Japan national football team
The Japanese team is commonly known by the fans and media as , , or as abbreviated expressions. Although the team does not have an official nickname as such, it is often known by the name of the manager. For example, under Takeshi Okada, the team was known as . Recently, the team has been known or nicknamed as the "Samurai Blue", while Japanese news media during the 2018 FIFA World Cup still referred it to by the recently departed manager's (Akira Nishino) last name, as .
Japan–United States women's soccer rivalry
The Japan–United States women's soccer rivalry is a sports rivalry between the national women's football (soccer) teams of Japan and the United States, two of the most successful women's football nations in the world, having achieved eight straight Women's World Cup appearances between the two countries. However, the United States has dominated Japan since 1986, having won 28 of the 36 matches. The U.S. maintained a 13-match winning streak from 1986 through 2000. Japan upsets the U.S. 1–0, their first ever win in regulation for Japan, and subsequently the Algarve Cup final against Germany, but finished as the runners-up after a 4–3 loss.