women's world cup 2011 final live stream

women's world cup 2011 final live stream

                                                SCHEDULE:USA VS JAPAN LIVE STREAM
                                                    Date/Time:Jul 17, 2011, 2:45pm
                                           Competition:FIFA Women's World Cup Final
                                                                      Live/Repeat:Live

Usa vs Japan final

Aya Sameshima used to have a part-time job at the Fukushima plant. The last time she clocked on was in early March, just before Japan found itself devastated by an earthquake, a tsunami and the subsequent nuclear disaster which engulfed her workplace.

On Sunday evening Sameshima will be part of the Japan defence as the team, at the 26th time of asking, aim to finally beat the United States in a women's football match. Far from any old game, it is the final of the World Cup in Frankfurt and much is at stake.

While neutrals can only be heartened by Japan's welcome distraction from the enduring depression engendered by a disaster that left 21,000 people dead or missing, US fans hope victory may be sufficient to see North America's financially fragile Women's Professional Soccer League removed from effective life support.

They trust Sameshima, who recently relocated to the WPSL by signing for Boston Breakers, will not thwart such ambitions on an evening when trans-Atlantic interest is such that Chelsea Clinton forms part of an official US delegation dispatched to cheer the team on.

What already seems apparent is that an impeccably organised tournament, attracting unprecedented television viewing figures across Germany, has re-calibrated widespread perceptions of the female game. An editorial in the German tabloid Bild, penned following the host nation's unexpected quarter-final exit to Japan, suggested a watershed moment may have occurred. "For the first time Germany is shocked by a women's team losing a game," said Bild. "What sounds sad at first is actually good news. Women's football is finally accepted by the masses. Suddenly Germany is suffering with its girls ... An unbelievable 16.9 million viewers watched the match against Japan."

Earlier, 18 million Germans – eight million more than the previous record audience – had tuned into the country's opening fixture, a narrow win against Canada in front of 73,000 spectators in Berlin's Olympic Stadium. "The television viewing figures have been outstanding," Theo Zwenziger, the German FA president, said. "We never expected them. Our expectations have been exceeded by several million."

England's FA had hoped that a successful tournament on the part of Hope Powell's side would heighten interest in the newly formed, semi-professional, English Women's Super League. All appeared to be progressing smoothly when, following lobbying from Labour MP Andy Burnham, the BBC switched live transmission of the team's quarter-final against France from the red button service to BBC2, but defeat on penalties ensured the FA were denied the domestic marketing opportunity they craved.

At least that England-France duel saw women's football begin trending on Twitter, with many tweets coming from hitherto sceptical men. "This team can actually play," declared one. Another simply reflected: "I can't believe I just shouted 'come on England' at my TV during a women's game."

Powell's players beat Japan in their final group stage fixture but the sweet-passing Nadeshiko – named after a pink flower said to embody the ideal of Oriental femininity and resilience – are dubbed the "Barcelona of female football". Ranked fourth in the world, the consensus is that they are well worth their inaugural place in the final of a quadrennial tournament first staged in 1991 and won twice by the US – (most recently in 1991), once by Norway and twice by Germany.

Not that history or statistics are on their side: they have drawn only three of their 25 meetings with the USA, while only 25,000 girls are registered as youth players in Japan, against more than 200,000 in California alone.

Norio Sasaki, Japan's coach, remains undaunted. "I've told my team: 'When you're in a tough spot think of the disaster victims and give it your all,'" he said. Before the win against Germany Sasaki showed his squad a graphic slideshow of their country's 11 March disaster. "It touched deep into our souls," said the midfielder Aya Miyama.

Despite kick-offs well into the early hours, games have attracted healthy television audiences on Japan's national public broadcaster NHK, while special late commemorative newspaper editions marking the semi-final win over Sweden were eagerly snapped up by Tokyo commuters last week.

"Japan are the sentimental favourites," acknowledged Hope Solo, the US goalkeeper. "Their players have so much emotion it will be hard for us. Japan are playing for something so much bigger and better than just football.".

It could change everything on Sunday.
women's world cup final live stream