Women's World Cup 2015

[DrLeftover]

Women's World Cup 'kicks off' on 6 June in the Great White North.

The Media Desk is cranking up for full coverage and analysis as it did for last year's men's tournament.

Between now and then, we'll look at the teams, the venues, and a bit at the current FIFA scandal that may overshadow the games on the field.

Stand by.

http://www.fifa.com/womensworldcup/

 

[Webster]

Wikipedia: 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup
Wikipedia: 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup Group Stage
-Group A: Canada, China PR, New Zealand, Netherlands
-Group B: Germany, Ivory Coast, Norway, Thailand
-Group C: Japan, Switzerland, Cameroon, Ecuador
-Group D: United States, Australia, Sweden, Nigeria
-Group E: Brazil, South Korea, Spain, Costa Rica
-Group F: France, England, Colombia, Mexico

Wikipedia: 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup Knockout Stage
-Winners from each group
-2nd place entrants from each group
-Best four 3rd place competitors

 

[Webster]

Group Stage Matches
--6 June 2015
(A-Edmonton)Canada vs. China PR, 6pm
(A-Edmonton)New Zealand vs. Netherlands, 9pm

--7 June 2015
(B-Ottawa)Norway vs. Thailand, 1pm
(B-Ottawa)Germany vs. Ivory Coast, 4pm

--8 June 2015
(D-Winnipeg)Sweden vs. Nigeria, 4pm
(C-Vancouver)Cameroon vs. Ecuador, 7pm
(D-Winnipeg)United States vs. Australia, 7:30pm
(C-Vancouver)Japan vs. Switzerland, 10pm

--9 June 2015
(F-Moncton)France vs. England, 1pm
(E-Montreal)Spain vs. Costa Rica, 4pm
(F-Moncton)Colombia vs. Mexico, 4pm
(E-Montreal)Brazil vs. South Korea, 7pm

--11 June 2015
(B-Ottawa)Germany vs. Norway, 4pm
(A-Edmonton)Canada vs. New Zealand, 6pm
(B-Ottawa)Ivory Coast vs. Thailand
(A-Edmonton)China PR vs. Netherlands

--12 June 2015
(D-Winnipeg)Australia vs. Nigeria, 5pm
(C-Vancouver)Switzerland vs. Ecuador, 7pm
(D-Winnipeg)United States vs. Sweden, 8pm
(C-Vancouver)Japan vs. Cameroon, 10pm

--13 June 2015
(F-Moncton)France vs. Colombia, 1pm
(E-Montreal)Brazil vs. Spain, 4pm
(F-Moncton)England vs. Mexico, 4pm
(E-Montreal)South Korea vs. Costa Rica, 7pm

--15 June 2015
(B-Winnipeg)Thailand vs. Germany, 4pm
(B-Moncton)Ivory Coast v.s Norway, 4pm
(A-Montreal)Netherlands vs. Canada, 7:30pm
(A-Winnipeg)China PR vs. New Zealand, 7:30pm

--16 June 2015
(C-Winnipeg)Ecuador vs. Japan, 5pm
(C-Edmonton)Switzerland vs. Cameroon, 5pm
(D-Vancouver)Nigeria vs. United States, 8pm
(D-Edmonton)Australia vs. Sweden, 8pm

--17 June 2015
(F-Ottawa)Mexico vs. France, 4pm
(F-Montreal)England vs. Colombia, 4pm
(E-Moncton)Costa Rica vs. Brazil, 7pm
(E-Ottawa)South Korea vs. Spain, 7pm

 

[Webster]

Round of 16 Matches
--20 June 2015
Match 37-(Ottawa, 4pm)1-B vs. 3-A,C,D
Match 39-(Edmonton, 7:30pm)2-A vs. 2-C

--21 June 2015
Match 41-(Moncton, 1pm)1-E vs. 2-D
Match 40-(Montreal, 4pm)1-F vs. 2-E
Match 44-(Vancouver, 7:30pm)1-A vs. 3-C,D,E

--22 June 2015
Match 43-(Ottawa, 5pm)2-B vs. 2-F
Match 38-(Edmonton, 8pm)1-D vs. 3-B,E,F

--23 June 2015
Match 42-(Vancouver, 10pm)1-C vs. 3-A,B,F


Quarterfinal Round
--26 June 2015
Match 46-(Montreal, 4pm)Winner Match 39 vs. Winner Match 40
Match 45-(Ottawa, 7:30pm)Winner Match 37 vs. Winner Match 38

--27 June 2015
Match 47-(Edmonton, 4pm)Winner Match 41 vs. Winner Match 42
Match 48-(Vancouver, 7:30pm)Winner Match 43 vs. Winner Match 44


SemiFinal Round
--30 June 2015
Match 49-(Montreal, 7pm)Winner Match 45 vs. Winner Match 46

--1 July 2015
Match 50-(Edmonton, 7pm)Winner Match 47 vs. Winner Match 48


Third-Place Match
Match 51-(Edmonton- 4 July 2015, 4pm)Loser Match 49 vs. Loser Match 50
Championship Match
Match 52-(Vancouver, 5 July 2015, 7:30pm)Winner Match 49 vs. Winner Match 50

 

[DrLeftover]

Thank you.

Makes my life easier....

Now. We shall begin at the beginning.

Group A.
Canada, the People's Republic of China, New Zealand, and the Netherlands.

Going in, the Host Country has a HUGE home field advantage, but that may only last for their first game against China, and maybe New Zealand who played their way in. Things look better for them in their third game against the Dutch who ended up needing a "play in" game against Italy to make the show. Will they do better here? well... probably not.

