The U.S. women’s national team will take on Japan in the quarterfinals of the Paris Olympics on Saturday, refreshing one of women’s soccer’s most storied rivalries of recent years.
The pair played a trio of high-profile finals from 2011 to 2015, a period that covers two Women’s World Cups and the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Japan took the first game while the U.S. won the latter two meetings, with the legacies of these games lasting long after the final whistle. Japan’s 2011 World Cup victory and the USA’s 2015 triumph laid a new foundation for both programs, allowing both to maintain relevance at the top levels of the game in the decade since regardless of each team’s respective ebbs and flows.
Ahead of the Paris-set quarterfinal, here’s a look back at the U.S. and Japan’s memorable matchups of the last decade and change.
2011 Women’s World Cup: Japan 2, USWNT 2 (Japan win in PKs)
Japan had never progressed past the quarterfinals of a Women’s World Cup before competing in Germany in 2011, but their golden generation went all the way that year, raising the spirits of a nation recovering from the aftermath of the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. Aya Miyama and Homare Sawa scored as Japan came from behind twice to send the game to extra time and then penalties, doing just enough as the USA’s Shannon Boxx, Carli Lloyd and Tobin Heath missed the first three spot kicks. The loss meant the U.S. had to wait another four years to win their first World Cup since 1999 but gave rise to a new powerhouse in the women’s game.
2012 Olympics: USWNT 2, Japan 1
A year later at Wembley Stadium, the U.S. went on their revenge tour after missing out on the World Cup and won their fourth Olympic gold medal with a straightforward win over Japan. Lloyd scored a brace that day, four years after scoring the game-winning goal in the gold medal match against Brazil in Beijing. Though Yuki Nagasato kept Japan in the game with a goal in the 63rd minute, just nine minutes after Lloyd scored her second, it was not enough to keep the U.S. at bay. To date, that silver medal remains the only Olympic medal Japan have won in women’s soccer.
2015 Women’s World Cup: USWNT 5, Japan 2
The USWNT’s 16-year wait to lift their third Women’s World Cup title finally ended in Vancouver in 2015 and in memorable fashion. The U.S. were up 4-0 by the 16 minute thanks to Lloyd’s remarkably fast hattrick, coupled with Lauren Holiday’s 14th-minute strike. Lloyd, who won the golden ball at that year’s tournament, famously chipped goalkeeper Ayumi Kaihori from the halfway line to complete the hattrick.
Japan attempted to claw their way back into the game with Nagasato’s goal in the 27th minute and Julie Ertz’s own goal in the 52nd minute, but Heath’s 54th-minute effort put the game out of reach.
The USWNT were celebrated back home with a ticker-tape parade in New York days later, the players’ popularity soaring in an important moment for the rise of women’s sports in the country.
Record post-2015
The USWNT and Japan have played each other seven times since the 2015 World Cup final, though their meeting at the Paris Games will mark their first in a major international tournament since Vancouver. The U.S. lead the series post-2015 with five wins and two draws, and separately from that, the Americans added another World Cup title and an Olympic bronze medal to their trophy cabinet.
Their most recent meeting was at the SheBelieves Cup in April when the U.S. came from behind to win 2-1 on home soil. That game was seen as a statement win for a U.S. team in the middle of a squad refresh led by assistant coach Twila Kilgore, who was in charge while the team waited for Emma Hayes to arrive.
It was also a reflection of the direction both programs have trended in in recent years. Both teams have maintained their status as fierce competitors capable of going toe-to-toe with anyone, but the increasingly competitive nature of women’s soccer makes things more complicated. Japan have delivered several standout performances in recent years in big competitions, including last year’s 4-0 win over eventual World Cup winners Spain. Questions remain about how deep they can go in major competitions for the time being, but they still boast quality players like Mina Tanaka.
As for the U.S., they remain one of the best teams in the world but they are very much in the midst of a rebuild after a disappointing round of 16 exit at last year’s World Cup. Things are so far, so good in the first days of Hayes’ tenure, scoring nine goals in three group stage games, but considering it is still early in Hayes’ time as the head coach, it is hard to assess how exactly the U.S. stack up against other top teams. They may be the oddsmakers’ favorites come Saturday against Japan, but a competitive match is likely in store.
