2015 Women's World Cup

Hm. Dunno. We have about 7 or 8 starters injured.  On the other hand, that shouldn't be an excuse for a German NT. Plus Nadine Anger will want to lead the kids to the World Cup as she will hang up her gloves after the tournament.

Preliminary line-up for the German NT (will be reduced to 23 players by 24 May 2015):

GKs: Nadine Angerer (Portland Thorns), Laura Benkarth (SC Freiburg), Almuth Schult (VfL Wolfsburg), Lisa Weiß (SGS Essen)

Defense: Saskia Bartusiak, Bianca Schmidt, Kathrin Hendrich (all 1. FFC Frankfurt), Tabea Kemme, Jennifer Cramer (both Turbine Potsdam), Annike Krahn, Josephine Henning (both Paris St. Germain), Leonie Maier (Bayern München), Babett Peter (VfL Wolfsburg)

Midlfield: Fatmire Alushi* (Paris St. Germain), Melanie Leupolz, Melanie Behringer, Lena Lotzen (Bayern München), Sara Däbritz (SC Freiburg), Anna Blässe, Lena Goeßling (VfL Wolfsburg), Simone Laudehr, Dzsenifer Marozsán (both 1. FFC Frankfurt)

Strikers: Pauline Bremer (FFC Turbine Potsdam), Anja Mittag (FC Rosengard), Lena Petermann (SC Freiburg), Alexandra Popp (VfL Wolfsburg), Celia Sasic** (1. FFC Frankfurt)

*) née Fatmire "Lira" Bajramaj
**) nèe Célia Okoyino-daMbabi

Let's go Canada

England

Canada will definitely feel they have a shot since they'll be at home, but other than Sinclair their team doesn't look as strong as it has in the recent past.

Similarly the US still seems to be struggling a bit to find its new identity after the exit of Pia Sundhage in 2012.


Not sure about England, they have some talented players but I'm not certain they have the overall ability throughout the squad, or the management necessary, to win it all.


Japan and France are usually both quite competitive but I've seen and heard little about them, so can't really judge.

English NT (official call-up):

Goalkeepers: Siobhan Chamberlain (Arsenal); Karen Bardsley (Man City), Carly Telford (Notts County)

Defenders: Lucy Bronze, Steph Houghton (Man City), Alex Scott (Arsenal), Laura Bassett, Alex Greenwood (Notts County), Claire Rafferty (Chelsea), Casey Stoney (Arsenal)

Midfield: Jordan Nobbs (Arsenal), Fara Williams (Liverpool), Jill Scott (Man City), Jade Moore, Karen Carney, Jo Potter (Birmingham), Katie Chapman (Chelsea)

Forwards: Toni Duggan (Man City), Eni Aluko (Chelsea), Lianne Sanderson (Arsenal), Jodie Taylor (Portland Thorns), Fran Kirby (Reading), Ellen White (Notts County)

BBC analysed the English squad here:
http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/32611132


LOL, I just saw this here: "Confident England are targeting World Cup glory in Canada". Will English media ever learn?

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/may/11/mark-sampson-england-world-cup-canada-hope-powell-katie-chapman-toni-duggan

German NT (official call-up)

Goal: Nadine Angerer (Portland Thorns, 138 caps/0 goals), Laura Benkarth (SC Freiburg, 0/0), Almuth Schult (VfL Wolfsburg, 20/0)

Defense: Saskia Bartusiak (70/1), Bianca Schmidt (both 1. FFC Frankfurt, 48/3), Tabea Kemme (13/0), Jennifer Cramer (both Turbine Potsdam, 20/0), Annike Krahn (116/5), Josephine Henning (both Paris St. Germain, 25/0), Leonie Maier (Bayern München, 24/3), Babett Peter (VfL Wolfsburg, 88/4)

Midfield: Melanie Leupolz (27/5), Melanie Behringer (103/26), Lena Lotzen (all Bayern München, 21/4), Sara Däbritz (SC Freiburg, 15/0), Lena Goeßling (VfL Wolfsburg, 71/8 ), Simone Laudehr (87/23), Dzsenifer Marozsan (both 1. FFC Frankfurt, 47/23)

Forswards: Pauline Bremer (Turbine Potsdam, 4/0), Anja Mittag (FC Rosengard, 119/33), Lena Petermann (SC Freiburg, 2/0), Alexandra Popp (VfL Wolfsburg, 53/27), Celia Sasic* (1. FFC Frankfurt, 103/57)

18 of the players already played in the Euro 2013 winning team, two belonged to the 2014 U20 World Cup winning team. Women World Player of the Year 2014 Nadine Keßler of VfL Wolfsburg misses the World Cup due to injury.

*) nèe Célia Okoyino-daMbabi

Source: http://www.sport1.de/fussball/frauen/2015/05/wm-aufgebot-bundestrainerin-neid-streicht-hendrich-blaesse-und-weiss

Gemany play a friendly against Switzerland right now in preparation of the World Cup during their training camp in Feusisberg (the same location where the Swiss men usually train before international matches). The match is played on articificial turf by the same company that will provide the turf in Canada, too.

Aaaand Switzerland scored in the second minute o_O
02.) 1:0 - Ana Maria Crnogorcevic


Swiss Nr.13 Ana Maria Crnogorcevic who just won the Champions League with her club team 1.FFC Frankfurt put the ball into the net behind Nadine Angerer.

The Swiss NT is coached by Martina Voss-Tecklenburg a former German international who once played together with Silvia Neid who is the German head coach. 8 (soon 9) of the Swiss players are starters in the German Bundesliga. The World Cup 2015 in Canada is the first big tournament Switzerland qualified for.

