Decades in the Making, Here's Why USA-Japan Is the Biggest Rivalry in Softball

The US had never lost to Japan in the Olympics until 2000, when they fell 2-1 in a game that went deep into extra innings. The US entered the competition as the gold medal favorite, but that loss sent the team into its first three-game losing streak in international competition. The US had to fight its way back to the top, ultimately securing the gold medal in another close-fought, 2-1 game against — you guessed it — Japan.