Algarve Cup 2012 Schedule: Japan Will Keep Amazing Run Alive in Final vs Germany

The story of Japan's women's national team just keeps getting better.

After stunning the football world by winning last summer's World Cup, they have carried that momentum into the final of this year's Algarve Cup in Portugal.

Once again Japan knocked off the United States in a crucial game.

Megumi Takase scored with just a couple minutes left to propel her team past the Americans and into a clash with Germany on Wednesday.

They will likely be the underdogs, a role they've become accustomed to recently.

Nearly one year after a devastating tsunami caused immeasurable damage to their country, the team could secure their second major tournament triumph.

While the Algarve Cup isn't on the same level as the World Cup, it would still be an outstanding victory.

All of their wins have been due to total team efforts.

They don't really have a superstar outside of perhaps Homare Sawa, but they play as a cohesive unit better than any other squad in the world right now.

In sports the winner is often determined not by which team has more talent, but rather which team wants it more. No team has been giving a better effort for 90 minutes (or more) per match than Japan.

It's almost as if they are attempting to carry their country back to stability on their backs. At the very least they can provide an escape from the daily concerns some people within Japan are still dealing with.

That's a powerful motivator.

As is the fact the Olympics are just a couple months away and this tournament represents one of the final warmups each team will have before London.

Right now, it's impossible for me to pick against Japan, even if Germany has more talent.

For whatever reason, the bounces seem to be going their way and when given the chance to succeed, they don't let it slip away.

In what's sure to be another memorable match, Japan will sneak out another victory.

Prediction: Japan 2, Germany 1