Your country is so proud of all of you. Come visit the White House with the World Cup soon.
— President Obama (@POTUS) July 6, 2015
Carli Lloyd picks up the silver boot. Hope Solo wins the golden glove for keeper of the tournament - no arguments there.
The World Cup trophy is being carried out by an actual Mountie. Canada crushing national stereotypes there. Speaking of stereotypes, Fifa has decided to have lots of attractive ladies parade out. Ever progressive - Justin Bieber is Canadian and he’s good looking. And Seth Rogen. What’s wrong with them? Sepp Blatter needs to answer for himself now. Actually, where is Sepp?
The US dance towards the crowd. Wambach takes a US flag from the crowd, and wraps herself in it. Japan stay out on the pitch, looking a tad shcoked. Lloyd is beaming - what a day for her. What a tournament for her. She has scored a hat-trick in a World Cup final, with one of them from the halfway line. No one does that, not in real life.
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Full-time: USA 5-2 Japan - USA WIN THE WORLD CUP!
Japan throw players forward, Johnston boots it out ... and that’s it! USA are world champions. Or is that if you win the Olympics? It doesn’t matter they won that too! The players hug, they cry, they whoop. Japan are in tears too, for very different reasons.
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90 min+1: Corner for the US. Wambach has to score a header to cap her career here, right? If not, someone should fire the scriptwriter. Holiday takes but ... ah. Completely wasted. Scriptwriter fired.
90 min: USA have possession on the edge of the area but give it away. We’ll let them off this time. Three minutes of added time. Only a goal a minute, Japan!
88 min: The referee has been good today. I think. I mainly just remember her ushering players to the centre circle after goals.
86 min: Right, this is a victory parade now. The great Rampone, who you may remember from every World Cup ever, comes on for Morgan. What a way to go out.
85 min: Yep, Japan are pumping long balls forward now. Ellis is smiling to herself on the bench. She’s had that half-smile on her face all day. And why not? She’s probably deciding on which brand of champagne she’ll have at the hotel tonight.
82 min: And here’s Wambach, galloping through for one last run on goal. It’s effective too: Sawa is forced to bring her down and earns a booking.
81 min: Miyama wins a free-kick to the left of the area. What can she produce? She raises her arm and delivers. Solo punches clear again. A good one this time under plenty of pressure.
79 min: And Wambach is on! She’ll come on for Heath. Not a bad position to come on for your last ever World Cup fame.
77 min: You sense Japan are gone in this game. But none of their players are quitting and they continue to probe at the US defenders. Just not very effectively.
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74 min: Japan have three in attack now. Maybe four. Maybe 10. They need it. They’ve just won their first corner too as Sauerbrunn slides in to prevent an run on goal. Solo punches - unconvincingly - again the Japanese counter shot is high and wide.
72 min: Solo has to come off her line quicky to punch clear. It’s far from convincing but does the job and Japan have to muster for another attack.
71 min: Corner for USA, their sixth of the game. Japan have ... zero (0). Holiday takes, it’s headed out to the feet of O’hara who is lurking with intent on the edge of the box. The intent in this case being to smash it over the bar.
69 min: Japan need to score very soon. They haven’t really had a chance since their second goal. Oh, and they nearly get one. Solo has to pull off a decent save but in the build-up it looks like Sawa may well have been fouled in the area.
67 min: Carli Pele-Puskas races through to chase a ball down that Kaihori assumed was hers. The keepers gets to it first - just -but she must be breaking out into a sweat whenever she sees Lloyd. And she’s seeing her a lot.
65 min: A mere two goals so far in this half. Is the US attack in crisis?
63 min: Utsugi tries her luck from distance. The ball loops up to her from around 30 yards out and she connects with a stinging volley that Solo watches go past her left-hand post.
61 min: A sub for USA now. Rapinoe, who was brilliant in the opener against Australia, comes off for O’Hara, who scored against Germany in the semi-final.
60 min: This is incredibly entertaining stuff, mind. This is odd to say when a team is (seemingly) cruising to victory in the World Cup final but USA have been really up and down today and Ellis is right to be concerned that her team aren’t sticking to their game plan. They’re allowing Japan plenty of space. Ohno is replaced by Iwabuchi.
57 min: Both teams have given up any pretence of defending and are just charging around the pitch, which is splendid. With Japan, it’s understandable but I’m not sure why USA are so ragged.
