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Group A is an intriguing group, with four teams who match up very well together, without a clear leader. Each of Canada’s three opponents, China PR, New Zealand, and the Netherlands are no cakewalk, and each will certainly give Canada trouble. RedNation Online’s group A preview has everything you need to know about these four teams, including recent form, injuries, key players, and much more.
Canada
Best FIFA WWC Placing: 4th in 2003
Current FIFA Ranking: 8th
2015 Results (official matches only):
Date |
Opponent |
Result |
Competition, Location |
January 11 |
South Korea |
W, 2-1 |
BaoAn Cup, China |
January 13 |
Mexico |
W, 2-1 |
BaoAn Cup, China |
January 15 |
China |
W, 2-1 |
BaoAn Cup, China |
March 4 |
Scotland |
W, 2-0 |
Cyprus Cup, Portugal |
March 6 |
South Korea |
W, 1-0 |
Cyprus Cup, Portugal |
March 9 |
Italy |
W, 1-0 |
Cyprus Cup, Portugal |
March 11 |
England |
L, 1-0 |
Cyprus Cup, Portugal |
April 9 |
France |
L, 1-0 |
Friendly, France |
May 29 |
England |
W, 1-0 |
Friendly, Hamilton |
Possible Starting XI (4-3-3):
Coach: John Herdman (ENG)
Average age of squad (as of June 6th): 27.7 years of age
Key Injuries: Diana Matheson is on Canada’s World Cup squad but is still recovering from a torn left ACL suffered last October, and a broken metatarsal in her right foot suffered around the end of March. Fullbacks Rhian Wilkinson and Marie-Eve Nault are also currently injured, and the severity is unknown at this time. After Canada’s 1-0 win over England last week, John Herdman said these two are “day-to-day” and that “there’s a long-term plan in place to bring them back into this tournament at the right time.”
About Canada:
Canada has made their intentions clear: they want to hoist the World Cup trophy on home soil on July 5th. After a favourable draw, Canada should have no trouble advancing to the knockout stage, but the team has certainly struggled mightily against tier one teams since winning bronze at the 2012 London Olympics, many of whom they will need to play in the knockout stages of the tournament.
Canada has won seven matches and lost two so far in 2015. Besides Christine Sinclair, third all-time on the international goal scoring list and regarded by many as the best female player in the world, there are a number of players who will be key to Canada’s success this June. Usually regarded as more of a defensive minded midfielder, 26-year-old Sophie Schmidt has certainly shown her attacking prowess in the last few years, leading the national team in 2014 with six goals. She is likely Canada’s best player at the moment.
17-year-old wunderkind Jessie Fleming will likely take on quite an important role in the midfield, as it is uncertain whether Diana Matheson will be fit to play in the tournament at all due to her injuries. Fleming has already been dubbed “the next Christine Sinclair” by some media outlets over the last year, though it may be more accurate to call her “the next Diana Matheson,” as Fleming has certainly shown promise in a creator role in the midfield at last year’s under 17 and under 20 World Cups, always with an eye of her own on goal.
Canada’s defence received a boost earlier this year with the return of centre back Lauren Sesselmann, who tore her ACL in February of 2014 before the Cyprus Cup. After a long year of rehab, Sesselmann received her first minutes back with Big Red in the team’s 1-0 loss to France on April 9th, and she spent some time with her club, the Houston Dash, this spring to gain more valuable playing time. Canada will certainly need Sesselmann’s experience at the back if Josée Bélanger has to fill in at right back for injured Wilkinson or Nault, as she did in Canada’s 1-0 win over England last week.
June’s World Cup will be the first major international tournament Canada participates in since the creation of the National Women’s Soccer League in late 2012, where the Canadian Soccer Association has helped subsidize the salaries of many Canadian national team players for the last three seasons. The NWSL was a positive step forward for Canada, as there are more Canadian women playing professionally now than before the creation of the league, though, with a limited number of young Canadians in the league, the NWSL may not be the best long-term solution for Canada.
China PR
Best FIFA WWC Placing: Runners up in 1999
Current FIFA Ranking: 16th
Recent results vs. Canada: 2-1 loss on January 15, 2015; 1-0 loss on January 12, 2013
2015 Results (official matches only):
Date |
Opponent |
Result |
Competition, Location |
January 11 |
Mexico |
D, 0-0 |
BaoAn Cup, China |
January 13 |
South Korea |
L, 3-2 |
BaoAn Cup, China |
January 15 |
Canada |
L, 2-1 |
BaoAn Cup, China |
March 4 |
Brazil |
D, 0-0 |
Cyprus Cup, Portugal |
March 6 |
Germany |
L, 2-0 |
Cyprus Cup, Portugal |
March 9 |
Sweden |
L, 3-0 |
Cyprus Cup, Portugal |
March 11 |
Portugal |
L, 3-3 (8-7 PKs) |
Cyprus Cup, Portugal |
April 9 |
England |
L, 2-1 |
Friendly, Manchester |
Possible Starting XI (4-4-2):
Coach: Wei Hao (CHN)
Average age of squad (as of June 6th): 23.4 years of age
Key Injuries: Star striker Yang Li was left off China’s final roster due to injury.