Hm. Somehow the kits are all wrong - Switzerland play in white, while Germany wear their brand new all red away kits. I'm more used to Switzerland playing in red and Germany in white...


The big red shirt in the background is what the Swiss kits normally look like.


Stylish bicycle kick by Bachmann

59.) 1:1 - Simone Laudehr
64.) 1:2 - Dzsenifer Maroszán


Dzsenifer Maroszán


Tsk tsk. And now Nadine Angerer decided to do a Manu Neuer and dribbled wildly around o_O

75.) 1:3 - Dzsenifer Maroszán


Still not looking happy that she was only subbed in and didn't start the match

FT - Switzerland 1:3 Germany


Swiss NT (official call-up for the World Cup 2015):

(click to enlarge)

Opening match in 30 minutes at 00:00 GMT+2

Hosts Canada will meet China PR to get the ball rolling.

Line-ups:

Canada: Mcleod (GK); Buchanan, Belanger, Sesselmann, Scott, Sinclair (C), Schmidt, Tancredi, Chapman, Filigno, Lawrence

China PR: Wang Fei (GK); Liu Shanshan, Wu Haiyan (C), Li Dongna, Wang Shanshan, Li Ying, Zhao Rong, Gu Yasha, Tan Ruyin, Wang Lisi, Ren Guixin

http://www.fifa.com/womensworldcup/matches/round=268020/match=300269484/index.html

Canada favourites surely. But then I didn't even know China qualified so they are a complete mystery

China even hosted in inaugural tournament in 1991, a second one in 2007, and they were World Cup runners up in 1999. In Women's football you will often find some different countries who have good chances to go far than in the men's game.

Here you can see the results of the Women's World Cups so far: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FIFA_Women%27s_World_Cup#Results

Let's Go Canada!

I remember Canada from the 2011 World Cup when they played against Germany. Very strong team with an impressive captain in Christine Sinclair!

Sinclair is literally the face of Canadian soccer and that is including mens team, because she is one of the world's best in her sport...unlike the men

the Country really supports the women a lot more then the men because we believe they actually have a chance

a lot has changed since that embarrassing 2011 performance, the Bronze at the Olympics has raised expectations and the manager has this team believing in themselves.

where as the manager in 2011 pretty much bailed on them


National Anthems begin ffs whose cutting onions in here

Yeah, when I just looked at the overview of the World Cups, Canada did get to the semis in 2003. Not bad! At home soil with the support of the people - who knows where they will end?

The Main course after that lovely appetizer.

This will be my first Women's WC. Only watched the finals of the last one.

The Chinese goalkeeper WANG Fei plays for Potsdam in the German Bundesliga, by the way. Not bad! (She managed to get the starting spot over German keeper Anna-Felicitas Sarholz)

Good job by Erin McLeod who managed to save the day after the mistake of the defender.

o_O That was a close call - well-executed Chinese freekick hit the post.

China the far better team. Canada's defending has been atrocious.

Pseudo wrote:China the far better team. Canada's defending has been atrocious.

China has completed four passes this entire half. Both sides are awful.

Chinese goalkeeper is decent though. She also could be wifey.

HT - Canada 0:0 China PR

@Betty La Fea

The Chinese goalie plays for Turbine Potsdam in the German Bundesliga (one of the most famous German clubs - 2 x CL winners, 6 x BL winners and some more GDR titles), so she has to be good as she managed to displace a German keeper as starter there (and we have a lot of good goalies in women football, too).

rwo power wrote:HT - Canada 0:0 China PR

@Betty La Fea

The Chinese goalie plays for Turbine Potsdam in the German Bundesliga (one of the most famous German clubs - 2 x CL winners and 6 x BL winners), so she has to be good as she managed to displace a German keeper as starter there (and we have a lot of good goalies in women football, too).

She also looks very smart. She takes the sting out of the game whenever she gets a chance. Very different from her teammates who give the ball back to Canada whenever they get a chance.

Waiting till Monday for the USA is going to be torture lol.

I still can't get over that loss 4 years ago. Ffs. Hopefully this cup is Redemption, do it for Abby !

Betty La Fea wrote:

Pseudo wrote:China the far better team. Canada's defending has been atrocious.

China has completed four passes this entire half. Both sides are awful.

Chinese goalkeeper is decent though. She also could be wifey.

I disagree. China came here to defend, and they're doing that well. Canada look clueless offensively.

China's GK is wifey material though.

Betty La Fea wrote:She also looks very smart. She takes the sting out of the game whenever she gets a chance. Very different from her teammates who give the ball back to Canada whenever they get a chance.

I think it shows that she plays in a league where "modern goalkeeping" is a very important point - that is, goalkeeping coaches take care of teaching not only shot-stopping, but they also make sure that keepers here can play football, too.

VendettaRed07 wrote:I still can't get over that loss 4 years ago. Ffs. Hopefully this cup is Redemption, do it for Abby !

You bet that Germany are out for redemption, too. One just does not lose in a quarter final in the home world cup

RWO, are you familiar with Ariane Hingst? She's helping with the halftime and postmatch analysis for Fox Sport's coverage of the WWC and is (so far) really standing out for her well-spoken analysis compared to some of her fellow presenters.

Sinclair has so far looked a lot like a player who's only just come back from a lengthy injury lay-off (perhaps because she is just that). Will be a concern for Canada if they can't get her fit and firing quickly. US are facing a similar issue with Alex Morgan though they still have several very effective other options, including Wambach and Leroux (I wonder if Canada are still pissed about Leroux...).