Portland, Ore. ? The numbing semifinal loss to Germany ended the U.S. women’s impressive World Cup run.

There’s still a game to play, but it’s not the one they had hoped for.

The defending champions will face Canada Saturday in Carson, Calif., for third place. Germany and Sweden play in the title game Sunday.

A championship would have been the United States’ third in the four World Cups. It would have meant most to Mia Hamm, Julie Foudy, Kristine Lilly and Joy Fawcett. They have played in all four World Cups since the inaugural event in 1991.

This is the last one they will play together. Hamm and Fawcett have both said they plan to retire after the Olympics in Athens next year.

“It’s been a great journey, every step of the way,” said coach April Heinrichs, who was the captain of the U.S. team that won the World Cup title that first year.

Heinrichs gave the team off Monday after the 3-0 loss to Germany, just the second in World Cup play for the United States.

The last time the Americans lost in World Cup competition was in 1995, when they were defeated 1-0 by Norway in the semifinals. Norway went on to win the title with a 2-0 victory over Germany, while the Americans claimed third place with a 2-0 win over China.