Women's World Cup Open Thread: England vs. Japan

With one half of the bracket decided, England takes on Japan at 4:00pm to settle who will join the United States in the World Cup Final.

England paved their way to the semifinal by defeating the host Canada, with the Thorns' Jodie Taylor scoring the opener for the Lionesses, as Taylor picked up a mistake by the Canadian defense to get 1v1 with Erin McLeod, firing a shot past her in the 11th minute, while Lucy Bronze added her second of the World Cup just a few minutes later to put England up 2.  Christine Sinclair tried to create some more magic for Canada, scoring in the 42nd minute, but there just wasn't enough left as the hosts saw their run end and England go through.

Japan once again used their possession-based attack to wear down Australia, but the match still nearly went to extra time, before Mana Iwabuchi scored the game-winner in the 87th minute.   Japan had control of much of the match, forcing Australia to chase their quick passes, eventually forcing the Matildas to sub off their best attackers due to fatigue.

History is on the side of the English, as they handed Japan their only loss in the 2011 World Cup, while their other two meetings have been draws.

England has yet to face an opponent with the ability to control the ball like the Japanese, but England has only grown more dangerous as their attackers have returned to full health.  While England's quick-strike attack bears semblance to that of Australia's, England brings in fresher legs and more attacking options that could wear down the Japanese and disrupt the flow of the game that is so vital to Japan's attack.

England vs. Japan

Kickoff: 4:00pm

Watch: Fox Sports 1 or streaming on Fox Sports Go and NBC Universo