New England Soccer Today

U.S. to Face Japan in Final

Photo credit: John May/Prost Amerika

Photo credit: John May/Prost Amerika

Four years after falling to Japan on penalties in the 2011 Women’s World Cup, the U.S. will get the chance to redeem themselves on the biggest stage.

An own goal from Laura Bassett in stoppage time allowed Japan to book its ticket to Sunday’s final after beating England 2-1 in Wednesday’s semifinal in Edmonton.

Bassett’s wayward clearance smacked off the bottom of the bar and crashed over the line before it bounced out during the dying minutes of a 1-1 match.

Each side scored via penalty. Aya Miyama opened the scoring from the spot in the 33rd minute while Fara Williams equalized in the same fashion during the 40th minute.

In 2012, the U.S. claimed a sliver of revenge against Japan, whom they beat 2-1 in the gold medal game of the Olympic women’s football tournament in London.

Sunday’s final will kick off at 7pm, and will be televised on FOX.

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