USA vs. Japan Women's Olympic Soccer: Players to Watch in 2011 World Cup Rematch

Only one thing could be better than the U.S. women's soccer team's win over Canada three days ago, and we all know what that is.

Beating Japan to take the gold medal and simultaneously erasing any lingering emotions stemming from last summer's heartbreaking loss to Japan in the World Cup final.

Last year, the U.S women fell to Japan 3-1 on penalty kicks. The Americans surrendered two leads to give away the win—one 1-0 with nine minutes remaining in the game, the other 2-1 with three minutes remaining in overtime, via USA Today.  

Japan, alternately, has become the unlikely new team to beat in women's soccer. Before last year's World Cup, it had never been to a World Cup Final—or an Olympic final, according to USA Today. It also hadn't ever beaten the Americans.

And yet, here it is again. Right back in the finals and gearing up to take down the Americans for the second straight summer.

Here are the players to keep your eyes on as the action gets underway on Thursday at 2:45 p.m. ET.

Hope Solo

Japan is far from a goal-scoring machine. This is not an offense that's going to light up the scoreboard. This summer, it has never scored more than twice in regulation, and twice, it's been shut out.

It also doesn't allow many goals: In five games during these Olympics, the Japanese have let their opponents score twice.

What that means for U.S. goalkeeper Hope Solo is that she has to be nearly perfect if the Americans are going to pull out this victory. She can't let Japan score first, and if the U.S. scores first, she can't cough up the lead and let the U.S. risk a repeat of last summer.

Solo has been solid this summer; before Monday's fiasco against Canada, she hadn't even allowed a goal since the opening game of the Olympics. If she can put forth another performance like the ones she had in the middle three games of this Olympic schedule, the Americans will be golden.

Homare Sawa

Just as important as it will be for the U.S. to hold strong in net, it will be equally important for it to limit Sawa, Japan's undisputed scoring MVP. She is the key to Japan's offense, and if the Americans can neutralize her impact, they have a very good chance of keeping Japan off the scoreboard.

Japan's offense has been anything but automatic in London, and the Americans must keep it that way on Thursday. Step one is limiting Sawa's touches. The longer the U.S. can keep Sawa away from the net, the more frustrated Japan's offense will become and the better the U.S.'s chances of winning this one in regulation.

Alex Morgan

Of course, the U.S. wouldn't even be in this position without its hero in the 4-3 win over Canada. Morgan scored the winning goal in the 123rd minute of the semifinal bout on Monday, and according to USA Today, she solidified herself as the youngest player to ever hit the 20-goal mark in a year for a  national team.

She also solidified herself as a key piece of the American offense. She has unmatched speed, skill and scoring prowess, and when she's on, she can't be stopped—as Canada learned so harshly earlier this week.

Judging by the nerves of steel Morgan showed in the semifinals match earlier in the week, she isn't intimidated—by Japan, by the fact that this is a gold-medal match, by anything. Even more important is the fact that she's riding higher on confidence right now than she ever has been during these Olympics. And that's very dangerous for Japan.