The United States face Japan Sunday in search of their third women's World Cup title and while technique and tactics have played a role in their march to the final, it is a sense of freedom and spirit that the team credits for their success in Germany.
The US, winners in 1991 and 1999, have had their setbacks in the past year, including a defeat to Mexico that meant they were in danger of not making the tournament for the first time, and needed a playoff win over Italy to avoid that fate.
In Germany, the US lost to Sweden during the group stage, were moments away from elimination in the quarter-final against Brazil before equalising in the final seconds of extra-time and going on to victory in a penalty shoot-out. Every time the dream of repeating the success of the hugely popular 1999 team looks set to be dashed, the Americans find a way to turn things around.
That spirit, according to the American's Swedish head coach Pia Sundhage, comes from the difficult days when participation in the tournament was on the line. "Because we had such a bumpy road, we had to play those playoff games against Italy, we came out stronger and we have learnt the lesson that we cannot take anything for granted," Sundhage said during a conference call on Thursday. "So we have tried to enjoy every day and be grateful for every day we have a game or training.
"This team has great heart and spirit and we are humble enough to recognise when we need to change some things." In the past two games, the US were able to beat two teams, France and Brazil, that many observers believed were more technically gifted then Sundhage's team.
"That tells you about the heart," said Sundhage. "If you are in the locker room at halftime, players saying 'come on, we can do this,' you can feel the positive atmosphere. I think we gained some real positive energy from the last two games." While the US locker room is a place where the players can rely on support, it is also a loud and proud place.
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