Americans Carli Lloyd, Julie Johnston and Megan Rapinoe are among eight players on the short list for the World Cup's Golden Ball, awarded to the tournament's best player.
Determined by FIFA's Technical Study Group, the eight players short-listed for the award represent five countries. In addition to three players from the United States, Japan's Saori Ariyoshi and Aya Miyama give that country multiple candidates ahead of Sunday's final. The eventual Golden Ball winner has played in the final in each of the first six World Cups, although China's Sun Wen in 1999 and Brazil's Marta in 2007 won the tournament's top individual honor while playing for teams that finished second.
England's Lucy Bronze, France's Amandine Henry and Germany's Celia Sasic round out the players on the list announced Thursday.
Lloyd was named FIFA's player of the match in three of the first six games for the United States. She scored the only goal in the U.S.' quarterfinal win against China and converted penalty kicks against both Colombia and Germany in the knockout rounds, the latter serving as the eventual winning goal in the semifinal. Rapinoe scored twice in the opening game of the tournament for the United States and played a role in all of the goals the team scored in the group phase. A World Cup rookie, Johnston is part of a defense that hasn't allowed a goal in more than 500 minutes. She won the Bronze Ball as the tournament's third-best player in the 2012 under-20 Women's World Cup, which the U.S. won.
While the United States seeks to win its first World Cup title since 1999, its Golden Ball drought is even longer. Carin Jennings, who received the Golden Ball in the inaugural 1991 World Cup, is the only American to win it. Only Abby Wambach, who won the Silver Ball as the runner-up to Japan's Homare Sawa four years ago, finished as high as second since Jennings and Michelle Akers finished in the top two spots in 1991.
FIFA also announced short lists for awards given to the tournament's best goalkeeper and best young player. American Hope Solo, who was the inaugural winner of the Golden Glove for best goalkeeper four years ago, is nominated, joined on the list this year by Germany's Nadine Angerer (who was named the best goalkeeper in the 2007 World Cup prior to the creation of the current award) and Japan's Ayumi Kaihori.
None of those short-listed for the tournament's best young player, defined by FIFA as those 21 years old or younger, reached the tournament's semifinals. The candidates are Canada's 19-year-old Kadeisha Buchanan, who plays collegiately at the University of West Virginia, Norway's 19-year-old Ada Hegerberg and China's 20-year-old Tang Jiali.
The winner of the Golden Boot, which goes to the tournament's top goal scorer, might come down to Saturday's third-place game between Germany and England. Sasic currently leads all players with six goals, one more than teammate Anja Mittag. Lloyd is the only player from the teams in the final who has as many as three goals.