GOAL! USA 5-2 Japan (Heath 53 min)
Did the US just concede from an aerial ball against the much smaller Japanese team, who are weak on set-pieces? Yup, they did. Did they just run up the pitch and score straight away? Yup, they did. It’s a wicked, inswinging corner that Japan fail to clear. Brian gets it at the far post, pops the ball back to Heath, who slides the ball home from eight yards out.
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GOAL! USA 4-2 Japan (Johnston og 52 min)
Which idiot said Japan had no chance? Johnston, who has been slack in the air this game, goes up to defend a free-kick and flicks the ball past her own keeper.
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51 min: Carli Ronaldo dances her way around the ede of teh area before flicking it to Brian who unleashes a piledriver than Kaihori tips over. Nothing comes from the corner. Nothing good, anyway.
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49 min: USA coach Jill Ellis said at half-time that her team “had lost the gameplan.” Yeah, the new one of crushing their opposition was rubbish. In fairness, they were a little disjointed as the half wore on.
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47 min: Carli Messi puts in a high swinging cross that Kaihori is relieved to see go over. And Japan storm into the second half by not conceding with 38 seconds of the restart. Go Japan!
46 min: Japan huddle before the start of the second-half. My Japanese is a little rusty but I think they were saying something like “Yeah, probably best to keep an eye on that Carli Lloyd. I hear she’s decent”. Gary Naylor sums it up nicely:
Ohno is a bit of nominative determinism tonight @tom_lutz
— Gary Naylor (@garynaylor999) July 5, 2015
How do Japan come back from this? Well, they don’t. And if they do it would be one of the greatest upsets of all time. They need to score in the first 10 minutes of the second-half to stand a chance. Coming back from three goals down is hard enough but against this US team? Who haven’t conceded since 583AD - more than a thousand years before American was even founded? Not happening. On the upside, we’ve seen one of the great World Cup perfomances from the brilliant Carli Lloyd. And Japan have played pretty well for the last 25 minutes of the game.
Half-time emails: “Re: Lloyd. Scoring a halfway line goal to secure a hat-trick in the World Cup finals. My very best footballing dreams never even got that good,” says Jeremy Dresner. “There is nothing better than can even be imagined in football!”
“My satellite signal disappeared in the second minute due to a thunderstorm worthy of the old testament passing overhead,” says Jim Denvir. “Have I missed much?”
Half time : USA 4-1 Japan
Who said World Cup finals were tense, low-scoring affairs? If you had any doubt that Japan produces the world’s best horror films, check out the replays of the first-half. It makes The Ring look like Mary Poppins.
45 min: There will be one minute of added time for Japan not to concede. The Lloyd piece of genius if you’re interested:
This tho #USA #USAvJPN http://t.co/J7YGFalbce
— Problematic Ri♕ (@Normanisfire) July 5, 2015
44 min: A US move is broken up by the ref, who completes a nifty sidefoot to the Japanese. They need all the help they can get. It comes to nothing though.
42 min: Lloyd is lurking to pick up her fourth but the shot clips off a defender. Morgan has a shout for a header but it’s waved away (correctly) as a stumble rather than a foul. “Johnston is a nightmare in the back right now,” says Rob Coughlin. “She’s David Luiz without the knack for scoring goals. Oh, and David has that delicious hair.”
40 min: Another sub for Japan Kawasumi is off and Sugasawa is on. If (and it’s a Jupiter-sized if) Japan force this to added time, they’re not going to have many options to refresh tired legs.
38 min: Rapinoe gives away a free-kick around 40 yards from the US goal. Miyama takes it short into the area but the US outmuscle their opponents in the box and the ball is cleared.
36 min: USA have actually only had five shots on goal to Japan’s three. I’m trying to help out Japan here. They’ve also - in fairness - been the better team over the last 15 minutes, showing why they’re here in the first place.
33 min: Free-kick to the US. Rapinoe takes from 25-yards out. It flies over A note from Japan: “I’m Japanese living in Tokyo and according to the poll by Fuji TV station 89% of Japanese expected them to beat USA to win the trophy, says Wataru Ikarashi. “Wonder how they will respond to the result…”
A sub for Japan: Sawa is on for Iwashimizu. Sawa is way more attacking, you’d say Japan need it. Iwashimizu is in tears. Understandably.
