I recall that we had a good bit of fun last summer posting on the Men's World Cup thread. By tournament's end, I think the thread had exceeded 300 posts. Glad you're back in on this one too, Chuckanut!
Women's World Cup - 2019
- Thread starter candrew
- Start date
- Status
Lets have a show of hands! Who is going to the games in person?
My daughter, wife and I will be at the Chile/USA game in Paris on June 16 and the USA/Sweden game in Le Havre June 20. My wife and I might make the June 11 game USA/Thailand in Reims if we can work our schedule.
Lets go USA!
My daughter, wife and I will be at the Chile/USA game in Paris on June 16 and the USA/Sweden game in Le Havre June 20. My wife and I might make the June 11 game USA/Thailand in Reims if we can work our schedule.
Lets go USA!
Very cool! I'd love to be there. Will you be attending with the American Outlaws?
target2019
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
4-3-3
Choice #1 on this page is what I think will happen too. But you never know. In the friendlies leading up to this, it did not appear all locked up. There are probably other sites with different players/positions.
https://www.goal.com/en-us/news/usw...ions-ahead-of-the-/1c354v4p66bln1irch47drzt9f
Group B Preview
Personally, I've lost track over the past year when it comes to the women's international game and even our own USWNT. So, I thought that this article (behind a paywall - so I had to copy paste), published by Soccer America Daily might be of some interest to others, like me, who need a bit of "catching up" ahead of the Women's World Cup beginning tomorrow. It this article is helpful, just say so and tomorrow I'll post the Group A Preview and will do the same for the rest of the groups as they are published.
Opening match on Friday is France vs S. Korea
France's 3-1 win over the United States in their friendly game played in January before a sellout crowd in Le Havre elevated the Women's World Cup hosts into the category of tournament contenders, right behind the USA, but it's a position they've been in before.
Group B:
France (4)
Norway (12)
South Korea (14)
Nigeria (38)
Note: In parentheses is FIFA ranking (as of March 29).
Personally, I've lost track over the past year when it comes to the women's international game and even our own USWNT. So, I thought that this article (behind a paywall - so I had to copy paste), published by Soccer America Daily might be of some interest to others, like me, who need a bit of "catching up" ahead of the Women's World Cup beginning tomorrow. It this article is helpful, just say so and tomorrow I'll post the Group A Preview and will do the same for the rest of the groups as they are published.
Opening match on Friday is France vs S. Korea
France's 3-1 win over the United States in their friendly game played in January before a sellout crowd in Le Havre elevated the Women's World Cup hosts into the category of tournament contenders, right behind the USA, but it's a position they've been in before.
Group B:
France (4)
Norway (12)
South Korea (14)
Nigeria (38)
Note: In parentheses is FIFA ranking (as of March 29).
Last edited by a moderator:
Texas Proud
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
- Joined
- May 16, 2005
- Messages
- 17,355
Yes, I see a good number on FOX and not FOX sports... so I will be watching some of the games...
I programmed to record them all and will just delete the ones I do not want to watch...
Texas Proud
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
- Joined
- May 16, 2005
- Messages
- 17,355
I think you will have fun... my DW and kids saw 6 of the men's WC last year... loved it...
Of course, being from the frozen tundra north of the 49th parallel, I will be pulling for the Canadians to sneak through. They have a nice bunch of new, younger players who have been playing collegiate football, plus it is likely the last chance for the captain, Christine Sinclair, to make it to the finals. I think that she needs 3 goals to tie Abby Wambach for the most career goals in women's football
target2019
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
We should be home watching the 6/10 Cameroon vs Canada game (3 p.m. ET, Montpellier, FS1). Sinclair may get three that day.
Today, France vs. South Korea, 3 p.m. ET, Paris, FS1. I'll pick France.
Group B Preview
Today, match day 1 of the WWC features a single fixture with France taking on S. Korea. Match day 2 tomorrow will have a full schedule of games from Group B. A humorous side note - the German women's team produced a promotional video ahead of this World Cup with the theme, "We don't have balls, but we know how to use them!"
Group B Preview: Germany wants to reestablish itself at the top by Paul Kennedy
Group B:
Germany (2)
Spain (13)
China (16)
South Africa (49)
Note: In parentheses is FIFA ranking (as of March 29).
You should be pulling for ... German captain Dzsenifer Marozsan won the Under-20 Women's World Cup in 2010, European Championship in 2013 and the gold medal in women's soccer at the 2016 Olympics. She won the UEFA Women's Champions League with FFC Frankfurt in 2015 and Lyon the last three seasons. The Hungarian-born Marozsan suffered a pulmonary embolism that forced her to miss the first three months of the 2018-19 season but has recovered and hopes to cap her career with the Women's World Cup, the only major trophy she is missing.
