Women's World Cup Final 2015: TV Coverage and Championship Predictions
Stunning goals, unashamed passion, tasty challenges, raw heartache—the knockout stage of this FIFA Women’s World Cup has had it all.
And yet, with Japan and the United States set to renew their burgeoning rivalry in Vancouver on Sunday evening for the final, things could get even better.
These two proud proponents of the women’s game have clashed in the last two major tournament finals—the World Cup in 2011 and the Olympics the year after—notching one win apiece. Naturally, both sets of players will be desperate to add the most illustrious prize in the game to their respective repertoires.
It’ll be a fitting way to crown a tremendous tournament; here’s where to catch the action on the box and a look forward to see which team is likely to emerge victorious in this illustrious encounter.
Date: Sunday, July 5
Time: 7 p.m. (ET)/12 a.m. (BST, June 6)
TV Details: Live on Fox Sports (US), BBC3 (UK) and British Eurosport (UK)
Japan Looking for Consecutive World Cup Wins
Although Japan were hugely fortunate to progress in their semi-final against England, looking at their performances at the competition as a whole, they’ve been very impressive.
Indeed, they’ve gone about their matches with the understated arrogance you would expect of world champions, showcasing a flowing possession-based philosophy with dashes of direct, incisive counter-attacking.
As noted here by OptaJoe, Norio Sasaki’s side have gotten into an excellent habit of seizing the initiative in matches, too:
England definitely exposed some flaws in a side that has looked almost immaculate at times in Canada, though. Mark Sampson’s Lionesses really troubled the Japan midfield with their physicality, regularly smothering the Japanese playmakers in dangerous areas and springing counter-attacks forward.
While England weren’t quite able to make the most of the opportunities that came their way, the USWNT have shown the requisite ruthlessness to suggest they’ll cause big problems for this Japan team in the attacking third.
Nonetheless, Grant Wahl of Sports Illustrated thinks that despite the United States’ Olympic triumph in 2012, the reigning world champions still have a mental edge:
But they’re unlikely to have an edge on the pitch, especially if the USWNT replicate the same sort of blueprint deployed by England during their semi-final. Jill Ellis’ team move the ball quickly, press teams high and will put the Japanese under some big pressure with some devilish deliveries into the box—just as they did to Germany last time out.
While the attacking segment of the United States team hasn’t sparkled quite yet at this tournament, as noted here by Paul Carr of ESPN.com, they seemed to hook things up a little better against the Europeans in the semi-final:
As was the case four years ago, the United States will be the big favourites to win this one, but this time, they'll relish that label. Japan have been neat and tidy so far, but they don’t possess an authoritative spine to compete with what's available to Ellis. It means the USWNT are likely to physically dominate in all areas of the pitch.
The reigning champions will look to probe with neat passing and spring forward on the break when the chances arise; they have turned in performances bristling with the mental strength that was so central to their triumph four years ago as well. But the Americans are a bracket above every team they’ve met in the tournament so far.
Expect a multifaceted midfield display to be the catalyst for this United States team to get a grip of this final and secure an emphatic victory emblematic of their excellent displays in Canada.
Prediction: United States 2-0 Japan
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