The U.S. Women's National Soccer Team will complete their World Cup run today, and will either provide the perfect finish to a dream tournament, or will fall just short in their quest for a third World Cup title when the ladies take on Japan in today's Women's World Cup Final (2:45pm, ESPN/Galavision/ESPN3.com).
Standing in the way is the skillful and motivated Japanese squad, which is playing for a nation recovering from a terrible disaster and looking like a team of destiny. The United States has defeated Japan three times this year, but nobody would call this a mismatch considering how Japan has looked in this World Cup.
SBI will be providing live commentary on today's World Cup Final so please feel free to follow along here. As always, you are welcome to share your own thoughts and opinions in the comments section below.
Enjoy the action (Commentary is after the jump):
Cheney, how can you not do your damndest to force that to Wambach…
I really don’t like the way our central midfield has looked in this Cup.
Boxx has already looked a bit stiff and slow here…
Except on that ball!
Ya, great ball out wide to Rapinoe. We’re controlling possesion instead of them which is good.
Carli’s legs look better, recovered. good to see
CARLI!!! Should’ve done better and kept it down.
Now Megan misses one!
Cheney is awesome at making runs and finding space. USMNT attackers should be taking notes – this is their number one deficiency as a team, IMO.
We need to buy some finishing!
Japan with a lot of meaningless possesion, not creating anything.
Japan with a lot of meaningless possesion, not creating anything.
come on now, don’t need those, no pressure giveaways
Alright… Cheney and Rapinoe have great chemistry, but they need to stop shooting from the freaking endline. That’s Abby Wambach in the middle, yo.
Anybody else notice Carli Lloyd can’t hit the broad side of a barn with her shots?
She’s trying to make up for the absence of Rodriguez, perhaps, in that regard…
Japan wants Buehler to play the ball out of the back; need to work hard off the ball to give ehr better options, she looks a liitle jittery still on the ball to me
U.S. men taking notes: notice that there are other strategies than just hoofing the ball over the top during counter attacks
Rapinoe with one now. come on
That shot by Wambach was ridiculous. Holy crap.
You gotta wonder why Lloyd ever sees the field, and how Rapinoe could ever be left off the field.
Our girls need to communicate better on clearances and balls in the air.
keep playing…keep fishing for it!
Ack! Finishing, finishing, finishing!
Watch out-the referees are already starting to support Japan-every ball that’s gone out has gone Japan’s way, even when it hasn’t been close
Sometimes Rapinoe’s decision making isn’t the best haha
agree, but without the ha ha
another example right there
have to keep the pressure on defensively as done already. I expect they’ll attack Buehler with off the ball runs to space with balls thru and over the backline. that midfield pressure is key to not allow the time and space to play that kind of ball
and just score…Lauren is faster than everyone out there with great technique. keep finding her in that final 3rd; she makes plays in there
Boxx and Lloyd need to continue to do it in there, playing well, stepping up
BELIEVE!!!
Cheney out. that’s a problem. the best player probably
What happened to Cheney?? Oh no. She was great.
Wow — Cheney out!
Morgan…
need the heart, right now. come on!
A blessing in disguise?
another from Buehler early here in the 2nd
AHHHHHHH!!!
Damnit!! We can’t buy one!
Bad call
Again, Lloyd can’t hit the target.
I feel like Spain must have felt when they played us-just can’t buy a goal
wow, excellent soccer right there back and forth
Formula for future success.
HIT THE FREAKIN NET
Good D from Buehler
biggest problem with Cheney’s injury is we can’t sub move her into the middle to
better simple but good decision ther from her allows this set piece chance
not like Japan is finishing with acumen either
come on USA!!!
bummer call in a final. it’s too bad
sweet
love Carli. love Alex. nice ball Megan 
A very big blessing!!!
FINISHING!!!
WOW. Alex Morgan is about to become one of the biggest stars in American sports.
Great finish Alex!!! Wow, pick that one out!
Alex Morgan = Gringo Chica Chicarito!
Rapino – MORGAN GOOOOOOAALLLLLL
No kidding — what a monster, perfect ball from Rapinoe up to Morgan in the first place.
what’s the next sub…somewhere int he midfield, yes? fresh legs for pressure
Japan still afraid to open up, if they do we will flood their net with goals.
what a game
That is unbelievable unlucky, I can’t believe it.
Cue the Benny Hill music with that awful defending.
Butterfingers D… wow, when we hit the panic switch it’s awful to watch.
Rachel Buehler, what on earth were you doing?? You NEVER try to clear it across your box like that, let alone clear it so weakly!
Why would you clear it towards the goal mouth? Why?
How many dumb things can one defense do in less than five seconds, turn ball over in back 3rd, two misclears. The answer at least 4.
Lloyd is just really not on her game lately…
So it can ping pong off your center D partner to the foot of the opposing player running into the box. why else?
got to weather this…what a game!
never felt like we had it won…Ian?
