WHAT: United States vs. Japan in the gold-medal game of the IFAF World Championship, Saturday, July 18, 7 p.m. ET.

WHERE TO WATCH: The game is being streamed live at ESPN3 and can be followed at ifafworldchampionship.org/watch-live.

Matchup history: This marks the third time the two countries have faced off at the IFAF tournament and the second time they’ll play for a gold medal. Inarguably the best game in IFAF history, the U.S. topped Japan, 23-20, in a double-overtime thriller in the 2007 final. The two teams played in this year’s second round just six days earlier, with the U.S. winning, 43-18. Each country is going for its third IFAF championship.

***

U.S. HEAD COACH: The U.S. Men’s National Team is led by former Boise State and Colorado head football coach Dan Hawkins. Hawkins was 53-11 at Boise State from 2001-05, winning four consecutive Western Athletic Conference titles. His teams compiled a 31-game WAC winning streak, the longest in conference history. His five seasons at Colorado (2006-10) included a win over No. 3 Oklahoma in 2007, the same year he led the Buffaloes to the Independence Bowl. Prior to Boise State, Hawkins coached Willamette University in Salem, Ore., to a 40-12-1 record from 1993-97, earning two conference titles and a 1997 NAIA championship game berth. Currently serving as a college football analyst for ESPN and SiriusXM Satellite Radio, Hawkins was the head coach of the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League in 2013.

U.S. PLAYERS TO WATCH

Sadale Foster, RB, Texas Tech

Foster averaged almost 5.4 yards per carry in two years with the Red Raiders. He came to Tech after a decorated stay at Riverside Community College, where he was a unanimous first-team All-National Division East Conference selection as a punt returner in 2011. Foster is averaging 7.2 yards per carry and has found the end zone five times in this tournament.

Ernst Brun, TE, Iowa State

Brun was a team captain at Iowa State and received All-Big 12 honors his senior season after recording 32 receptions for 377 yards and six touchdowns. In 2012 as a junior, Brun tied a school record for most touchdowns by an tight end with six. He scored two touchdowns in the U.S. team’s 82-0 third-round rout of France on Wednesday.

Robert Virgil, DB, Sioux Falls

At Sioux Falls, Virgil led the Cougars with five interceptions, taking two back for touchdowns in 2011. Before joining the Cougars, he played for Sacramento City Community College, where he recorded 86 tackles and four interceptions in one season. Virgil has a U.S.-leading 17 tackles, three pass breakups and one interception so far this tournament.

***

JAPAN HEAD COACH: Kiyoyuki Mori participates in his fourth IFAF World Championship, including his second as head coach of the Japanese national team. He also serves as head coach of the Lixil Deers of the Japanese X-League. In 2003, Mori was a member of the offensive staff for a Japan team that won the IFAF World Championship in Germany.In 2007, Mori was the offensive coordinator of a Japan team that was beaten in double overtime by the United States in the gold medal game, having scored 133 points during the group stages.  Four years later, he took over as head coach and led Japan to the bronze medal with a 17-14 win over Mexico.

JAPAN PLAYERS TO WATCH

Yasuo Wakisaka, DL, Panasonic. A legend of the Japanese game who is 46-years-old and competing in his fourth IFAF World Championship, Wakisaka was a member of the Japan team that won the inaugural 1999 world title and in 2011 was named to the all-tournament second team.

Shohei Kato, QB, Lixll. The Japanese quarterback had a record-setting performance in the 2015 second-round matchup with the U.S. In his team’s 43-18 loss, Kato set single-game IFAF records for completions (28) and pass attempts (49). He threw one touchdown and was picked off twice.

Tetsuo Takata, QB, Panasonic. After not taking a snap in his team’s first game, Takata was nearly flawless in a 35-7 third-round blowout of Mexico. In that contest, he completed 17 of 24 passes for 223 yards and 3 touchdowns without committing a single turnover.

Follow IFAF on @IFAFMedia on Twitter and Instagram