About China:
China qualified for Canada 2015 by finishing third at the 2014 AFC Women’s Asian Cup, after beating Thailand 7-0, Myanmar 3-0 and drawing with Korea Republic 0-0 in the group stage.
China has drawn two matches and lost six so far in 2015, and are still looking for their first win of the year. Though they have started slow in 2015, China recorded a decent result at the 2014 Torneio Internacional de Brasília de Futebol Feminino last December, holding the US Women’s national team to a 1-1 draw.
The player to watch on China’s squad would have been young forward Yang Li, however she was left off the team due to injury. She led China at the AFC Asian Cup in 2014 with six goals, and has even been called 'Young Sun Wen' by Chinese media, an ode to China’s all time leading scorer and star of the 90’s and early 2000’s. It goes without saying that Li’s absence is a huge blow to China’s chances of getting out of the group stage and going deep into the tournament, but a bit of a saving grace for Canada, as they are dealing with a number of defensive injuries themselves and won’t miss her relentless attack.
Most recently, China played an unofficial friendly against Seattle Reign FC of the NWSL on May 22nd. That match ended in a 1-1 draw, and yes, most of China’s likely starters played in the match.
The 2011 Women’s World Cup and 2012 Olympic Games were the first edition of both tournaments that China failed to qualify for. It was a disappointing time for their national team, dropping as low as 18th in the FIFA Rankings in 2011 and 2013. But, while still far from being the power they once were in women’s football, China are on the up again and have always been tough for Canada to break down. They recently reached 13th on the FIFA rankings in 2014, and are currently ranked 16th.
New Zealand
Best FIFA WWC Placing: Group Stage in 1991, 2007 and 2011
Current FIFA Ranking: 17th
Recent results vs. Canada: 2-0 loss on July 14, 2012
2015 Results (official matches only):
Date |
Opponent |
Result |
Competition, Location |
January 12 |
Denmark |
D, 1-1 |
Friendly, Turkey |
January 15 |
Denmark |
W, 3-2 |
Friendly, Turkey |
February 8 |
North Korea |
D, 1-1 |
Friendly, NZ |
February 12 |
Australia |
L, 3-2 |
Friendly, NZ |
March 3 |
Spain |
D, 2-2 |
Friendly, Spain |
March 5 |
Spain |
D, 0-0 |
Friendly, Spain |
April 4 |
United States |
L, 4-0 |
Friendly, U.S. |
May 24 |
Japan |
L, 1-0 |
Friendly, Japan |
Possible Starting XI (4-3-3):
Coach: Tony Readings (ENG)
Average age of squad (as of June 6th): 24.8 years of age
About New Zealand:
New Zealand booked their place at Canada 2015 after winning the 2014 Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) Women’s Nations Cup last October. The Football Ferns are a promising young side who have been climbing the FIFA rankings since the 2011 World Cup. Current Canadian coach John Herdman coached New Zealand from 2006 to 2011, which certainly adds an interesting appeal to June 11th’s group A match between the two nations.
Captain Abby Erceg was the first player to reach 100 appearances for New Zealand. The ever-reliable centre-back will have her work cut out for her when the Ferns play Canada on June 11th, as she will come face to face with Christine Sinclair. The two have met numerous times over the last year in the NWSL after Erceg signed for the Chicago Red Stars in May of 2014. Three meetings between Erceg’s Red Stars and Sinclair’s Portland Thorns last season and one meeting this season all ended in draws, and to Erceg’s credit, Sinclair was only able to score once in these four meetings between the two, in a 2-2 draw on April 25, 2015.
Hannah Wilkinson is a young and promising striker that the Ferns will be looking towards to fill the back of the net. The 22-year-old has 21 goals in 65 appearances for the Ferns. Wilkinson’s most memorable goal came against Mexico in New Zealand’s last group stage match of the 2011 Women’s World Cup to secure the country’s first ever point at a Women’s World Cup. Forward Amber Hearn is another to watch, as she scored seven goals in the Fern’s World Cup qualifying campaign, and has 44 goals total in 95 appearances for her national team.
A majority of the Football Ferns play their club football in New Zealand in the Northern Region Football League (NRFL) Women’s Premier League. Of those not playing in New Zealand, 27-year-old left back Ali Riley plays at the highest level, for FC Rosengård (formerly Malmö) in Sweden, winners of the 2014 Damallsvenskan. Riley is an influential left-back who likes to get forward to join the attack, something she has shown she can do well in her time in Sweden, often combining with prolific FC Rosengård and Brazil striker Marta.
