BEIJING - In a commercial for a Dodge SUV that has aired for several months, members of the U.S. women's soccer team take a fictitious road trip to South America and find the Brazilian national team in the middle of a training session.

That's when Abby Wambach yells, in Portuguese, "We want a rematch."

Wambach and her broken leg won't be a part of it, but the Americans will get their chance to avenge last September's embarrassing 4-0 loss to Brazil in the World Cup semifinals on a significantly large stage.

The U.S. and Brazil will face off in the gold medal match Thursday after both teams put up four goals in semifinal wins.

The U.S. beat Japan 4-2 at Worker's Stadium behind two goals from midfielder Angela Hucles. The Brazilians, in their own revenge game, defeated defending World Cup champion Germany 4-1. The Germans beat Brazil in the final.

But that game didn't have nearly the ripple effect that the U.S. loss to Brazil did. It was after the semifinal loss that goalkeeper Hope Solo criticized then-head coach Greg Ryan for starting Briana Scurry in net.

Solo was randomly selected for doping tests Monday and didn't learn of Brazil's win until well after the result.

"Then I found out it was Brazil and I was cheering in the doping control room," said Solo, who will finally get her chance to back up her claim. "It'll be nice to get some revenge, I guess."

It looked initially like the U.S. would have to settle for another third-place match when Japan's Shinobu Ohno was left unmarked in front of the 6-yard box and sent in an easy goal to give the Japanese a 1-0 lead.

Solo later needed to make an outstretched save to keep from falling behind by two goals. The U.S., though, went on a scoring run after that, putting up four unanswered goals, all in impressive fashion.

It started when Heather O'Reilly sent a cross in front of goal, which Amy Rodriguez allowed to skip past her right to Hucles' feet. Hucles sent it home to tie the score in the 41st minute.

Three minutes later, UNC alum Lori Chalupny settled a long pass, dribbled through two defenders and nailed a laser into the top left corner of the net for a 2-1 lead.

In the second half, O'Reilly lobbed a left-footed shot from outside the penalty area over the outstretched arms of the Japanese goalkeeper for a 3-1 lead in the 70th minute. And Hucles ended the U.S. scoring in the 80th minute with a score from a seemingly impossible angle well wide of the net and just in front of the end line.

"We're so thrilled to see [Brazil]," said O'Reilly, a former UNC star. "I think it's going to be a battle. We both know each other's styles quite well. But I think that we're prepared and we have such a strong unit. I don't think there's any break in us.

"We haven't lost that feeling of what it felt like last year in the semifinals. We're going to carry that with us. We want this gold."

Get $150+ in coupons in every Sunday N&O. Click here for convenient home delivery.