Congrats Japan Wins Women's World Cup final Beats USA

Ocimnet - Some of the players on the amazingly resilient U.S. women's soccer team had started to believe, especially after the miracle against Brazil a week earlier, that they were a team of destiny.

But what if there are two teams of destiny?
Maybe that's what happened Sunday in front of a sellout crowd of 48,817 in the final of the FIFA Women's World Cup.

It ended 1-1 after regulation, then 2-2 after overtime, then came down to a penalty-kick shootout, as did the Americans' quarterfinal victory against Brazil, which the U.S. team won to become an overnight sensation back home.

This time, the shootout went awry for the Americans, and the Japanese won 3-1.

It was a result that, for the U.S. team, was painful. It was an ending — the Americans coughed up a 1-0 lead with nine minutes left in regulation, a 2-1 lead with three minutes left in overtime — that was excruciating.

"I guess it's never over 'til it's over, and we know that more than anybody," U.S. defender Rachel Buehler said.

As disappointed as the U.S. players were, they felt that in some ways the result was quite fitting, given the nightmare the Japanese have lived through since the deadly earthquake and tsunami that struck in March.

"Maybe their country needed them to win more than our country needed us to win," U.S. star forward Abby Wambach said.

Midfielder Carli Lloyd, one of three U.S. players unable to make a penalty kick in the shootout, agreed with Wambach. "Deep down inside, I thought it was our destiny to win it," Lloyd said. "But maybe it was Japan's."

The Americans were vying to win the Women's World Cup for the third time, but the first since the legendary Mia Hamm-led 1999 team won in front of a 90,000-plus crowd at the Rose Bowl.

Instead, Japan, which never had been to a World Cup or Olympic final and never had beaten the U.S. women — they were 0-22-3, having been outscored 77-13 — is the 2011 World Cup champ.

If that seems shocking, it's just another indication that women's soccer has developed from just a handful of teams capable of winning a title in, say, 1999, to maybe a dozen legitimate contenders in 2011.

"Teams are catching up to us," U.S. defender Ali Krieger said. "We can see that."
Japanese goalkeeper Ayumi Kaihori, who made saves on penalty kicks by Shannon Boxx and Tobin Heath in the shootout, was named player of the match.

"We have some very good players on the team and this is why we have been able to win the final," Kaihori said. "I received excellent support from the other players and I want to emphasize this is a team effort. In the penalty shootout, I just had to believe in myself and I was very confident."

[Read More - Usatoday]