Friday, 29th March 2024
To guardian.ng
Search

‘We ‘ll Beat USA Again’

By Gowon Akpodonor
04 July 2015   |   11:14 pm
If crowd support is all a team needs to win a football match, then, Japan, may stand no chance against USA in today’s final of the Women’s World Cup.   Apart from the large number of American soccer fans, who have crossed borders into Vancouver to cheer their team, U.S. Vice President, Joe Biden, his…

Gowon CanadaIf crowd support is all a team needs to win a football match, then, Japan, may stand no chance against USA in today’s final of the Women’s World Cup.
 
Apart from the large number of American soccer fans, who have crossed borders into Vancouver to cheer their team, U.S. Vice President, Joe Biden, his wife, Jill, two-time world cup winner, Mia Hamm and former U.S. men’s player, Cobi Jones, are also among the flag-and-banner-waving supporters rooting for the Yankees to ‘finish’ the Japanese.
 
But Japan’s coach, Norio Sasaki, says there is nothing to fear about the Americans. “We will give everybody a good game,” he told The Guardian. “I see some Americans even supporting us at the end because we are going to shock them once more.”
 
This is certainly a revenge mission for the Americans. In the 2011 World Cup, Japan dealt the U.S. a devastating blow, winning the final 3-2 on penalty kicks, after 2-2 draw at regulation time. A year later, America got their revenge, beating Japan to the win the London 2012 Olympics Games soccer gold medal.

Thirteen members of the team that suffered defeat to Japan at Germany 2011 are in this squad. They include all four players who took the penalty kicks for Team USA.
 
Japan is going for its second straight title. The only team to win consecutive Women’s World Cups is Germany in 2003 and 2007.

On the other hand, Team USA is aiming for a third World Cup title, having won twice, in 1991 and 1999.
 
Japan’s coach, Sasaki, revealed that he worked on the team after their game against the Three Lionesses (England), which they won 2-1 to reach the final.
 
“We couldn’t play the way we wanted in our last game against England, but things will be different in the final against USA,” he said.  “But we will stick to our plan. I am sure my girls have the right mentality to cause problem for Team USA in the final. We will win again.”
 
Sasaki is banking on players like Yuki Ogimi, Nadeshiko and Nahomi Kawasumi to play the destroyer’s role against the highly motivated Americans in today’s final.
 

0 Comments