Saturday afternoon (our time), Japan pulled off what some have called the greatest upset in women's Cup history by defeating Germany in the quarterfinals. Germany was not only the host nation, it was the favorite, and the 1-0 loss shocked the winners as much as the losers.
"I am so happy," said game-winning goal scorer Karina Maruyama. "We all fought together until the end. It was not my success, but that of the whole team."
Then came Sunday.
U.S. fans were preparing their excuses as the clock ticked upward in the quarterfinal match against Brazil and the U.S. trailing, 2-1. Questionable calls are a part of every high-profile sports contest, but especially in soccer, where the officials are usually yards from the play.
But Abby Wambach and Megan Rapinoe made sure there would be no gripes from the Americans. Rapinoe put the ball in a square-foot area that only Wambach could reach for the tying header.
Nine penalty kicks later, the stunned Brazilians stalked off the pitch and the U.S. women exulted. Back home, Twitter exploded.
"USA! USA!" tweeted Warren Sapp.
"Go USA" tweeted a more subdued Jarvis Moss.
"Go #USA" added Darius Butler.
And that's just the NFL players.
There are still two very formidable foes between the U.S. and the title. France is next, followed by either Japan or Sweden.
With their white-knuckle victory over Brazil and Germany's ouster, the U.S. could have the inside edge for the Cup. They also have most of the country's attention.
It's a toss up which one means more.
