Soccer, you broke my heart for a second time.
You can skim my last blog to get the full story on the first time, but here's a quick recap. I'm half dutch (from my mother's side) and a big fan of soccer. Specifically, international soccer, so naturally I cheer for The Netherlands. Last year was The World Cup, and my team made it to the finals along with Spain. Both teams are considered the best teams in the world to have NEVER won a World Cup before. Last year was not the year for the dutch. I didn't cry, but my face felt like I had been for hours and hours.
This year, it happened again. The World Cup only happens once every 4 years, but this time, it was the Women's World Cup. I completely forgot about this entire tournament up until a week ago, meaning it was down to four teams. United States played against France, and Japan played against Sweden. Before I watched both games, I looked up who actually qualified, and who beat who to get to where they are now. It seems that Japan (ranked 4th) beat the tournament favorite and host country Germany (ranked 2nd) to make it to the semi-finals, while United States (ranked 1st) defeated Brazil (ranked 3rd) in a penalty shoot-out.
The first game that was up was United States vs France (ranked 7th), which ended in 3-1 in favor of the US.
The game that followed was Japan vs Sweden (ranked 5th), which also ended in 3-1 in favor of the Japanese.
So the final game was set up. United States vs Japan for the Women's World Cup. The US women have won two World Cups before, while the Japanese only made it past the group stage once (1995), and lost to the US in their very next game (US went on to win it all that year) (this year was only the 6th time the Women's World Cup was held).
The US was as strong and as confident as ever. Japan, on the other hand, wasn't even sure if they could play a single game this year. It wasn't too long ago that their entire country was devastated by the earthquakes and tsunamis, destroying land and lives. The players weren't sure if they had it within themselves to play while they had lost homes, friends, and family. But in the end, they pulled through, gathered their courage, and played on.
And holy shit did they play on.
US was the first to score a goal, but Japan answered back just 12 minutes later to tie the game, and it went into overtime. US again scored the next goal, putting them up 2-1, but Homare Sawa from Japan scored the clutch goal with just 3 minutes left in extra time (she was later awarded the Golden Ball, meaning best player in the entire World Cup, AND awarded the Golden Shoe, meaning most goals scored in the entire World Cup). With the game tied 2-2, we went into penalty shoot-out, which in my opinion, is the most terrifying way to end a game. But rules are rules, so what can ya do other than shit your pants and pray for the best.
No, I didn't shit my pants, but I did injure my wrist as I slammed my fist on the marble counter top. As far as I'm concerned, the US blew it big time in the penalty kicks, missing the first three shots, while Japan went on cruise control on each shot, making the first three out of four. Normally, each team gets five shots, alternating teams. But the last shots weren't needed as there is no way you can win with a penalty score of 1-3 with just one shot left. It was all over. Again, I didn't cry, but my face felt numb as if I had been crying before the game even started.
But huge huge huge congrats to Japan. They deserved it. They showed the world they are the best team this time around, and can play through the darkest times without slowing down or signs of fatigue. You girls are the best, and I thank you for the amazing (although heart breaking) game.
Next year is Euro-Cup (men's), which is similar to the World Cup, but only consisting of European teams. Netherlands, please don't let me down. I can't deal with this for three years in a row...
You can skim my last blog to get the full story on the first time, but here's a quick recap. I'm half dutch (from my mother's side) and a big fan of soccer. Specifically, international soccer, so naturally I cheer for The Netherlands. Last year was The World Cup, and my team made it to the finals along with Spain. Both teams are considered the best teams in the world to have NEVER won a World Cup before. Last year was not the year for the dutch. I didn't cry, but my face felt like I had been for hours and hours.
This year, it happened again. The World Cup only happens once every 4 years, but this time, it was the Women's World Cup. I completely forgot about this entire tournament up until a week ago, meaning it was down to four teams. United States played against France, and Japan played against Sweden. Before I watched both games, I looked up who actually qualified, and who beat who to get to where they are now. It seems that Japan (ranked 4th) beat the tournament favorite and host country Germany (ranked 2nd) to make it to the semi-finals, while United States (ranked 1st) defeated Brazil (ranked 3rd) in a penalty shoot-out.
The first game that was up was United States vs France (ranked 7th), which ended in 3-1 in favor of the US.
The game that followed was Japan vs Sweden (ranked 5th), which also ended in 3-1 in favor of the Japanese.
So the final game was set up. United States vs Japan for the Women's World Cup. The US women have won two World Cups before, while the Japanese only made it past the group stage once (1995), and lost to the US in their very next game (US went on to win it all that year) (this year was only the 6th time the Women's World Cup was held).
The US was as strong and as confident as ever. Japan, on the other hand, wasn't even sure if they could play a single game this year. It wasn't too long ago that their entire country was devastated by the earthquakes and tsunamis, destroying land and lives. The players weren't sure if they had it within themselves to play while they had lost homes, friends, and family. But in the end, they pulled through, gathered their courage, and played on.
And holy shit did they play on.
US was the first to score a goal, but Japan answered back just 12 minutes later to tie the game, and it went into overtime. US again scored the next goal, putting them up 2-1, but Homare Sawa from Japan scored the clutch goal with just 3 minutes left in extra time (she was later awarded the Golden Ball, meaning best player in the entire World Cup, AND awarded the Golden Shoe, meaning most goals scored in the entire World Cup). With the game tied 2-2, we went into penalty shoot-out, which in my opinion, is the most terrifying way to end a game. But rules are rules, so what can ya do other than shit your pants and pray for the best.
No, I didn't shit my pants, but I did injure my wrist as I slammed my fist on the marble counter top. As far as I'm concerned, the US blew it big time in the penalty kicks, missing the first three shots, while Japan went on cruise control on each shot, making the first three out of four. Normally, each team gets five shots, alternating teams. But the last shots weren't needed as there is no way you can win with a penalty score of 1-3 with just one shot left. It was all over. Again, I didn't cry, but my face felt numb as if I had been crying before the game even started.
But huge huge huge congrats to Japan. They deserved it. They showed the world they are the best team this time around, and can play through the darkest times without slowing down or signs of fatigue. You girls are the best, and I thank you for the amazing (although heart breaking) game.
Next year is Euro-Cup (men's), which is similar to the World Cup, but only consisting of European teams. Netherlands, please don't let me down. I can't deal with this for three years in a row...