The USA were crowned world champions for the third time after they cruised past Japan 5-2 in the final in Vancouver. The US are the first nation to have lifted the trophy on three occasions. The 2015 champions also won the competition in 1991 and 1999.
USA came flying out of the blocks and found themselves 4 goals ahead after just 16 minutes. Carli Lloyd met Megan Rapinoe’s low-drilled corner to open the scoring after 3 minutes, on her way to an incredible 13-minute hat trick.
Japan, who beat the USA in the final four years ago, started poorly and their failure to mark Lloyd was again punished 2 minutes later. The US were awarded a free kick in a dangerous position on the right and no one picked up the striker as she ran from the edge of the box to tap in the second.
The Japanese, clearly shell-shocked by the fast starting Americans, struggled to get a foot-hold in the game and continued to make mistakes. Azusa Iwashimizu failed to clear on the edge of her own box and Lauren Holiday pounced on the loose ball to smash home the third.
Carli Lloyd then rounded off her hat trick in superb style. Japan lost possession just inside the opposition half, Lloyd beat one defender before reaching the halfway line, where she looked up to see Ayumi Kaihori off her line. The Golden Ball winner then produced an audacious 50-yard lob to leave the crowd in amazement and the US fans in delirium.
Japan eventually kicked into gear and pulled one back midway through the first half. A neat passing move found Nahomi Kawasumi on the right and her cross picked out Yuki Ogimi in the box. The former Chelsea forward turned her marker before curling the ball past Hope Solo.
With the result more or less decided, the second half allowed the US to cruise to their record third title. The majority of the 53,000 inside BC Place stadium wearing red, white and blue erupting into choruses of “U-S-A”.
A Julie Johnston own goal added a second for Japan early in the second half, but any hopes of a comeback were extinguished when Tobin Heath netted a fifth for the stars and stripes just two minutes later.
US keeper Hope Solo ended a turbulent 12 months by picking up the Golden Glove award for the best goalkeeper. Solo, 33, was arrested in June 2014, but her on the field displays have earned her high praise during this tournament.
Carli Lloyd collected the Golden Ball award for best player and the Silver Boot award after finishing joint top scorer with Germany’s Celia Sasic. Elsewhere Canada’s Kadeisha Buchanan won the tournament’s best young player award.
The top prize though went to the US, who will undoubtedly return to the top of world rankings having also claimed gold at the 2012 Olympic games in London three years ago.
US coach Jill Ellis couldn’t have wished for a better start to the game. She said, “After 15 minutes, I had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. We wanted to put them under pressure right from the start, and everything fell into place perfectly.”
“I did know that my players were capable of doing something exceptional,” Ellis claims. “That’s what they were born to do. The greater the pressure on their shoulders, the more they perform at a higher level.”
Meanwhile Japan were made to settle for the runners up spot once more, having also lost out to the US in the 2012 Olympic final at Wembley. Coach Norio Sasaki refused to blame his side for defeat, “my players have given their all in every match, and overall they’ve had a great tournament here in Canada. Today, though, the Americans were simply too strong.”