Netherlands
First FIFA Women’s World Cup Appearance
Current FIFA Ranking: 12th
Recent results vs. Canada: 1-0 loss on March 11, 2013
2015 Results (official matches only):
Date |
Opponent |
Result |
Competition, Location |
February 7 |
Thailand |
W, 7-0 |
Friendly, Netherlands |
March 4 |
Australia |
L, 1-0 |
Cyprus Cup, Portugal |
March 6 |
Finland |
D, 0-0 |
Cyprus Cup, Portugal |
March 9 |
England |
D, 1-1 |
Cyprus Cup, Portugal |
March 11 |
Scotland |
L, 3-1 |
Cyprus Cup, Portugal |
April 4 |
Iceland |
L, 2-1 |
Friendly, Iceland |
April 8 |
Norway |
W, 3-2 |
Friendly, Norway |
May 20 |
Estonia |
W, 7-0 |
Friendly, Netherlands |
May 30 |
Sweden |
L, 2-1 |
Friendly, Toronto |
Possible Starting XI (4-3-3):
Coach: Roger Reijners (NED)
Average age of squad (as of June 6th): 24.6 years of age
Key Injuries: Stalwart starting left back Siri Worm suffered a serious knee injury in April and was therefore omitted from the squad, and defender Claudia van den Heiligenberg was removed from the roster on May 21st because of an ongoing knee injury. Star striker Vivianne Miedema is currently nursing a foot injury.
About The Netherlands:
The Netherlands finished second in group five of UEFA qualifiers, and advanced to the playoff round as one of the four best runner’s up from the seven groups. They then beat Scotland 4-1 and Italy 3-2 in the play-off round last October and November to advance to Canada 2015 as the eighth UEFA qualifier.
Some are predicting the young Dutch squad to be the darkhorse of the tournament, as they have a star striker in great form in Vivianne Miedema. At only 18 years of age, Miedema scored 16 goals in UEFA qualifiers, including all three of The Netherlands’ goals in the two-legged playoff final against Italy. She led the BeNe League in goals in 2013-14 with 39 goals for SC Heerenveen, and scored seven goals in 17 games for FC Bayern Munich in the 2014-15 season, where her team won the Frauen-Bundesliga.
The caveat, however, is that Miedema is currently nursing a foot injury, according to the Dutch Telegraaf. She did not play in her team’s final friendly before the tournament on May 30th against Sweden, but is expected to be fit for the Netherlands’ opening game on June 6th against New Zealand. Her minutes may be limited in the opening matches.
Other dangerous attacking options for the Netherlands include Manon Melis and Lieke Martens, who have a great chemistry together on the field, as they both play club football for Kopparbergs/Göteborg FC in Sweden. Melis has 54 goals in 123 appearances for her national team, while Martens has 20 goals in 49 appearances.
The Oranje bowed out of the 2013 UEFA European Championship in the group stage after earning just one point, in a tough group that included eventual finalists Germany and Norway.
Canada 2015 will be the first Women’s World Cup since the historic creation of the women’s BeNe League, a joint league between the Netherlands and Belgian football federations that existed for three seasons between 2012 and 2015. The joint venture was created in 2012 to increase competitiveness and quality of domestic women’s football in both countries, and the majority of players on the Netherlands’ world cup squad played their club football in the league for the past few seasons. Unfortunately, the 2014/2015 season is the league’s last, as “Dutch clubs and the KNVB failed to come to an agreement regarding the clubs' financial participation for the following seasons.”
