WC final had 13.5 million viewers in U.S.

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BRISTOL, Conn. -- The Women's World Cup final has earned the highest television rating for any soccer game on an ESPN network.

The World Cup Boost?

As the memories from the Americans' deflating defeat to Japan start to fade, focus now turns to gauging precisely what the team gained for both the players and the sport, writes Jeff Carlisle. Story

Japan's comeback to beat the United States in a penalty shootout Sunday drew a 7.4 fast national rating. The previous high was a 4.0 for last year's U.S.-Algeria men's World Cup match.

With an average of almost 13.5 million viewers, it was the sixth most watched soccer telecast ever in the United States. The record is still held by the 1999 Women's World Cup final, which had an 11.4 rating.

Ratings measure the percentage of all households with televisions tuned into a program.

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press

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