China has a history of being hot and cold on the International stage, but the Desk doesn't see them making it out of group play. This one comes down to the Kiwi's and the hosts as to who wins the group.

Group A centers their games in Edmonton with some being played in Winnipeg and the Canada/Netherlands match in Montreal.

 

[DrLeftover]

Group B
Germany, Ivory Coast, Norway, Thailand

Germany comes in as a heavy favorite, and their only serious challenger looks to be Norway. Thailand needed a play in game against Vietnam to book a flight to Canada, and the Ivory Coast only managed third seed coming out of the African qualifier. Not a sterling resume when competing against a very talented German squad.

The Group B games in Ottawa and a couple of other spots may be entertaining, but don't look for any real drama until the Germans hit the next round.

 

[DrLeftover]

Group C
Japan, Switzerland, Cameroon, Ecuador.

Sorry Japan, this group may just show your ladies what International Level Football is all about.

Yes, the Swiss have had their trials and troubles on the big stage, but they always make a show of it, and the first South American team on the list has something to prove. As for Cameroon, they're looking to extend their winning ways from the African qualifier where they finished second and make a run deep into the tournament.

Group C begins play in Vancouver on 8 June and goes from there.

 

[DrLeftover]

Group D
the USA, Australia, Sweden, Nigeria.

Nigeria is coming in undefeated from the African qualifiers having won all five games. Will that stack up against the others? Hard to say.

Sweden and Australia had tougher matches to make it here, but that also prepared them to play tough matches in their group. The US earned its way in with a couple of thrillers.

Having the next best thing to home field, the US might be a slight favorite to make it out of group play, but to win it? That's going to be a tall order. From the raw data, this group may have some of the best games of the early dates in Winnipeg beginning on the Eighth.

 

[DrLeftover]

Group E
Brazil, South Korea, Spain, Costa Rica

Let's just get it over with here and now. Brazil is fuming over last year's men's cup. Period. Fourth Place as the host country just didn't sit well with them.

And Spain didn't even make it out of group play.

Oh, well.

The Brazilians did win their continent to come into this group as the favorite. Costa Rica finished second in their qualifier to the US, and Korea did rather nicely in Asia. Which leaves Spain playing spoiler. They probably don't like that either.

Look for Brazil to advance, as to who's second. Take your pick when they start their games in Montreal.

 

[DrLeftover]

Group F
France, England, Columbia, Mexico.

Mexico is lucky to be here after finishing third in their qualifier. Columbia comes in after placing second in theirs. While France and England always seem to make it.

We can expect Columbia to make it out of group play, now, whether that will be as the winner or not remains to be seen. It is likely that the two European teams may do just enough damage to each other to give the win to Columbia, then have to wait for the French to play Mexico on the 17th to decide on the second berth.

Moncton stadium in New Brunswick sees the first games of this group.

 

[DrLeftover]

Blatter says he will resign as FIFA president

AP, 2 June

FIFA President Sepp Blatter will resign from soccer's governing body amid a widening corruption scandal and promised Tuesday to call for fresh elections to choose a successor.

The 79-year-old Blatter was re-elected to a fifth term on Friday, two days after a corruption crisis erupted and seven soccer officials were arrested in Zurich ahead of the FIFA congress.

"This mandate does not seem to be supported by everybody in the world of football," Blatter said Tuesday at a hastily arranged news conference in Zurich. "FIFA needs a profound restructuring."

Elections are expected to take place sometime between December and March.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/storie...ME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2015-06-02-12-51-52

 

[DrLeftover]

After much grandstanding and other pompous huffing and puffing, now the Third Most Corrupt International Sporting Executive is cutting and running, which means that some body, some where, has the goods on him and it's about to hit the fan, so he's going to forward his mail to some place where the extradition laws are muddy at best.

Well, he might be tied with one other for third.

First would be the head of the IOC (Olympics). Next would be Formula 1. So he's tied with UCI (cycling) for third.

Corruption, favoritism, bribes, insider dealings, privileged information. That's simply how these things are run. Venues "pay to play", and an extended free vacation in the various hot spots of a major event works wonders with those that count when the time comes to schedule next year's "games", right?

Will anything change? No.

Nothing changed when the last juicy scandal broke. Remember? 2002? The Winter Olympic Bribery Bids? Most of the charges were eventually dropped, although some members of various Olympic Committees were forced out of their jobs and some 'banned for life' (wink, wink, nudge, nudge), in the end, as of 2012 and another round of accusations, it was business as usual. Otherwise, YOU explain Sochi.

Will anything change with FIFA?

Oh, yes, dramatically, top down, end to end, a sea change of WHO gets the free vacations and lobster omelets....

 

[Nebulous's iconNebulous]

I'll root for spain ^^

 

[Webster]

I'll root for spain ^^

USA! USA! USA! USA!....:usa::usa::usa::usa:

 

[Nebulous's iconNebulous]

Pfft.

 

[Webster]

Pfft.

 

[DrLeftover]

Unfortunately, I will miss a few days at the beginning of the tournament, but once we're home, I should be able to catch most of them.

 

[DrLeftover]

GROUP A. Canada / China

Sitting here watching this AFTER that horse race makes me thankful that I will miss a few days of group play.

This is painful to watch. Neither team was ready for the game, and it has showed on both ends of the field. And in the second half, there's only been two shots on goal. One from each side.

10 minutes to go, no score, one yellow card, but a BUNCH of stupid penalties.

 

[DrLeftover]

At least it didn't end in a scoreless tie. Canada takes their home opener on a late penalty kick. 1 - 0

 

[Nebulous's iconNebulous]

Unfortunately, I will miss a few days at the beginning of the tournament, but once we're home, I should be able to catch most of them.

Where you going?