29 min: Japan nearly pull another one back too. Johnston heads in her own area but it’s straight to Japan and the ball is played back to Miyama, whose shot is firm but straight at Solo.
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GOAL! USA 4-1 Japan (Ogimi 27)
USA are now playing the ball out of the area with crisp, short passes. They can afford too. Or maybe not. Ogimi gets the ball around 10 yards out, and has plenty of time to turn and shoot past Solo. Told you the comeback started here.
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25 min: USA have a shot on goal that doesn’t end up in the net! Morgan skips through the Japanese defence before placing a low shot to Kaihori’s right. The keeper pulls off a smart save. The Japanese comeback starts here!
23 min: Japan had concede three goals for the entire tournament before this game. They’ve shipped one more than that in the first 15 minutes. Solo makes a save after a tired looking shot from Japan. Not sure why they look tired as there’s been quite a bit of rest while they’ve watched the ball plucked from the net.
21 min: If Carli Lloyd played for Stoke City:
19 min: This is stupid now. Really, really, really stupid. Japan are wandering around like zombies. But really, really friendly zombies that will help you achieve your life goals. Also, zombies with a really good national anthem. Lloyd, meanwhile, is making a case for the greatest ever World Cup final performance ever (man or woman).
GOAL! 4-0 Japan (Lloyd 15 min)
What a goal! Kaihori is way out of her goal, and Lloyd roughly located in Wyoming, sees her off her line and shoots from inside her own half. Kaihori slips as she runs back and the ball sails into the set. Me oh my!
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GOAL! USA 3-0 Japan (Holiday 13 min)
Hope Solo looks visibly shocked as she is asked to touch the ball. It’s an easy one too, which she takes with ease. USA haven’t conceded two goals all tournament, they’d need to have a horrible game to do so in the next 75 minutes Make that three goals they need to concede! The ball deflects up on the edge of the area and Holiday thrashes a volley past Kaihori.
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11 min: USA understandably look confident as they stroke it around the park with plenty of short passes. Who do they think they are? Japan? The second goal can be seen here:
Check out the second goal by @CarliLloyd, who will soon be seen on the US $10 bill. #USAvJPN #WWCFinal pic.twitter.com/CKhlY4eSaQ
— Mashable (@mashable) July 5, 2015
8 min: Reasons for Japan to be cheerful: 1) they have plenty of time to get back into this. 2) They have a really good national anthem.
7 min: That’s Lloyd’s fifth goal of the tournament. What a player. She raises her game when it’s needed. Japan, on the other hand, for a team famous for their cohesion have been terrible. Really odd air of panic.
GOAL! USA 2-0 Japan (Lloyd 5 min)
Lloyd again! Rubbish defending again! Holiday plays the ball in short from a free-kick into the near post. Johnston flicks it on, it deflects off a Japanses defender and Lloys is there to snaffle it up.
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GOAL! USA 1-0 Japan (Lloyd 3min)
USA won around 958 corners against Germany, and almost scored from one in the early stages. Rapinoe takes their first of the final and THEY SCORE! No wonder Ellis looked so relaxed. It’s a simple goal: Rapinoe plays it short into the area and Lloyd runs in to finish. Simple.
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2 min: The US take the attack to Japan almost straight away, nothing results from it but a nice statement of intent for US fans. What’s this though? Japan try a long ball that comes to nothing. I didn’t think Japan were allowed to play long balls.
1 min: And we’re off. USA will start the game defending in the shaded half of the stadium. USA coach Jill Ellis is having a chuckle on the bench. She is very relaxed this evening. Maybe she’s just happy she doesn’t have to meet Sepp Blatter at the end of the match.
I have to say that the Japanese national anthem is brilliant, slow and majestic. Not really one for shouting at the top of your voice but a goody nonetheless.
The teams are out. A splendid evening in Vancouver, despite some cloud from wildfires drifting over the city (so, not a great evening if you’re a tree). We’ve got a packed house too and - as throughout this tournament - it’s mostly USA fans in the crowd. They belt out the national anthem with glee, having got some practice in yesterday on 4 July.
Prediction time. The Fox panel is having its say, they’re all going for USA (they were split 2-2 before the Germany game). Alexi Lalas slams the table as he says the USA will win, worrying the Fox Sports branded coffee cups no end.
