A hat-trick from Alex Morgan propelled the USWNT to a 4–0 win over Sweden to claim third place at the 2012 Algarve Cup on Wednesday.

But the thoughts of many US Soccer fans—and the team—surely lingered on the 1–0 loss to Japan on Monday in the first meeting of the two countries since the US lost to Japan in the 2011 Women's World Cup final.

For the first time ever the Associated Press has named a soccer player as their Athlete of the year. U.S. Women's National Team player Abby Wambach was announced today as the winner of this years award voted on by a panel of writers. The 31-year-old received 65 of the 214 votes cast, while teammate Hope [.

(Photos: Paul Rudderow)

With PPL Park playing host to it's first playoff game this Saturday, August 20 at 4:00pm when the second-seeded Philadelphia Independence host the WPS Super Semifinal, the PSP caught up with Independence and US National Team goalkeeper Nicole Barnhart. A former WPS champion with FC Gold Pride who has earned 39 caps for the USA, Barnhart discusses the recent Women's World Cup, the Philadelphia Independence, PPL Park and WPS.

Finally, someone reading my articles on Fox Soccer asked the big question: RealMD posted the following comment yesterday:

Why Fox Sports would partner with the author of this essay is obvious. Why she would partner with Fox Sports is the question.

Go up to the top masthead on this website and click on Fox Sports.

I write this from the train, on the return journey that marks the conclusion of my experience with the 2011 Women's World Cup. There are sleeping Japanese fans scattered the cars – I can imagine they went directly from their celebrations to the station.
The USWNT players are flying home.

Union

A post on the Union's website before Sunday's game said the team was focused on finishing their chances. The Union did just that, topping New England 3–0 with goals from Carlos Ruiz, Carlos Valdes and Sheanon Williams.

Match reports from the PSP, the Brotherly Game, ASN Philly, and Philly Union Talk.

In Hope we trust!

The US women played their hearts out against Japan and they were in long spells the better team. They lost to a cruel lottery of penalty kicks.

Post match they showed their class. No grumbling. No wasted tears. As Hope Solo put it:

"We lost to a great team, we really did.

Japan's win over USA in the Women's World Cup final set a record 7,196 tweets per second (TPS). It was followed closely by the 7,196 TPS generated by the Brazil vs Paraguay in the closing minutes on the same day.

In comparison, the previous record set on New Years Eve in Japan in 2010 produced 6,939 TPS at its peak.

A beaming Homare Sawa shows of her Golden Boot. 5 goals in 6 matches, none bigger than the 116th minute equalizer against the USA in the finals. And who can forget her setting up Karina Maruyama for that extra time goal that torpedoed defending champions Germany?

Sawa also gave the Nadeshiko the lead for good against Sweden in the semi-finals with her improvisational skills.

United States Drops Heartbreaker to Japan in Final

Writer Jerrod Roh has provided coverage, analysis, and opinion for the 2011 Women's World Cup for IMSoccer News. He has attended the last 3 men's World Cups in South Korea, Germany, and South Africa as well as the 2003 Women's World Cup in the U.

United States Drops Heartbreaker to Japan in Final

Writer Jerrod Roh has provided coverage, analysis, and opinion for the 2011 Women's World Cup for IMSoccer News. He has attended the last 3 men's World Cups in South Korea, Germany, and South Africa as well as the 2003 Women's World Cup in the U.

Japan turned the narrative tables: This time it was not the USWNT winning against the run of play. They attacked relentlessly for much of the match, and came awfully close to scoring over and over again. Japan forced the USWNT to bring the game to them. Every now and again, they let up their breaks.

After being the comeback kids for too many games, the US Women's National Team took the lead in Sunday's 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup but were not able to keep it. In fact the US took leads twice in the game only to have Japan equalize each time. On this day it was Japan who proved the dominating team doesn't always go home with the hardware.

After being the comeback kids for too many games, the US Women's National Team took the lead in Sunday's 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup but wasn't able to keep it. Twice the US took leads in the game only to have Japan equalize, and on this day it was Japan who proved the dominating team doesn't always go home with the hardware.