With files from the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2015 Media Guide
Group A Schedule:
June 6th:
Canada vs. China PR, 4pm local time, Edmonton
New Zealand vs. Netherlands, 7pm local time, Edmonton
June 11th:
China PR vs. Netherlands, 4pm local time, Edmonton
Canada vs. New Zealand, 7pm local time, Edmonton
June 15th:
Netherlands vs. Canada, 7:30pm local time, Montreal
China PR vs. New Zealand, 6:30pm local time, Winnipeg
Full Squad Lists:
Canada:
Goalkeepers
Stephanie Labbé (unattached)
Karina LeBlanc (Chicago Red Stars, USA)
Erin McLeod (Houston Dash, USA)
Defenders
Kadeisha Buchanan (West Virginia University, USA)
Allysha Chapman (Houston Dash, USA)
Robyn Gayle (unattached)
Carmelina Moscato (unattached)
Marie-Eve Nault (unattached)
Lauren Sesselmann (Houston Dash, USA)
Rhian Wilkinson (Portland Thorns FC, USA)
Emily Zurrer (unattached)
Midfielders
Jessie Fleming (London NorWest SC, CAN)
Selenia Iacchelli (unattached)
Kaylyn Kyle (Portland Thorns FC, USA)
Ashley Lawrence (West Virginia University, USA)
Diana Matheson (Washington Spirit, USA)
Desiree Scott (Notts County Ladies, ENG)
Sophie Schmidt (unattached)
Forwards
Josée Bélanger (unattached)
Jonelle Filigno (Sky Blue FC, USA)
Adriana Leon (Chicago Red Stars, USA)
Christine Sinclair (Portland Thorns FC, USA)
Melissa Tancredi (Chicago Red Stars, USA)
China:
Goalkeepers
Zhang Yue (Beijing Chengjian, CHN)
Wang Fei (1. FFC Turbine Potsdam, GER)
Zhao Lina (Shanghai Women, CHN)
Defenders
Liu Shanshan (Hebei, CHN)
Li Jiayue (Shanghai Women, CHN)
Wu Haiyan (Shandong Huangming, CHN)
Li Dongna (Suwon FMC, KOR)
Wang Shanshan (Tianjin Huisen, CHN)
Midfielders
Pang Fengyue (Dalian Shide, CHN)
Xu Yanlu (Jiangsu Huatai, CHN)
Ma Jun (Daejeon Sportstoto WFC, KOR)
Wang Shuang (Wuhan Jiangda University, CHN)
Tang Jiali (Shanghai Women, CHN)
Lei Jiahui (Henan Steel, CHN)
Han Peng (Tianjin Huisen, CHN)
Tan Ruyin (Guangdong FC, CHN)
Zhang Rui (Army Club, CHN)
Wang Lisi (Jiangsu Huatai, CHN)
Ren Guixin (Changchun Zhuoyue, CHN)
Forwards
Li Ying (Shandong Huangming, CHN)
Zhao Rong (Beijing Baxy, CHN)
Lou Jiahui (Henan Jianye FC, CHN)
Gu Yasha (Beijing Chengjian, CHN)
New Zealand:
Goalkeepers
Cushla Lichtwark (Upper Hutt City FC, NZL)
Erin Nayler (Norwest Utd FC, NZL)
Rebecca Rolls (Three Kings Utd, NZL)
Defenders
Catherine Bott (Forrest Hill Milford Utd AFC, NZL)
Abby Erceg (Chicago Red Stars, USA)
Anna Green (Fencibles Utd AFC, NZL)
Meikayla Moore (Eastern Suburbs AFC, NZL)
Ria Percival (USV Jena, GER)
Ali Riley (FC Rosengard, SWE)
Rebekah Stott (Claudelands Rovers, NZL)
Midfielders
Katie Bowen (University of North Carolina, USA)
Daisy Cleverley (Forrest Hill Milford Utd AFC, NZL)
Katie Duncan (FC Zurich, SWI)
Betsy Hassett (Fencibles Utd AFC, NZL)
Annalie Longo (Coastal Spirit FC, NZL)
Evie Millynn (Western Springs AFC, NZL)
Kirsty Yallop (Vittsjo GIK, SWE)
Forwards
Sarah Gregorius (AS Elfen Saitama, JPN)
Amber Hearn (USV Jena, GER)
Emma Kete (Fencibles Utd AFC, NZL)
Jasmine Pereira (Three Kings Utd, NZL)
Rosie White (Fencibles Utd AFC, NZL)
Hannah Wilkinson (University of Tennessee, USA)
Netherlands:
Goalkeepers
Loes Geurts (Kopparberg/Göteborg FC, SWE)
Angela Christ (PSV/FC Eindhoven, NED)
Sari van Veenendaal (FC Twente, NED)
Defenders
Maran van Erp (PSV/FC Eindhoven, NED)
Stefanie van der Gragt (Telstar, NED)
Petra Hogewoning (Ajax, NED)
Dominique Janssen (SGS Essen, GER)
Mandy van den Berg (LSK Kvinner FK, NOR)
Dyanne Bito (Telstar, NED)
Midfielders
Merel van Dongen (Ajax, NED)
Daniëlle van de Donk (PSV/FC Eindhoven, NED)
Anouk Hoogendijk (Ajax, NED)
Vanity Lewerissa (Standard de Liège, BEL)
Desiree van Lunteren (Ajax, NED)
Lieke Martens (Kopparbergs/Göteborg FC, SWE)
Tessel Middag (Ajax, NED)
Jill Roord (FC Twente, NED)
Sherida Spitse (LSK Kvinner FK, NOR)
Forwards
Anouk Dekker (FC Twente, NED)
Manon Melis (Kopparbergs/Göteborg FC, SWE)
Vivianne Miedema (Bayern München, GER)
Kirsten van de Ven (FC Rosengård, SWE)
Shanice van de Sanden (FC Twente, NED) |