The Canadian women are defending Games champion, winning four years ago in Guadalajara in John Herdman’s debut at the Canadian helm.
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As the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup enters into the knockout stages, figures show that people are tuning in to watch the growing brand of football across Europe on Eurosport, with 33.8 million different people already watching the tournament on the two channels at the mid-way point.
(Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP).
Japan coach Norio Sasaki (right) talks with midfielder Aya Miyama during training in Vancouver, British Columbia during the FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015 on June 11, 2015.
Julie Foudy of espnW and ESPN FC’s Kate Markgraf discuss the most impressive, underwhelming and surprising teams going into the Round of 16 of the FIFA Women’s World Cup. Today the Ivory Coast showed it deserves a place in the World Cup.
The path certainly does not get any easier for coach Pia Sundhage’s fifth-ranked team, who will face top-ranked Germany to open the knockout stage at the Women’s World Cup.
In the group stage, Cameroon defeated Ecuador 6-0 before falling to Japan 2-1.
For Sundhage, it’s all about taking advantage of second chances after Sweden had to wait in Edmonton, Alberta, until the final group-round matches were played Wednesday.
It’s too bad that she is finishing, because she is good for women’s football, Sundhage said.
Germany will face a tough task as they look to progress to the quarter-final stages of the Women’s World Cup when they face Sweden in their last 16 tie on Saturday night.
France vs. South Korea (Over 2.5 -115): Finally the French team that I had been waiting to see!
Monday in Edmonton: United States vs. Colombia, 7 p.m. On top of that they will be without their starting goalkeeper, Sandra Sepulveda, who is being forced to sit out for yellow card accumulation. The two teams meet on Sunday in Moncton. The bid came after FIFA expanded the number of Asian teams to play in the World Cup from three to five.
Time: 4:30 p.m. PDT. The replay was inconclusive whether Hao had stumbled.
United States star Abby Wambach has been vocal in her criticism of artificial turf being used for the first time at the Women’s World Cup in Canada.
“We just want to focus on our performance now”, said the Chelsea LFC player.
This theory will be put to the test on June 22, when the United States plays Colombia in the round of 16.
And Herdman has to find a way to get more players around her. Sinclair has scored 154 goals for Canada, but only one in this tournament – on a contentious penalty-kick in injury time against China.
Thus begins the transition from group play posturing to the World Cup bracket – where you win or leave with nothing but memories of Canada and turf burn.
He was talking ahead of Sunday’s monumental Round of 16 meeting with Switzerland at B.C. Place. She didn’t concede a single goal during the tournament, setting a World Cup record for most minutes played (540) without being scored upon.
Jingoistic projections that Team Canada could win this thing were illogical.
“These three teams have been battle hardened, it just toughens you up for the biggest matches where any slipup and you’re out”, he said.
“What has happened before doesn’t really matter now because this is where it really starts”, said Germany coach Silvia Neid.
ANOTHER UNDERDOG: Along with Cameroon and Colombia, South Korea drew a tough elimination-round opponent in France.
Going into this World Cup, Canada had a nine-game losing streak against European teams in the tournament.
Blatter has claimed that “most countries around the world will play on artificial turf one day because it can be used 24 hours a day, seven days a week”.
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