Today, match day 1 of the WWC features a single fixture with France taking on S. Korea. Match day 2 tomorrow will have a full schedule of games from Group B. A humorous side note - the German women's team produced a promotional video ahead of this World Cup with the theme, "We don't have balls, but we know how to use them!"
Group B Preview: Germany wants to reestablish itself at the top by Paul Kennedy
Group B:
Germany (2)
Spain (13)
China (16)
South Africa (49)
Note: In parentheses is FIFA ranking (as of March 29).
You should be pulling for ... German captain Dzsenifer Marozsan won the Under-20 Women's World Cup in 2010, European Championship in 2013 and the gold medal in women's soccer at the 2016 Olympics. She won the UEFA Women's Champions League with FFC Frankfurt in 2015 and Lyon the last three seasons. The Hungarian-born Marozsan suffered a pulmonary embolism that forced her to miss the first three months of the 2018-19 season but has recovered and hopes to cap her career with the Women's World Cup, the only major trophy she is missing.
Last edited by a moderator:
- Joined
- Jul 18, 2010
- Messages
- 7,973
Great video - this link has it with English subtitles:
We Don't Have Balls but We Know How to Use Them
Shows that the issues the USWNT is suing about are not limited to the USA.
Texas Proud
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
- Joined
- May 16, 2005
- Messages
- 17,355
That would be international goals... I checked wiki and she already has more goals overall... well, at least what they have listed in wiki...
Then again, she had 25 more games to get them so far...
Group C Preview
Group C Preview: Matildas are knocking on the door by Paul Kennedy @pkedit, Jun 2, 2019
After failing to win a game in its first three trips to the Women's World Cup, Australia has reached the quarterfinals the last three times and enter the 2019 finals as one of six seeded teams.
Group C:
Australia (6)
Brazil (10)
Italy (15)
Jamaica (53)
Note: In parentheses is FIFA ranking (as of March 29).
You should be pulling for ... At 41, Brazilian midfielder Formiga is set to play in her record seventh World Cup, breaking the record -- men or women -- she shares with retired Japan star Homare Sawa. The Paris St. Germain midfielder holds the record of having played in six Olympic women's soccer competitions -- all six since it was first introduced at the 1996 Olympics.
Group C Preview: Matildas are knocking on the door by Paul Kennedy @pkedit, Jun 2, 2019
After failing to win a game in its first three trips to the Women's World Cup, Australia has reached the quarterfinals the last three times and enter the 2019 finals as one of six seeded teams.
Group C:
Australia (6)
Brazil (10)
Italy (15)
Jamaica (53)
Note: In parentheses is FIFA ranking (as of March 29).
You should be pulling for ... At 41, Brazilian midfielder Formiga is set to play in her record seventh World Cup, breaking the record -- men or women -- she shares with retired Japan star Homare Sawa. The Paris St. Germain midfielder holds the record of having played in six Olympic women's soccer competitions -- all six since it was first introduced at the 1996 Olympics.
Last edited by a moderator:
VAR
3 days into this WWC and VAR has played a role in some match critical decisions.
In the England vs Scotland match, VAR review determined that a ball which deflected off the arm of a Scot opponent in the penalty area was worth awarding a penalty to England. Whether the Scot defender's arm was in that arbitrary and not really defined "unnatural" position was arguable at best. IMHO, there should have been enough doubt to decide that giving away a goal was not warranted. The penalty was converted and England ultimately won 2-1. Match critical.
On a corner kick in the Italy vs Oz match a ball deflected off the arm of an Australian player in their own penalty area. This player's arm was in no less an unnatural position than that of the Scot player. No penalty awarded. Italy ended up winning the match, so not match critical.
In another non-critical situation there was the VAR review decision to call-back what would have been the 2nd goal scored by France in their match vs Korea. VAR determined that part of the French player's foot was in an offside position. The game was not restarted for several minutes after the goal as VAR officials must have been measuring this with a micrometer! Frame by frame analysis in HD proved that the letter of the Law was violated, however, was the spirit of the offside Law and the game itself well served? You decide.
I like that technology is helping the game when it comes to goal line decisions. I like VAR for helping referees with off-the-ball violent misconducts and insuring that referees are booking and dismissing the correct players. VAR is new technology and still needs adjustment to best serve the game. At the same time, when it comes to penalty decisions, is FIFA, in attempting to "get it right", allowing a quest for infallibility to be an enemy of the good? Again, you decide.
3 days into this WWC and VAR has played a role in some match critical decisions.
