This is my MVP of the tournament, Carli Lloyd. That face says it all. Come Sunday night at 7pm, the USA gets the storied rematch with the 2011 WWC winner, Japan. Abby Wambach and Alex Morgan remember the heartbreak of that July 17th, 2011. They will tell you it is what fuels them to go the extra mile for this one opportunity.
One game.
Winner take all.
The stakes could not be any higher for this one. Japan talks about their own revenge match after losing to the US in the gold medal game at the London Olympics. Well, good try. It’s not even close to compare the World Cup to the Olympics but we hear you. The USA is peaking right now and have momentum on their side yet again.
After dismantling the #1 ranked Germans and grinding out a 2-0 win, the Americans await one final foe in this World tournament. The #4 ranked Japanese side is very good, very organized and have won all their games. It’s the last game against England that has me leaning towards the USA in this World Cup Final. England disrupted the Japanese organized play with high pressure and it was working until England surrendered a late own goal. It happens. The beautiful game can be fickle at times and the best side doesn’t always win. Just ask Necib from France.
My prediction is that Carli Lloyd cements her legacy with a clutch goal, perhaps, a game winning goal. If so, she will be the MVP. She has scored in her last three games and is known to be a streaky goal scorer. In other words, she scores them in bunches. I love her intensity and game face on the pitch. She is a fitting captain for the tough, physical play of the USA. A Jersey girl is leading this 2015 US Womens National Team to a World Cup for the first time in 16 very long years.
I prognosticate that the USA wins 1-0 for a record third World Cup title.
