In the world of women’s soccer, there are two things every fan knows: women need to be paid more, and the USWNT vs. Japan rivalry has been raging since the dawn of time. Okay, maybe not quite that long, but it is a rivalry of the ages. These two powerhouse nations just keep meeting in some of the biggest arenas around the globe, and it is always a sight to see. We’re going to look at how this rivalry came to be, so get ready for a soccer history lesson!
How Did it Begin?
The first match-up between these two teams was in 1986 at the Mundialito, a precursor to the FIFA Women’s World Cup, where the US came out on top 3-1. They met again the following year in the now-titled Women’s World Invitational Tournament. The US established a winning streak at this meet-up with a 1-0 victory.
The teams would continue to meet in important international tournaments, including the 1988 FIFA Women’s World Invitation Tournament and the 1991 and 1995 FIFA Women’s World Cups. That’s right, it took five years and three different experiment tournaments for FIFA to finally give the women of the world their due, but that’s not what we’re talking about today.
Back to the rivalry! The US maintained its dominance over Japan on the pitch during every…
