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LYON, France, July 6-- U.S. coach Jill Ellis said Saturday that she expected a competitive match against the "disciplined" Netherlands in the FIFA Women's World Cup final here on Sunday. "The Netherlands are a tremendous team," Ellis told a pre-match press conference. "They are European champions. They've got a lot of talented players, and the coach knows what she is doing. They move the ball very well, and are very disciplined in what they do. I expect it to be a very competitive match." "They like the ball and want to have the ball. This is a team who want to have the ball to get a big shape. They have a variety, and are excellent in their positioning in terms of being in good spaces to receive the ball. They are very well schooled in their system, and added on that is the personality of the players," said Ellis. It will be the fifth World Cup final for Ellis' side, but something is new for the Netherlands in their second appearance at the quadrennial women's soccer tournament. Ellis' opinion was echoed by striker Megan Rapinoe, who had been sidelined for a 2-1 semifinal win over England citing a hamstring injury. "I don't think that you get to the final of the World Cup without being a fantastic team, front to back, and being able to play in different ways," said the 34-year-old. "In this tournament they've shared the ball in a lot of games, but they also had to dig in and grind out wins, with some of them very easy and some others very difficult. That's a sign of a very good team to make this level and play this game tremendously," she added. | 