Not to ape exactly what the Fox Sports panel sai... OK, to ape exactly what the Fox Sports panel said I think the USA will take this. Japan barely crept past England in the semi-finals and have been competent rather than brilliant in the tournamen so far. USA, on the other hand, ripped into Germany in the semi-final with Carli Lloyd revelling in the freedom to roam up front midfield. The US also have the size that troubled the Japanese against England, but are a far superior technical team to the Lionesses. Final score: 2-0 to USA.
Barack Obama appears on the TV - in a shocking revelation he reveals he wants USA to win.
The Guardian’s Les Carpenter is in Vancouver (yeah, we sent two people - it’s only every four years) and has a report on the atmosphere outside the ground:
Unlike many stadiums BC Place does not have large plazas or big meeting places. The crowd, which is almost entirely for the US, arrived early and clogged the few open areas outside the gates wearing all kinds of red, white and blue costumes. Lots of Captain America and lots of Wonder Woman. About an hour and a half before the game, the American Outlaws arrived. There were hundreds of them marching down Robson St toward the stadium. They sang and chanted and waved flags. The word is definitely festive. It’s not angry, belligerent or testy. Just very, very festive. Like a big party.
An analysis of tonight's line-ups
Here’s Caitlin Murray:
It’s worth noting that the USA and Japan are both using the same line-ups they used in their semi-finals. This is going to be a midfield battle, which I suppose is always the case when it comes down to it, right? Although the official line-up shows Alex Morgan and Carli Lloyd alongside one another up top, I suspect Lloyd will really tuck in behind Morgan, like a 4-4-1-1 or something along those lines as was the case against Germany.
Those teams again:
USA: Solo, Krieger, Johnston, Sauerbrunn, Klingenberg, Heath, Holiday, Brian, Rapinoe, Morgan, Lloyd. Subs: Harris, Leroux, Rampone, O’Hara, Engen, Boxx, Rodriguez, O’Reilly, Chalupny, Wambach, Naeher.
Japan: Kaihori, Ariyoshi, Iwashimizu, Kumagai, Sameshima, Kawasumi, Sakaguchi, Utsugi, Miyama, Ohno, Ogimi. Subs: Fukumoto, Kinga, Sawa, Kamionobe, Tanaka, Sugasawa, Iwabuchi, Kawamura, Nagasato, Kitahara, Yamane.
Can USA beat Japan tonight? Yup. Will they beat them? Yeahmaybekindaprobably. But for a far more eloquent rundown read Caitlin Murray’s analysis - she thinks Japan may well struggle to keep up with USA on set-pieces but still have the power to tiki-taka the Americans to death.
Email prediction: “This will be an absolute mauling, four or more,” says Michael Aston. “Japan haven’t played anyone...” Michael may want to cancel any upcoming holidays to England, Cameroon, Switzerland, Ecuador, Holland or Australia. Shame, I hear Quito is nice this time of year.
And your teams are in:
#JPN XI: Kaihori, Iwashimizu, Kumagai, Sameshima, Sakaguchi, Miyama (C), Kawasumi, Ohno, Utsugi, Ogimi, Ariyoshi pic.twitter.com/AcDOvb5BrI
— FIFA Women'sWorldCup (@FIFAWWC) July 5, 2015
#USA XI: Solo, Sauerbrunn, Lloyd (C), Krieger, Holiday, Morgan, Brian, Rapinoe, Heath, Johnston, Klingenberg pic.twitter.com/Hbvm3FerNl
— FIFA Women'sWorldCup (@FIFAWWC) July 5, 2015
The two most important men in American are looking forward to the game:
"Good luck to the U.S. Women’s National Team in the World Cup Final!" —President Obama #SheBelieves pic.twitter.com/UlONxdmVjl
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) July 5, 2015
Let's go @ussoccer_wnt! You have a whole nation behind u...and these 2 randoms pic.twitter.com/QeRn9BeJS5
— Ryan Seacrest (@RyanSeacrest) July 5, 2015
Your referee this evening is Kateryna Monzul from Ukraine. She has 10 years of experience as an international ref, and is VERY excited about officiating the World Cup final if her picture is anything to go by.
Stats! Who wants stats? You’re getting stats.
- Both teams may want to avoid the strains and stresses of added time. The projected starting teams are the oldest in World Cup history. USA’s players have an average age of 29 and six months, the Japanese come in at 28 years and five months.
