GROUP A: Canada, China, Holland, New Zealand
Favourites
While every other group in the tournament has clear-cut favourites, Canada being seeded as host nation makes this group something of a toss-up. The teams are evenly matched but have limited experience playing each other which makes for an unpredictable set of matches. Still, the hosts have the edge.
The last time the Canadians played in a Women’s World Cup they came in dead last and scored one goal in three games. But these are different times with a different coach. John Herdman signed on after that 2011 humiliation and turned the team round so that they were able to win a bronze medal at the following year’s Olympics. Having that taste of success in 2012 seems to have increased Canada’s drive to succeed.
They play in a physical, aggressive style and will be hoping to disrupt the rhythm of the possession-oriented teams in their group. Herdman has been focusing on a gruelling fitness regime to give his squad the chance to outlast opponents. Canada have talent but lack depth so having players who can last 90 minutes will be key.
The captain, Christine Sinclair, is a seven-times nominee for Fifa Player of the Year and the indisputable focus of the Canadian attack. As long as Canada ensure their goal-scorer is not neutralised they will have a real chance of topping their group, which offers an easier path through the early knockout rounds. If the 32-year-old Sinclair is thinking about retirement, she will do everything she can to end her career with a World Cup win on home soil.
Dark horses
Holland have earned their spot at this World Cup. They faced a tough European qualifying schedule, finishing behind Norway in a six-team group and then on top in a four-game run-off series, to qualify for their first finals. They have benefited from an expanded tournament but there is no question they belong in Canada.
The coach, Roger Reijners, took the helm in 2010 and led the Dutch to the 2013 European Championship where they exited after the group stage. His previous coaching experience had been in the Dutch men’s second division.
Holland have plenty of youth and talent but experience may be a factor both within the squad and among the management.
Coach to watch
For casual observers of the women’s game, images of Chinese players lined up for a penalty shootout against the United States in the classic 1999 World Cup final may linger. But that match represents the last time the Chinese were a force in women’s soccer. The disappointment of that loss cost the Chinese women’s team sponsorships and public interest and the government diverted resources to sports where success seemed more likely. But now the Chinese are trying to force a comeback.
The person responsible for making that happen is the coach, Hao Wei. He is the team’s 12th manager since 2000 and took the helm after the Chinese failed to qualify for the World Cup in 2011. He is playing a long game by trying to develop young talent and expand the player pool, which may not yield real results until the next World Cup or beyond. But the rise of perennial rivals Japan in the women’s game and a growing focus on soccer in China has put pressure on the Chinese to change course. Wei may not be looking to win the 2015 World Cup but he will hope to capture a bit of the magic that the Chinese lost in the past 16 years.
Player to watch
At only 18 the Dutch striker Vivianne “Anna” Miedema has become one of the most clinical goalscorers in Europe. In European qualifying for this World Cup she was the top scorer with 16 goals. In three seasons in Holland’s top-flight domestic league she scored at a rate of more than a goal a game. She joined Bayern Munich this season and has continued to dominate with seven goals in 17 appearances.
On Holland’s World Cup debut there is no pressure to advance deep into the tournament but a more relaxed approach might allow Miedema to do what she does best. She recently told reporters she does not like to overthink things in front of the net and it has worked well for her so far. If Holland do well, it will probably mean Miedema had a few good games.
Commentator’s kit
Representing your country in one sport is all very well but how about doing it in two sports? The New Zealand goalkeeper Rebecca Rolls has 21 caps with the Football Ferns and was part of the squad that made it to the quarter-finals at the 2012 Olympics in London. But Rolls has the distinction of also representing her homeland in another sport: cricket. Rolls was a wicketkeeper/batsman for New Zealand, appearing in more than 100 international matches. The 39-year-old has experience of winning a World Cup – the Women’s Cricket World Cup in 2000, New Zealand’s only title in cricket to date.
