USWNT vs. Japan: Paris 2024 Olympic Games Quarterfinals Becomes Latest Chapter in Legendary Rivalry

The U.S. women’s national team will take on Japan on Saturday in the quarterfinals of the Paris Olympics, refreshing one of the most storied rivalries in women’s soccer in recent years.

The pair played in a trio of high-profile finals from 2011 to 2015, a period that covered two Women’s World Cups and the 2012 London Olympics. Japan won the first match, while the US won the last two meetings, with the legacy of these matches lasting long after the final whistle. Japan’s World Cup victory in 2011 and America’s victory in 2015 laid a new foundation for both programs, allowing both to maintain their relevance at the highest levels of the game throughout the decade, regardless of each team’s respective ebbs and flows.

Ahead of the quarterfinals in Paris, here’s a look back at the memorable US-Japan encounters of the past decade and the changes.

2011 Women’s World Cup: Japan 2, USWNT 2 (Japan wins in PKs)

Japan had never advanced beyond the quarter-finals of a Women’s World Cup before taking on Germany in 2011, but their golden generation went all the way that year, raising the spirits of a country recovering from the aftermath of the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. Aya Miyama and Homare Sawa scored as Japan twice came from behind to send the match to extra time and then penalties. They did just enough when American Shannon Boxx, Carli Lloyd and Tobin Heath missed the first three penalties. The loss meant the US had to wait another four years to win its first World Cup since 1999, but created a new powerhouse in women’s football.

2012 Olympic Games: USWNT 2, Japan 1

A year later at Wembley Stadium, the US went on a revenge tour after missing the World Cup, winning their fourth Olympic gold medal with an easy victory over Japan. Lloyd scored a brace that day, four years after scoring the winning goal in the gold medal match against Brazil in Beijing. Although Yuki Nagasato kept Japan in the match with a goal in the 63rd minute, just nine minutes after Lloyd scored her second, it was not enough to keep the US at bay. To date, that silver medal remains the only Olympic medal Japan has won in women’s football.

2015 Women’s World Cup: USWNT 5, Japan 2

The USWNT’s 16-year wait to win their third Women’s World Cup title finally ended in Vancouver in 2015 in memorably fashion. The US led 4-0 after 16 minutes thanks to Lloyd’s remarkably quick hat-trick, combined with Lauren Holiday’s strike in the 14th minute. Lloyd, who won the golden ball at the tournament that year, famously tapped goalkeeper Ayumi Kaihori from the halfway line to complete the hat-trick.

Japan tried to claw their way back into the match with Nagasato’s goal in the 27th minute and Julie Ertz’s own goal in the 52nd minute, but Heath’s try in the 54th minute put the match out of reach.

The USWNT was celebrated at home days later with a ticker-tape parade in New York, with the players’ popularity soaring at a key time for the rise of women’s sports in the country.

Record after 2015

The USWNT and Japan have played each other seven times since the 2015 World Cup finals, although their meeting at the Paris Games will be their first in a major international tournament since Vancouver. The US led the series after 2015 with five wins and two draws, and separately the Americans added a 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 US came from behind to win 2-1 on home soil. That game was seen as a victory for an American team in the midst of a roster revamp 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 in which both programs have developed in recent years. Both teams have maintained their status as fierce competitors who can take on anyone, but the increasingly competitive nature of women’s football is complicating matters. Japan has produced several standout performances in major competitions in recent years, including last year’s 4-0 win over eventual World Cup winners Spain. For now, questions remain about how deep they can go in the big leagues, but they can still boast quality players like Mina Tanaka.

As for the US, they remain one of the best teams in the world, but they are in the midst of a rebuild after a disappointing round of 16 at last year’s World Cup. So far so good, so good in the early days of Hayes’ tenure, scoring nine goals in three group stage games, but given that it’s still early in Hayes’ time as head coach, it’s hard to gauge how the American position is precise. against other top teams. They could be the oddsmakers’ favorites against Japan on Saturday, but a competitive match is likely on the cards.