Japan is still waiting to ignite at the Women's World Cup, but the slow burn that has carried the team all the way to the semifinals may yet be enough to take it further.
Japan faces England in Edmonton on Wednesday with a place in Sunday's final against the United States in Vancouver the prize for the winner. The defending champions may have won each of their five games in Canada so far by only a single-goal margin, but with each victory comes increased confidence and it will be a battle-hardened unit indeed that takes the field for the semifinal.
"Make no mistake, winning these tough games by only one goal has made the team grow within a very short space of time," said Japan manager Norio Sasaki after his side's 1-0 quarterfinal win over Australia on Saturday.