I didn’t follow the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2011 until the news media started to talk about the final between the USA and Japan. After the news broke that the Japanese Women’s team had won the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup in dramatic fashion by coming from behind twice against the Americans followed by outscoring them 3-1 in the penalty shoot-out, I watched the video highlights of the game and was floored by the good play by both teams and especially by the poignant story of the Japanese team.

True Grit

The story behind the Japanese women’s team has been one of true grit. They were not the strongest team in that they were beaten 2:0 by England in their group stages but they were determined and persevered. They managed to qualify for the second stage becoming runners-up in the group before proceeding to beat two-time defending champion Germany 1:0 ...