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To the delight of American fans, Carli Lloyd of the United States scored a hat trick in the first 15 minutes of the FIFA Women’s World Cup Final against Japan on Sunday. Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images hide caption
itoggle caption Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
The U.S. team won the Women’s World Cup final 5-2 in a game that brought U.S. fans to their feet, reduced polished sportswriters to all-caps expressions of awe and rewrote FIFA records — and that’s just in the first half.
HISTORY! @CarliLloyd has now scored the two fastest goals in #FIFAWWCFinal history
#USAJPN
http://t.co/8EQi4Kco7w pic.twitter.com/3vjUqh3cLj— FIFA Women’sWorldCup (@FIFAWWC) July 5, 2015
The game began in spectacular fashion: In the first five minutes, captain Carli Lloyd scored two swift goals — the fastest two goals in FIFA history, according to the FIFA Women’s World Cup twitter account.
Just a few minutes later, Lauren Holiday brought the score up to 3-0.
And then Lloyd did it again: she scored — from midfield — to raise the score to an astounding 4-0, just 15 minutes into the game. It was the first hat trick in a Women’s World Cup final and the fastest hat trick in any World Cup game.
HAT-TRICK! @CarliLloyd scores from the halfway line! #USA 4-0 #JPN
#FIFAWWCFinal #USAJPN
http://t.co/8EQi4Kco7w pic.twitter.com/NM2ubs612w— FIFA Women’sWorldCup (@FIFAWWC) July 5, 2015
And did we mention it was a strike from midfield?
The U.S. lead was definitive, but Japan hadn’t given up. They scored an elegant goal in the 27th minute, finally giving Japan fans something to cheer about.
As NPR’s Russell Lewis reported before the game, the U.S. team made it to the final thanks to some remarkable work on defense:
The U.S. has played six games in the World Cup and hasn’t given up a goal since its opener against Australia — a stunning scoreless streak of 513 minutes. Not surprisingly, the three nominees from the United States for FIFA’s ‘Golden Ball’ award play defense and midfield.
When that streak finally ended at 540 minutes, it tied Germany’s 2007 World Cup record. But while defense brought the U.S. women to the final, it was offense that was shining on the field.
In the second half, Julie Johnston scored an own goal that Hope Solo couldn’t block, bringing Japan’s score to 2. A few minutes later, Tobin Heath scored again for the U.S., bringing America back to another dominant lead: 5-2.
With 10 minutes remaining, star forward Abby Wambach came on the field. Lloyd passed her teammate the captain’s armband — giving Wambach the chance to wear it one last time. This was Wambach’s final World Cup game.
The American women held their 5-2 lead through game’s end.
The BC Place stadium — dominated by U.S. fans — rejoiced as the American team took home the Women’s World Cup Sunday night. Alison MacAdam/NPR hide caption
itoggle caption Alison MacAdam/NPR
They earned their trophy in a Canadian stadium packed with U.S. fans. The crowd booed FIFA officials when they came to the stands, reports NPR’s Melissa Block, who was in the stands — but they had nothing but cheers for the players. Japan’s players, after fighting hard all game, stoically applauded the victors as Team USA was showered by gold glitter.
The game was a rematch of the 2011 World Cup final, which Japan won in a dramatic penalty kick shoot-out. That game was tense: 1-1 at the end of regulation and 2-2 at the end of overtime, before Japan won the shootout 3-1.
That heartbreaking loss was driving the Americans as they headed into Sunday’s game. “It’s kind of been that thing that’s been within us, that fuels our fire, that motivates us,” Wambach said Friday.
And the U.S. women burned that fuel all the way to victory.
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It’s the U.S. and Japan in Sunday’s Women’s World Cup final in Vancouver, Canada — a rematch of the 2011 championship. Soccer-crazed fans in Portland, Ore., who watched Japan’s fortuitous win over England this week, provide plenty of insight about what it will take for the U.S. team to avenge it’s loss four years ago.
RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:
Sunday in Vancouver it’s a first-ever Women’s World Cup finals rematch as the U.S. plays Japan. Japan beat the U.S. for the soccer championship in 2011. This time around, the Americans are brimming with confidence after defeating No. 1 ranked Germany in the semifinals. Japan needed some luck to get to the title game. NPR’s Tom Goldman spoke to fans in soccer-crazy Portland, Ore. about this weekend’s big matchup.
TOM GOLDMAN, BYLINE: Somewhere between the shrieks of joy in Japan and cries of anguish in the U.K., there was this in Portland on Wednesday.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Oh, no.
GOLDMAN: Oh, no, indeed, as the scoreboard confirmed. England defender Laura Bassett’s own goal gave Japan a 2-1 semifinal win and sent the Japanese to a second straight World Cup final. At Portland’s Bazi Bierbrasserie, Bassett’s gaffe seen ’round the world wasn’t ridiculed. The Bazi crowd knows soccer, and Matt Hasti, wearing a soccer scarf even in 90-degree heat, said Bassett had to try to break-up the pass, a move that sent the ball into England’s goal.
MATT HASTI: But if that defender doesn’t touch that ball, the Japanese player’s got it and she’s got a damn nice shot on gold. So the defender’s got to do something.
GOLDMAN: So England was gone. And moments after the U.S.-Japan final was set, Hasti and friend, Justin Brown, already were talking strategy.
JUSTIN BROWN: Every team that I’ve seen try to play long ball against Japan has not worked, even with the height advantage.
HASTI: Yeah.
GOLDMAN: Hastie agreed, despite its players average height of 5-foot-3, Japan’s speed and positioning on defense has effectively countered the tactic of bombing-in long passes to tall forwards, a preferred tactic by the U.S., often to superstar Abby Wambach.
HASTI: I mean, she’s a great player. All the props to her, you know, best scorer – men or women – in the world, in this kind of stage. But when you long-ball it to her, she’s old. She can’t catch that ball anymore – what you were saying.
GOLDMAN: What Brown said was the U.S. played the long-ball strategy the first few games of the tournament and was ineffective on offense.
BROWN: Whereas the last game against Germany, there was a lot more passing and possession, and it was a much more enjoyable game to watch.
GOLDMAN: As the U.S. has changed strategies, Wambach has started games on the bench, where she’s been an enthusiastic cheerleader. It even prompted a tweet and, of course, Twitter controversy, when former men’s star Landon Donovan said, quote, “love the enthusiasm and veteran presence of Abby Wambach, despite not playing much. That kind of leadership is priceless during a World Cup.” It was seen as a slap at men’s coach Jurgen Klinsmann, who left Donovan off the team that played in last year’s World Cup in Brazil. Donovan denied ulterior motives.
But, you know what? That’s the men’s soap opera. The U.S. women are united, playing their best soccer, and Portlander Angie Renee Wright can’t wait to see them Sunday in person, after her fourth seven-hour drive from Portland to Vancouver during this World Cup.
ANGIE RENEE WRIGHT: We drive through the night because he doesn’t like the car seat.
GOLDMAN: He is 11-week-old Azul, who’ll be decked-out Sunday in a onesie decorated with a soccer ball. Azul slept through the Japan-England game. His mom watched carefully, and knows Japan is a lot more dangerous than it showed in the semis.
WRIGHT: We saw the Japanese versus Netherlands. They played an excellent game. They’re going to recalibrate and hone in on some of the things that they weren’t so tight on this game.
GOLDMAN: The juicy storyline of U.S. versus England is gone, no fight for American independence two on Fourth of July weekend. But the rematch should keep fans everywhere riveted to a first-of-its-kind World Cup finale. Tom Goldman, NPR News, Portland.
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