By FRANCO PANIZO

The feel-good story that was the U.S. women's national team at the World Cup has come to a close, and it does so without the fairy-tale ending.

The U.S. team lost in the World Cup final on Sunday, falling to Japan 3-1 on penalty kicks after playing to a 2-2 draw.

President Obama and his family watch the Women's World Cup from the White House. (photo via White House flickr)

I know I haven't done a whole lot of Women's World Cup talk these last couple weeks (a shame I know) but I thought this was cool photo of President Barrack Obama and his family watching the game from the White House.

The U.S. Women's National Soccer Team will complete their World Cup run today, and will either provide the perfect finish to a dream tournament, or will fall just short in their quest for a third World Cup title when the ladies take on Japan in today's Women's World Cup Final (2:45pm, ESPN/Galavision/ESPN3.

The U.S. Women's National Team will look to win the second World Cup in the team's history today with a win against Japan in the 2011 World Cup Final in Frankfurt, Germany (2:45pm, ESPN).

The U.S. women reached the final with a pair of thrilling victories against Brazil and France, and now face an inspired Japan side that reached the final by knocking off defending champion Germany before blowing out Sweden in the semifinals.

Abby Wambach is feeling it!

The 1991 US team broke new ground winning the first ever World Cup and repeated the feat eight years later. By that time Michelle Akers, Mia Hamm, Brandi Chastain, and Kristine Lilly were household names. US women's soccer and success are so inextricably intertwined with those names leaving each succeeding squad aspiring to reach the same heights and write their names into history.

Today in Frankfurt, Germany, the USA WNT faces Japan in the Final of the 2011 Women's World Cup in an attempt to win the trophy for the second time in 12 years. I think it's fair to say that 95% of soccer fans around the world, especially, of course, in the US and Japan, will either be watching the match live, or be monitoring the score via whatever.

Photo: Earl Gardner

River Cup

"1st time in my life i see such brotherhood, respect and chemistry between the front office, technical staff and owners with the fans! DOOP!"

"Definitely this Franchise and its people are UNIQUE!!! These is what we call a real FAMILY DOOP!!!"

Tweets from Faryd Mondragon (Quote 1, Quote 2)

"This is the culture we are trying to create, one big family, and we hope this is just the beginning of events like this.

Come join Minnesota supporters of the Women's National Team, along with readers of IMSoccer News, duNord Futbol, and memebers of Minneapolis and St. Paul, American Outlaws and the Dark Clouds supporters group for a US National Team World Cup watch party.

The US National Team plays Japan in a 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup Final Championship match, Sunday, July 17, with a 1:30 p.

USWNT

Abby Wambach says the US is ready to face Japan.

The USA v France Women's World Cup semifinal was the fourth most watched USWNT match ever. An average of 3.35 million people watched the match on ESPN, another 450,000 on ESPN3. Philly was not one of the top-five markets for that or any of the games.

Writer Jerrod Roh will provide coverage, analysis, and opinion for the 2011 Women's World Cup for IMSoccer News. He has attended the last 3 men's World Cups in South Korea, Germany, and South Africa as well as the 2003 Women's World Cup in the U.S. He is a self-described fan, student, and teacher of the game.

Writer Jerrod Roh will provide coverage, analysis, and opinion for the 2011 Women's World Cup for IMSoccer News. He has attended the last 3 men's World Cups in South Korea, Germany, and South Africa as well as the 2003 Women's World Cup in the U.S. He is a self-described fan, student, and teacher of the game.

US

USWNT post-match quotes following Wednesday's Women's World Cup 3–1 semifinal win over France.

The Shin Guardian has a thing or two the men's game could learn from the women's game.

The Inquirer and Forbes follows buzz generated by the USWNT at the Women's World Cup.