- Japan and USA have met 31 times since 1986, and the Americans boss the record books with a 24-1-6 record. They’ve also outscored the Japanes 87-20 over the period.
- Recent history is a little more even with the US leading on a 2-2-1 record. Japan beat the US in the Algarve Cup in March 2012.
- 8.4 million viewers in the US tuned into this year’s World Cup semi-final against Germany. That’s the most viewed World Cup semi-final ever in the US (men’s or women). Which may be good news for any members of the Brazil men’s team
A relaxed Jill Ellis appears on TV to talk about how her USA team will approach tonight’s game. She is asked how they’ll take on the Japanese: “They are good on set pieces, they move the ball so well,” she says. “We’ve got be make sure all lines are engaged today defensively”
Simon Evans has written this for us on Japan’s most most dangerous players if you want a few more details:
Joe Biden has got in his prediction early:
In Vancouver for #USAvJPN, @VP Biden predicts "the United States by one goal." Also admits to "overwhelming bias" on the game.
— lesley clark (@lesleyclark) July 5, 2015
This is actually a decent shout from the (deputy) leader of the free world. Of the last nine games between the two sides, all but one have been decided by two goals or fewer.
JB has also been telling us about his travel prowess:
VP Biden trips to the #WorldCup: ✓ 2010 in South Africa ✓ 2014 in Brazil ✓ 2015 in Canada #USAvJPN #USWNT #USA pic.twitter.com/yFIIt0Kuus
— Vice President Biden (@VP) July 5, 2015
You will note this is one more World Cup than one Sepp Blatter, who is stating home to avoid the pol to catch up on back episodes of Orange is the New Black.
How they got here. USA swapped formation and unleashed Carli Lloyd on Germany as they won an impressive semi-final against the world’s No1-ranked team:
Japan meanwhile were pushed all the way by England before The Incident knocked the Lionesses out. If you’re only as good as your last game*, USA should win this one:
* LEGAL NOTE: All lazy cliches in this report are lazy cliches only, and should not be used as the basis of huge bets with bookmakers, legal or otherwise.
The Guardian’s woman on the ground, Caitlin Murray, is at the stadium now and has sent in a quick missive from Vancouver:
It’s a festive atmosphere with a flood of fans milling about in front of the gates, painting faces and chanting for USA. Much bigger buzz than there was in the group stage here, that’s for sure. I’ve been in the media center getting ready to cover the live action, and this press room is completely packed with nearly every seat taken. Large contingent of Japanese press are here to match the heavy USA contingent, but I see press from around the world. About to head up to take my seat in the press stands now.
Hello! And welcome to the Women’s World Cup final [checks year] 2015. USA are taking on Japan in the biggest showdown between the two countries since Karate Kid II. Although technically, Daniel had the backing of Mr Miyagi’s village in that work of genius. And it’s debatable whether you want to make too many allusions to a film where this is one of the key plot developments (thanks Wikipedia): “Daniel accidentally exposes corruption in Chozen’s grocery business during an encounter in the village”.
As you may know this is a rerun of the last World Cup final, in which Japan triumphed on penalties (feel free to run the Japanese national anthem in your head now)
The US got their revenge the following year though, in the Olympic final. This time around the US are favorites - provided they play like they did in their brilliant win over Germany, and not like the garbage they produced in the group stage.
Tom will be here shortly, in the meantime here’s Les Carpenter’s preview:
The words that spill from the mouths of the US women’s soccer players are extreme. Winning isn’t everything it’s the only thing, the whole thing, the biggest thing. For Carli Lloyd the entire value of her 32 years on earth rests on the result of a single soccer match.
“I want to win a World Cup because I have dedicated my life to this,” the US midfielder said.
To Abby Wambach, her more-famous teammate, the one who will never play in another World Cup, winning is enough to curse.
“The only thing I give a hoot about and you can use my expletive – the only thing I give an expletive about is winning,” she said last week.
While all players in any championship game talk about victories the rhetoric from this US team has a deeper air of desperation. The need take Sunday’s World Cup final is almost a consumption for them as if a defeat would be a fate too horrible to imagine.
Part of this probably comes from the sense of an end. A core group that has been together for three World Cups and two Olympics is aging now. Wambach won’t be the only American star of this recent run to be gone. Many of the names synonymous with the last burst of US success will disappear into international soccer retirement.