Japan the brighter squad right now
this is awesome!!!
O’Reily!!!!!!!
Awesome?
worthy final. what a display for soccer.
honor that, come out with your best 30 minutes ever ever ever, together as a team, and see what that accomplishes, and own whatever that is, own it
BELIEVE!!!
So what is the best plotline to end this game?
Does Abby do it again? or Does Lloyd, by far the worst player on the field redeem herself? Can Morgan do it again? Does Shannon Box, the unsung rock in the middle of the field show she is the class of this team? Lepeilbet redeems her first two games and scores the game winner?
Or, Do we have our hearts ripped out because…
our defense stinks? Hope Solo makes her first mistake? Lloyd or Rampone make another dreadful turnover and we lose?
Stephanie Cox warming up? I’m no fan of LePeilbet, but is that what we need right now?
nothing’s happened yet
come on now!!!
score again!!!!!!!
keep shape, keep form, score again
Landon who?
It’s getting harder and harder to imagine an argument for starting Rodriguez and leaving Morgan on the bench. I mean, how much evidence do you need?
Lloyd has been having a monster match….
it is time to lock this sh!t the f**k down ladies ….
Come on Abby. Get another one so that cheater, Marta doesn’t win Golden Boot.
ABBY!!! Great ball by my girl Alex
and what more can you say about Abby.
this forum has some the bitchiest “fans” I’ve ever come across… honestly folks, get a grip.
Almost again!
Ives: Remember the game ends at the 120 mark (plus stoppage time). I know some folks have had trouble with that.
Ha, nicely done
WOW. “just under 6 minutes… 16…”
Hopeless!
Julie Foudy needs to learn how to count. So much for that Stanford education – ha ha.
Well, I think it’s safe to say Rodriguez is no longer a first choice striker. For now, anyway.
holy Toledo! wow
this defence is totally shambolic. are you trying to lose this game ladies .. come on!
c’mon and score again, alex. i want your face all over the papers tomorrow.
I think Rapino was trying to clear the ball into the goal…
Rapinoe had an awesome tournament.
wow, awesome Rampone!!!
Pearcie is my hero.
Pearcie is the best. Why not Pearcie for Golden Ball?
what a game
I knew it…
Wow this US defense is stupid. Shameful.
Fire Bob Bradley
There is no way that just happened. This is ridiculous.
they are 4 feet tall … how the f**k do you let them score on a corner. absolute disgraceful defending … what a clusterf**k
Well if Tobin Heath hadn’t given the ball away and tried to be a hero……..
Abby Wondolowski, there…
come on now, win it here, come on
ha ha ha!!!!!!!
horrible shot.
OMG good job women. Way to lose the game all by yourselves.
Carli Wondolowski
carli lloyd still can’t shoot. you could see on her run up to the shot that she was going to miss.
Annnnnd i no longer care about this team.
well this is over.
biggest choke in sports history!
and just like that nobody in america cares about women’s soccer anymore. good job totally f**king that up ladies … kudos!
what was the logic of letting carli lloyd anywhere near a penalty kick?
Congratulations Japan. Sincerely.
Great Game
Looks like the whole team (other than Wambach) needs to work on taking penalties that are more than 2 inches off of the ground.
Another final choked away. At least it was a great game.
to the USA women
I enjoyed the ride!
Thank you
Carli Lloyd played the whole game as Carli Bornstein.
Great game. They deserved to lose though. Awful finishing.
Yes. If there’s one team against whom I’m happy to lose gracefully, it’s Japan. They’ve played very well.
hahahhaha worst defending i have ever seen. Too bad becuase no one will care about this team anymore. I thought Japan was supposed to have beautiful footwork and were like Barcelona? They looked like sh!t
end woman’s sufferage
lulz
Too bad some of the posters on here could not lode as gracefully
What is it with penalties today. The better team should have won today (USA and Brazil) and they both miss most or all of their penalties.
Happy for the nation of my heritage, but devastated for the nation of my birth. It’s hard to beat anyone that believes their cause is greater than themselves. In this case, that much greater.
*lose*
I still say Rapinoe show more vision than almost anybody on our men’s team, and Morgan is a better finisher than men’s forwards. Well, once again, you never want to be a better team going into a penalty shoot out, just ask Brazil.
I blame the loss on the 3 damn misses on PKs.. and the terrible defense. CLEAR THE DAMN BALL.
Much more devastation than happiness, for the record.
At least US is undisputed world champions of competitive eating and US wins the “world series” every year!
Gulati is having a lot of practice being the awkard guy on the podium.
I am extremely gutted and heartbroken right now. The story of US Soccer?
Do you know what “today” means…?
I wish the mens team had Abby and Alex on the front line.
What a jacka$$ Ives the writer is. So negative about a great team! I hope he doesn’t have any kids.