Abby Wambach's header against Brazil beat out Eric Hassli's wonder strike for the Best Play ESPY award.

szólj hozzá: Japan 3-1 Sweden

Josefine Oqvist's early goal flattered to deceive as Japan tightened the screws around Sweden and ran out 3-1 victors in an exhibition of Barca style touch football. Nahomi Kawasumi scored a brace and Homare Sawa added another for Japan. The Nadeshiko play their first World Cup final in one of the fastest ascents in world football.

szólj hozzá: France 1-3 United States

Lauren Cheney's goal and set piece assist proved vital to the US semi-final win over France. The US fought off a very impressive French attack and then launched some very opportunistic counterattacks against some questionable defending to prevail. Abby Wambach and Alex Morgan were the other US goalscorers.

From some perspectives (including that of players on the field), it looks like France outplayed the USWNT in the World Cup semifinal. But France lost.It has been said, too, of France's game against England, that they dominated possession, played the better game. But they only won on penalties. Many felt that Brazil played a better game against the US in the Olympics, some might say they played a better game (in a few ways at least) than the USWNT last week – but Brazil lost the Olympic and the World Cup matches.

Team USA Defeats France 3-1; Advances to World Cup Championship

Writer Jerrod Roh will provide coverage, analysis, and opinion for the 2011 Women's World Cup for IMSoccer News. He has attended the last 3 men's World Cups in South Korea, Germany, and South Africa as well as the 2003 Women's World Cup in the U.

Japan's dream run in the Women's World Cup continues.

After falling behind in the 10th minute, Japan scored three unanswered goals and defeated Sweden, 3-1, in Wednesday's semifinal to advance to the final against the United States.

Josefine Oqvist put Sweden, which topped the United States in the group stage, ahead early with a clinical finish, but the lead was a short-lived one.

Two goals by impact player Nahomi Kawasumi

We can honestly report that the craft of football won this match. The Nadeshiko outclassed a physically superior Swedish team with their sophisticated possession, precision passing, and end product. There is no shame comparing them to Barcelona and Sweden to Man Utd because it resembled the Champions League final in scoreline as well as in the contrasting styles of football.

After the pathos of the win over Brazil, today's match was a relief. My sense of relief pales, however, compared with that of the people watching the semifinal with me. I write this from the "family bus" – as luck would have it, I attended the France-USA match with the family of Lori Lindsey.

Abby Wambach's continued late game heroics have the U.S. women's national team a win away from its third World Cup title.

The veteran U.S. forward scored for the third conseuctive game, heading home a Lauren Cheney corner kick in the 79th minute to break a 1-1 deadlock and lead the United States to a 3-1 victory over France in Wednesday's semifinal match.

Lauren Cheney: Her stunning goal and set piece assist lifted the USA over France

First, kudos have to go to the unsung US defense that battled a spectacular French side to no more damage than Sonia Bompastor's equalizer. Take a bow Christine Rampone, Amy LePeilbet, Ali Krieger, and especially Becky Sauerbrunn whose assured performance belied this being her World Cup debut.

Carli Lloyd's clever back heel has Heather O' Reilly doing what she does best -haring down the left flank and with a sliver of space curls in a cross which Lauren Cheney arriving near post turns into into goal. Perfect finish.

The USA got off to an early start for the second time in a row.

The U.S. women's national team is a game away from reaching the final of the Women's World Cup for the first time since winning it all in 1999.

After their breathtaking, come-from-behind victory over Brazil in the quarterfinals, the U.S. women face France in a semifinal match in Moenchengladbach, Germany (12 p.

The eye catching Louisa Necib: Her last name in Arabic means "fate"

Team USA in a few minutes will take to the pitch facing an extremely dangerous France. Both teams are coming off exhausting quarterfinal matches against their opponents which went to penalty shootout. A key factor will be how well both teams rebound from those mentally and physically challenging roller coasters.

This past Sunday, people from across the country and around the world witnessed one of the greatest come-from-behind victories in all of sports. Truly, the United States stole a victory against all odds. What many don't know is the battles these women have overcome away from the field.