FT! The USWNT finish off the Tournament of Nations with a 3-0 win over Japan!
86' In her first action, LeRoux nearly made it four, but Yamashita made a fine stop.
80' GOOOOOOALLLLLL USA!!!!! ALEX MORGAN MAKES IT THREE!!!!
The attendance tonight is 23,161!
72' Rapinoe finds Horan at the back post; the header, though, was hit straight down and went out of play or a Japan goal kick.
72' Corner for the USA.
60' GOOOOOALLLLLLL USA!!!!!!! Short pounces on a poor pass, finds Pugh and the UCLA product slots on easily into the net with her right foot!
54' Long is in for Ertz, who slipped, and looked to have reinjure that knee she slammed into the post in the first half.
53' Ertz is down and in pain, probably coming off in a bit.
51' Hasegawa created Japan's first chance of the match with a low shot. Naeher, though, was able to dive low and catch it easily.
48' Moments later, Press took a couple of touches inside the area, although her ensuing shot was wide of the net.
48' Lloyd then nearly pounced on a poor back pass from Nakajima, but her touch was just too heavy.
46' Lloyd drove at the Japanese defense, but her shot soared over the goal.
46' The USA begin the second half with the ball!
HT! The USWNT go into the break leading 1-0!
One minute stoppage time.
44' Sameshima put the moves on down the right side of the pitch, but she over hit her cross, as it curled past the far post.
36' Ertz is limping on the sideline but no change yet.
34' OFF THE LINE!!! Tanaka nearly drew the Japanese level, but Ertz was there at the line to clear. She hit her knee on the post though and is still down and in pain.
31' Early sub for the USWNT: Smith in for O'Hara.
29' Modified hydration break!
23' Naeher is forced into making a fine save following a second ball from Japan off a corner.
18' Press nearly found Pugh with a long ball over the top, but Yamashita came off her line nicely and cleared the danger.
12' GOALLLLLL USA!!!! The pressure has paid off! Japan gets caught on the counter once more and it's Rapinoe who slots one past Yamashita!
10' The veteran Rapinoe is very active early, causing trouble down the left. She hit the side netting after a deflection.
9' Rapinoe hit an audacious attempt from the top left corner of the box and just narrowly missed the crossbar.
6' Megan Rapinoe finds Carli Lloyd at the back post, but the ensuing header goes over the frame of the goal.
6' Japan could not clear and the Americans get another one.
5' First corner of the night for the USA.
1' Out wide, Press got in behind the Japanese defense and found Pugh open in space. The youngsters' shot, though was well off target.
1' Kick off at the StubHub!
USWNT starting XI: Naeher, Short, Sauerbrunn, Dahlkemper, Short, Lloyd, Ertz, Mewis, Rapinoe, Press, Pugh
Japan starting XI: Yamashita, Manya, Sameshima, Ichise, Haji, Sumida, Utsugi, Sakaguchi, Nakajima, Momiki, Tanaka
Line-ups will be available an hour before kickoff!
Therefore, my prediction for this match is as follows: USWNT 3-1 Japan.
How will this one play out? Japan will be hoping to claim their victory of the Tournament of Nations, and what better way than to get one over on the Americans? There is a slim chance that the USA, however, can win the ToN; although, Australia will have to lose big to the Brazilians.
Then, the Americans began to take control of the series. In the Olympic Gold Medal match, the USWNT avenged their previous lost, and defeated the Japanese 2-1. At the next WWC Final, Carli Lloyd took over, and the US Women’s National Team came away 5-2 winners.
These two sides have some fairly recent history, dating back as recently as 2011. The casual fan should remember this match. Japan came away with the 2011 Women’s World Cup Final in an emotional penalty shootout.
One of the reasons Japan has had a so-so 2017 is that they are trying to blend new players with old faces. Some of the familiar faces to watch out for are Mizuho Sakaguchi, Rumi Utsugi, and Yuika Sugasawa. They’re the backbone of this Japanese squad and they’ll go only as far as the old guard will take them.
Australia ran riot over Japan in the opening half of the previous match. The Matildas slotted three into the Japanese net before the halftime interval. A fourth had been scored two minutes after the hour, and at that point, it was 4-1 Australia.
Japan, on the other hand, have not been doing too great in the ToN. In the two matches they have played in so far, Japan has only picked up one point. Their lone point so far came in the first match, where they drew Brazil by a score of 1-1.
The next USWNT match, against powerhouse Brazil, was a thriller for the ages. Brazil opened the scoring two minutes in before the USA, through Sam Mewis, 16 minutes later. The South American side added two more goals in what should have been the daggers. But, the US Women’s National Team scored three times in the span of nine minutes to steal three points away.
Thus far in the Tournament of Nations, the US Women’s National Team has won one match, and lost the other. Australia defeated the US in the opening match of the tournament by a final score of 1-0.
Hello, and welcome to VAVEL USA’s live coverage of the Tournament of Nations. The last match of this inaugural tournament sees the USWNT take on rivals Japan. Kickoff at the StubHub Center in Carson, California is scheduled for 10:00 PM EST. My name is Kyle Sennikoff and I will be providing you with pre-match, live coverage, and post-match commentary. Stay tuned as the Tournament of Nations comes to an end!