Sawa Leads The Nadeshiko: Omedetou!

Homare Sawa wears a number 10 on her jersey (she is second from the left in this BBC picture). Her influence on the Japanese team reminds me of Michel Platini, when he skippered the great French sides in international competition. He controlled the ball and held it in tight traffic, then looked to find the right team mate with a perfect pass, and he inspired his team, even when the "ball was not rolling" for France, as he would say.

The U.S. tactics in the first half were spot on: four at the back with two holding midfielders all pressed a high line, squeezing the Japanese midfield and denying possession and time on the ball. The American wide players were free to press forward wide on the flanks and cross into the box against a shorter Japanese defence. It worked superbly, and the U.S. should have been up at least 3-0 in the first half except for the stellar goalkeeping by Kaihori and some poor finishing by the U.S.

Sawa's response was that of a leader: she rolled up her sleeves and took command, by doing what was necessary. She dropped deep into her defensive half and tackled several U.S. players on the bye-line, preventing them from turning the corner on a beleaguered defense. If the U.S. kept up the pressure in the midfield and continued to attack and finish in the second half, the game would have been killed off.

Instead, the U.S. chose to sit back, allowed space in the midfield, almost inviting Japan forward, hoping to hit them on the counter attack. This drained all the energy from the U.S. team, which lost its sense of urgency. Sawa now returned to the area around the center circle and started spraying passes forward. As I tell my 5' daughter, height doesn't matter when the ball's played to feet and does the work. Sawa was unlucky not to get an assist, but she did score the tying goal and won the Golden Boot for the tournament, somewhat unusual for a midfielder.

Meanwhile, the U.S. defense became inept in front of Hope Solo, failing to deal with balls early and making clumsy challenges while also clearing balls across the face of goal. This is a major No-No. and it led to a goal. The Japanese players were all smiles after their pre-penalties huddle with their coach. I would like to know what he said to them. The smiles meant they were relaxed, and their kicks showed it. The U.S. team's Carli Lloyd's jaw was tense and her mind was telling her to rip a hole in the back of the net: instead, she skied it into the stands. My daughter is one of her club's penalty takers, and she knew the outcome before the run up. None of this is cosmic or indicative of a higher power at work. It's the subtle shifting of dynamics in a game involving twenty-two players on a huge field. In soccer the players on the field make the choices and the mistakes, not somebody wearing a Motorola headset and holding a clipboard. That's why it's a great game--it belongs to the players, not to upper management.

The U.S. team should be proud of their play, and they were deserving finalists who played with verve and tenacity. They will learn and get better. The Nadeshiko, however, are a real team of individuals with commitment to a common cause. Homare Sawa is not a star in American terms, but a real leader and a great player. And, she got the job done.