In the England vs Scotland match, VAR review determined that a ball which deflected off the arm of a Scot opponent in the penalty area was worth awarding a penalty to England. Whether the Scot defender's arm was in that arbitrary and not really defined "unnatural" position was arguable at best. IMHO, there should have been enough doubt to decide that giving away a goal was not warranted. The penalty was converted and England ultimately won 2-1. Match critical.
On a corner kick in the Italy vs Oz match a ball deflected off the arm of an Australian player in their own penalty area. This player's arm was in no less an unnatural position than that of the Scot player. No penalty awarded. Italy ended up winning the match, so not match critical.
In another non-critical situation there was the VAR review decision to call-back what would have been the 2nd goal scored by France in their match vs Korea. VAR determined that part of the French player's foot was in an offside position. The game was not restarted for several minutes after the goal as VAR officials must have been measuring this with a micrometer!
Frame by frame analysis in HD proved that the letter of the Law was violated, however, was the spirit of the offside Law and the game itself well served? You decide.I like that technology is helping the game when it comes to goal line decisions. I like VAR for helping referees with off-the-ball violent misconducts and insuring that referees are booking and dismissing the correct players. VAR is new technology and still needs adjustment to best serve the game. At the same time, when it comes to penalty decisions, is FIFA, in attempting to "get it right", allowing a quest for infallibility to be an enemy of the good? Again, you decide.
Group D Preview
Group D Preview: England is ready to give it a shot at the title by Paul Kennedy @pkedit, Jun 1, 2019
Eight years ago, Japan won the Women's World Cup in a dramatic shootout victory over the USA. Four years ago, the USA got its revenge in Vancouver with an emphatic 5-2 win over Japan in the final. In 2019, Japan's Nadeshiko is comfortably positioned as a dark-horse.
Group D:
England (3)
Japan (7)
Scotland (20)
Argentina (37)
Note: In parentheses is FIFA ranking (as of March 29).
You'll soon find out all about ... Japan's Nadeshiko has a very young team -- 11 players aged 22 or younger -- as it builds for the 2020 Olympics hosted by Tokyo and the 2023 Women's World Cup it hopes to host. Midfielder Yui Hasegawa, who grew up admiring the great Homare Sawa, is one of six products of the 2014 Japan U-17 World Cup championship team that swept all six games by a margin of 23-1. The 22-year-old Hasegawa is a tiny (5-foot-1) but creative playmaker with tons of skill, which she showed off in the 2019 SheBelieves Cup. She set up the late equalizer when Japan tied the USA, 2-2, in the opener.
Group D Preview: England is ready to give it a shot at the title by Paul Kennedy @pkedit, Jun 1, 2019
Eight years ago, Japan won the Women's World Cup in a dramatic shootout victory over the USA. Four years ago, the USA got its revenge in Vancouver with an emphatic 5-2 win over Japan in the final. In 2019, Japan's Nadeshiko is comfortably positioned as a dark-horse.
Group D:
England (3)
Japan (7)
Scotland (20)
Argentina (37)
Note: In parentheses is FIFA ranking (as of March 29).
You'll soon find out all about ... Japan's Nadeshiko has a very young team -- 11 players aged 22 or younger -- as it builds for the 2020 Olympics hosted by Tokyo and the 2023 Women's World Cup it hopes to host. Midfielder Yui Hasegawa, who grew up admiring the great Homare Sawa, is one of six products of the 2014 Japan U-17 World Cup championship team that swept all six games by a margin of 23-1. The 22-year-old Hasegawa is a tiny (5-foot-1) but creative playmaker with tons of skill, which she showed off in the 2019 SheBelieves Cup. She set up the late equalizer when Japan tied the USA, 2-2, in the opener.
Last edited by a moderator:
Group E Preview
Group E Preview: Netherlands is darkhorse with talented front four by Paul Kennedy @pkedit, Jun 6, 2019
In no European country is a women's national team more popular than in the Netherlands.
Group E:
Canada (5)
Netherlands (8)
New Zealand (19)
Cameroon (46)
Note: In parentheses is FIFA ranking (as of March 29).
You should be pulling for ... Canadian Christine Sinclair heads to Women’s World Cup with Canada for the fifth time with 181 goals in 282 games, putting her within three goals of the international record — among men or women — former U.S. star Abby Wambach holds. She still holds the NCAA record for most goals in a season, scoring 39 goals in 25 games for Portland in 2005.
Group E Preview: Netherlands is darkhorse with talented front four by Paul Kennedy @pkedit, Jun 6, 2019
In no European country is a women's national team more popular than in the Netherlands.
Group E:
Canada (5)
Netherlands (8)
New Zealand (19)
Cameroon (46)
Note: In parentheses is FIFA ranking (as of March 29).
