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The final Tournament of Nations doubleheader kicks off today, and two Seattle Reign FC players will go head-to-head on Thursday evening: Megan Rapinoe with the U.S., and Rumi Utsugi for Japan. The match between the U.S. and Japan kicks off at 7 PM PT and airs on ESPN2.
Before those two sides meet, however, Australia will face off against Brazil. After earning their first-ever win against the United States, the Matildas defeated Japan 4-2 thanks to a Sam Kerr hattrick—something we’re accustomed to seeing in the NWSL this season. If Australia wins or draws against Brazil, they’ll be the Tournament of Nations champion.
Brazil, who lost to the U.S. but drew with Japan, does have the speed to keep things interesting. But, as we saw against the U.S., the squad lacks the defensive discipline to close out games. They’ll have to be tight against an Australian side that has attacking threats in all positions.
The final U.S. opponent, Japan, has a new coach that brought a young squad to the Tournament of Nations as a way to develop team cohesion, and hopefully begin to forge a successful path to the World Cup in 2019. While their technical skills have been on full display, the team is still connecting and figuring each other out—and it shows. They’ve also lacked the physical prowess to go up against two physical sides in Brazil and Australia.
The USA and Japan have a long and exciting rivalry that includes exchanging World Cup titles in the past two competitions. More recently, the two sides met twice in June 2016. The first was a thrilling 3-3 draw that saw the U.S. go down 2-0 after 22 minutes, take a 3-2 lead heading into stoppage time, then concede an equalized in the third minute of stoppage time. Just a few days later, the U.S. went up 2-0 before the game was abandoned due to lightning in the 76th minute.
Both Megan Rapinoe and Rumi Utsugi saw significant time in the first two Tournament of Nations matches, with Rapinoe going the full 90 both games, and Utsugi playing 90 in the first match and subbing on for the second half against Brazil. As a result, both could get rested for the majority of this final match. That would be good news for Reign FC fans, as Seattle faces the North Carolina Courage on Saturday, August 5. The match is again on the road, and after losing 2-0 to the Courage in July, the team could sure use the firepower of a rested Rapinoe and Utsugi.
Tournament of Nations Standings
| Team | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts. |
| Australia | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 6 |
| United States | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 3 |
| Brazil | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 | -1 | 1 |
| Japan | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | -2 | 1 |
How to Watch
Brazil v. Australia
Date/Time: Thursday, 4:15 PM PT
Location: StubHub Center, Carson, Calif.
TV: None
Streaming: ESPN3/WatchESPN
USA v. Japan
Date/Time: Thursday, 7:00 PM PT
Location: StubHub Center, Carson, Calif.
TV: ESPN2, UDN
Streaming: WatchESPN
This is your Tournament of Nations gamethread. Watch and discuss with us.