FRANKFURT, Germany � To hear some of the U.S. women's soccer players tell it, this team that has captured the country's attention was forged by adversity, by the loss to Mexico in November that endangered their World Cup qualification and by losses this year to Sweden and England.
By Martin Meissner, AP
U.S. fans celebrate after the Americans beat France 3-1 in the semifinal match at the Women's World Cup in on Wednesday.
By Martin Meissner, AP
U.S. fans celebrate after the Americans beat France 3-1 in the semifinal match at the Women's World Cup in on Wednesday.
For others, the team crystallized in the second half of a group-play loss to Sweden on July 6, when the Americans, down 2-0 at halftime, dominated the second half and, though they lost 2-1, left brimming with confidence about their chemistry and never-say-die mentality.
And for others, the team didn't fully evolve into a seemingly irresistible force destined to win the World Cup title until Sunday's second half and overtime of the instant-classic quarterfinal win against Brazil, when the Americans overcame playing 10 vs. 11 for 59 minutes.
Whenever it happened, it happened. The 2011 team has gone from being a fairly interesting reminder of the '99ers ? the legendary 1999 U.S. team that won the World Cup in front of 90,185 fans at the Rose Bowl ? to a wildly popular team with a separate and compelling identity.
The final is Sunday in Frankfurt ? the USA vs. Japan, which has its own gripping saga ? and the American '11ers are ready to play for a championship.
Indianapolis' Lauren Cheney, 23, who has emerged as a breakout star in this World Cup with two goals and three assists, was 11 when she attended the '99ers' second World Cup game ? a 7-1 victory against Nigeria at Chicago's Soldier Field.
"I remember thinking to myself, 'Oh, that is exactly what I want to do. It's just so cool,'" Cheney says.
Now she is doing it, but it's not 1999 anymore.
"It's different," Cheney says. "It's not Mia Hamm. It's not Brandi Chastain. It's not Julie Foudy.
"It's Abby Wambach and Shannon Boxx. I think it's cool that we've completely written our own story.
"People have doubted us, but we have pure heart and determination, and we seriously love and believe in each other so much."
Only one person has played for the '99ers and this team, and that's captain and defender Christie Rampone, 36.
"It's been special to be a part of both," Rampone says. "I was inspired by the old girls, the veterans of '99, and now these young kids are inspiring me to get through this and win this one."
A growing legion of believers breathlessly awaits the final chapter. On Twitter and Facebook, the team and its increasingly recognizable players are getting heaps of adulation. In a this-just-in moment, Wambach's 122nd-minute header off a Joe Montana-esque pass from Megan Rapinoe to save the day against Brazil on Sunday won a 2011 ESPY award Wednesday for Best Play.
These Johnny-come-lately fans are viewed by the U.S. players as ? spectacular.
"Everybody wants to jump on the bandwagon, and that's totally fine," Rapinoe says. "You can stay as long as you like. Just ride this out with us."
USA relies on bench
The entire ride has not been a smooth one. You might have heard U.S. coach Pia Sundhage, a former soccer superstar for Sweden, mention the term "bumpy road" a few hundred times, but that's as accurate a description as any for this team's path the last nine months.
It started with a shocking loss to Mexico, a team the U.S. women hadn't lost to in 25 previous matches.
That forced the Americans into a two-match playoff against Italy to earn a World Cup berth. They won that, and the key goal came from then-21-year-old forward Alex Morgan, who had come off the bench.
That's not when Sundhage and the players first embraced the concept of "21" ? that is, it will take all 21 players to win a World Cup ? but it was certainly an example of it.
At this World Cup, one of the most important players ? Rapinoe ? has come off the bench in all but one game, when she started for injured Heather O'Reilly. Rapinoe, 26, of Redding, Calif., had been a starter until the World Cup opener, when Sundhage inserted Cheney into the lineup at left midfielder in Rapinoe's spot.
Want an example of "21" and team chemistry at work? In that opener, against North Korea, the USA struggled to find any rhythm. Cheney, making her first start at the position, felt lost.
At halftime, she went to Rapinoe for advice.
"Megan and Tobin Heath (another reserve midfielder) said try this, do this, do that," Cheney says. "They completely coached me up. That could have been extremely awkward considering Megan and I have been fighting for this position. But she's been nothing but supportive, and she's made a difference every time she's come on the field."
Says Rapinoe: "I'm never going to sit on the sidelines and sulk. If I can help someone on our team help us win, I will."
Another example of good chemistry: the patched-up rift that once existed between some of the players and goalkeeper Hope Solo, famous for criticizing then-coach Greg Ryan and former teammate Briana Scurry after a 2007 World Cup semifinal loss to Brazil.
Ryan had benched Solo for Scurry, the veteran '99 starter. Solo was ostracized but ultimately welcomed back by Sundhage and the players.
Between that Mexico loss in November and the World Cup, there were two more losses ? to Sweden and to England. Then, in group play, the U.S. women lost to Sweden again. That made four losses in nine months. Before the Mexico loss, the USA had lost two matches in six years.
Sundhage, 51, says those losses have taught the players lessons.
Rampone says the losses brought them closer together amid increasing doubts from critics.
"I think when teams go through tough times, it brings them stronger together," Rampone says. "I think that is showing late in the games here. That's why we're pushing through and fighting. We've been there. This team is growing stronger each and every minute we play."
They say they're cool under pressure because of their "ice" mentality.
"We throw that word 'ice' around a lot," says O'Reilly, 26, of East Brunswick, N.J. "It means no emotion, just go to work. Don't let the crowd and the calls and the refs all get into your head."
The Americans played that way in the second half against Sweden. They didn't win that game, but they definitely turned the momentum.
Then came Brazil. Even if the U.S. women win a title Sunday, they likely always will be remembered best for their fighting spirit and clutch heroics in the epic triumph against Brazil.
Brazil had the best player ? superstar forward Marta ? but not, it turned out, the best team.
"It's one of those moments that may never happen again, that will never happen again," says Wambach, who started the World Cup in a slump but now has goals in the last three games.
Japan excels with skill, teamwork
Now, the U.S. journey collides with Japan's, and it should make for a competitive, dramatic final.
The Japanese were no match for the Americans in May, losing twice ? both 2-0 ? in five days, in matches in Columbus, Ohio, and Cary, N.C.
But they have been a force in Germany. They came up with the shocker of the tournament in knocking out the host Germans 1-0 in a quarterfinal, then dominated Sweden 3-1 in a semifinal.
After those victories, they have paraded around the field carrying a large banner that reads: "To Our Friends Around the World ? Thank You for Your Support." It is a reference to aid to Japan after the devastating earthquake and tsunami in March.
The Japanese are smaller than most opponents ? including the Americans ? but compensate with a technically brilliant display of skills and teamwork.
Japan's team captain, Homare Sawa, 32, has four goals, tied with Marta for most in the tournament.
"I think she's really driving that team," Rapinoe says. "They just look so dangerous. They're playing inspired football. I think it comes from their heart and soul."
In that sense, they would be like the American team.
Who will win? Let's ask the only player in the game who already is a World Cup champion.
"The best team wins the World Cup," Rampone says, "and right now, that's us."
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