You should be pulling for ... Canadian Christine Sinclair heads to Women’s World Cup with Canada for the fifth time with 181 goals in 282 games, putting her within three goals of the international record — among men or women — former U.S. star Abby Wambach holds. She still holds the NCAA record for most goals in a season, scoring 39 goals in 25 games for Portland in 2005.
Last edited by a moderator:
- Joined
- Jul 18, 2010
- Messages
- 7,973
I agree that the quest for perfect calls is detracting from the overall game flow. The handball rule, basically forcing defenders in the box to keep their hands at their sides or behind them unnaturally is another example. That said, I also agree that VAR is on balance a good thing and it should improve with more experience.
Candrew is better than most sportswriters covering women’s football.
In the case of VAR's use for handling the ball offenses, the inconsistencies we've seen have little to do with the technology itself and everything to do with recent changes to The Laws of the Game.
Had FIFA not muddied the waters by modifying handling of the ball in Law 12 with the ambiguous and undefined terms "unnatural" regarding the position of a player's arms and that contact by a player's arm/hand with the ball is "usually" an offense. Huh? Had FIFA left handling of the ball status quo in Law 12, referees, especially at the highest levels of the game, know what that looks like, are able to judge intent and discern fair from foul with a relative degree of consistency.
Candrew is better than most sportswriters covering women’s football.
Thanks, but those Group Previews I've been posting are the work of Paul Kennedy, editor of Soccer America. The articles sit behind a pay wall so I've been doing a copy paste for the benefit of not only other readers on this thread, but also myself as I've been unplugged from women's football over the past year!
target2019
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Not gonna split hairs about handling, but the 2 cases cited above were correct calls, where VAR was involved.
Case #1 (68') was defender De Vanna (AUS). In the live view I had, it was very clear that she was stationary, had both hands behind back, as is taught and reinforced. Her elbows weren't extended. So the VAR had access to much more than the short footage seen by viewers, and let that go.
Case #2 was Nicola Docherty (14') jumping at a cross by England. With her hands in the air, she was eventually called for it, and England scored PK. Again VAR was used after the fact. The handling was not so obvious in live play. But there must be lots of activity behind the scene as the game goes on.
Here is an article about Case#2.
https://www.sbnation.com/2019/6/10/18659402/var-england-scotland-handball-penalty-kick-world-cup
VAR will continue to be controversial for many reasons.
Case #1 (68') was defender De Vanna (AUS). In the live view I had, it was very clear that she was stationary, had both hands behind back, as is taught and reinforced. Her elbows weren't extended. So the VAR had access to much more than the short footage seen by viewers, and let that go.
Case #2 was Nicola Docherty (14') jumping at a cross by England. With her hands in the air, she was eventually called for it, and England scored PK. Again VAR was used after the fact. The handling was not so obvious in live play. But there must be lots of activity behind the scene as the game goes on.
Here is an article about Case#2.
https://www.sbnation.com/2019/6/10/18659402/var-england-scotland-handball-penalty-kick-world-cup
VAR will continue to be controversial for many reasons.
Agreed that the VAR decision in the Scotland game was correct as far as the letter of the law that is set forth in Law 12 with the recent modifications by FIFA for handling the ball.
When it comes to the spirit of the law, however, I remain unconvinced that the decision to award a penalty served the best interests of the game.
IMO, it's not VAR itself that is controversial in those two cases. The controversy arises from the manner in which FIFA has attempted, very clumsily, to determine what is fair or foul when it comes to handling the ball.
Japan v Argentina
I knew that a 2nd cup of coffee was in order this morning! The most interesting part of this match was in the few minutes of stoppage time before the final whistle.
Props to Argentina for coming away with a point in what many thought could end up being a blowout by Japan. The strategy of staying compact and keeping their shape defensively was a sound one. Their man-marking was solid when it had to be.
Japan, OTH, for their #7 FIFA ranking looked one dimensional and pedestrian. They were never able to use their width and stretch the Argentine defense. I'm not sure they managed to win a single contested ball in the air. Another performance like this one will not bode well against their next opponent, Scotland.
I knew that a 2nd cup of coffee was in order this morning! The most interesting part of this match was in the few minutes of stoppage time before the final whistle.
Props to Argentina for coming away with a point in what many thought could end up being a blowout by Japan. The strategy of staying compact and keeping their shape defensively was a sound one. Their man-marking was solid when it had to be.
Japan, OTH, for their #7 FIFA ranking looked one dimensional and pedestrian. They were never able to use their width and stretch the Argentine defense. I'm not sure they managed to win a single contested ball in the air. Another performance like this one will not bode well against their next opponent, Scotland.
- Status
