Japan back in Women's World Cup final after emotional 2011 win

I have a faint memory of the Nadeshiko holding up a banner either before or after the game thanking everyone for their participation in and/or donations to the relief efforts. C'mon, ladies, win another one ! ( A faint memory already, after only four years !?! I'm really getting old !)

Go go Nadeshiko!!

It should be a great match. Wife is rootin' for Japan. I'll be rootin' for a great match.

Rooting for the country that has had to face tough opponents to reach the final not one whose path was like offered on a golden platter through a easy draw. .

If they win, will they be getting better airline seats for the flight back?

I hope the US smash Japan. If the US win, we will of course hear on TV how much bigger the American players are compared to the Japanese ones.......

congratulations to all of the Japanese ladies football team, this is hard for me to say this as I should be supporting the UK, but either way well done!

Ganbare Nadeshiko. and like i said in the very biggining japan will make it to the finals and win the world cup to beat usa. come one girls. show those haters what u got

If they win, will they be getting better airline seats for the flight back?

For once I agree with you (they had to make do with eeconomy for the London olympics as I recall)

I am so happy Japan and USA are in the finals. They're both winners!!

I hope they absolutely pants the Americans.

Even though the Nadeshiko will lose, they will remain the best team in my heart. I find amazing the strong personality of these "tiny" women who have to face almost every time "giant" women compared to them. I admire them very much.

alex - I've been following Sawa (the Great) and the Japanese women for over 10 years now and I have never, ever once fallen for the tiny Japanese vs the giant foreigners line.

I admire them for their skills, grit and sense of fun and height just doesn't enter the equation for me. And i guess it doesn't for them otherwise they wouldn't be world champions.

I'm looking forward to their good showing on Monday.

@Tamarama

When I was a boy, "pants" were what you wore under your trousers or skirt. Then they became an adjective, a synonym for "rubbish" or "useless".

Are you seriously telling me that "pants" is a verb now?

@browny1: you misunderstood me. I admire them for their strong personality and also for their skills. Pretending that in football players'height doesn't matter is absurd. It's very important specially in "gioco aereo" - sorry for the Italian expression but currently I' m not able to express the same in English - so the small size of Japanese women is actually a disvantage but despite this they are such a great team.

Alex - I get it.

But my point is - if lacking in height is such a serious dis-advantage, why are they world champions???

Perhaps being shorter allows for other skills of mobility, flexibility, reaction time, ball manoeuvrability etc to come to fore.

Of course a team of balanced heights has merit, but I've heard the excuses for decades that the poor little Japanese are disadvantaged compared to the foreign giants as you put it.

I say the facts on the sheet have proven this wrong. I'd take a team of shrimpy Messis anyday.

A lack of height shoudn't be a huge disadvantage in football. Just keep the damn ball on the ground....

And good luck to Japan. No ill-will towards America, but heck, I wanted Japan to beat England, despite being English myself....

Major European teams are full of Africans because of their strenght and height. These are important in football but naturally great skills are even more important. The Americans have both skills and the best athletic features for football, the Japanese against them can rely only on their skills.

The Americans have both skills and the best athletic features for football, the Japanese against them can rely only on their skills.

If you don't think the current World Champions are athletic you mustn't know too much about sport.