Alex Morgan Video: Watch the Young Alex Morgan Score First Goal in Finals

The United States put ball after ball around the net in the early going but couldn't find a way to finish.

But the pace kept up, the US kept knocking on the door and finally, in the 68th minute, a US ball found the back of the net courtesy of its youngest player, Alex Morgan.

The 22-year-old forward, who scored her first World Cup goal to seal the win over France in the semifinals, took a brilliant ball played through the midfield by Megan Rapinoe just into the box and ripped it across the net with her left foot.

It looked like it would be enough for the US to hold on with, as they had dominated the game to that point and limited all Japanese advances, but Japan found an equalizer off a terrible piece of defending from two US backs, and now extra time will decide which team will hoist the Women's World Cup.

Morgan entered the game at halftime for an injured Lauren Cheney. Cheney was moved back to her natural position of striker to start the game, while Megan Rapinoe went to the wing and Amy Rodriguez found the bench.

This meant that the US was either going to use Morgan or Rodriguez as the first sub of the game, and Morgan's recent form and finishing prowess won out over the 24-year-old Rodriguez.

This is hardly a shocking goal from the former Cal Bear as she has become sort of the "finisher" for the US during this tournament with her late substitutions, fast pace and fearless demeanor.

Alex Morgan is the future of American soccer, and she's now proven that that future is very, very bright. The next World Cup will put current superstars Hope Solo and Abby Wambach well into their 30's—Solo would be 33 and Wambach 35—and Morgan is steadily becoming the next big superstar of the future. 

This goal, more so than the late strike against France, will be remembered as the catalyst to what looks like an extremely promising career for Alex Morgan.