Women's World Cup 2015: Pivotal Factors to Decide Group A
As the host nation of the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, Canada received a top seed in Group A and will be favored to advance to the knockout stage.
But what of the rest of the group?
China had plenty of success in the early history of the Women's World Cup but has fallen on hard times lately. New Zealand overwhelmed their qualifying opponents in Oceania, though the region is admittedly weak. The Netherlands had to go through the play-offs to qualify, but the Dutch have a young scoring sensation who could be ready to star this summer.
Keep reading for the pivotal factors that could decide the fate of Group A this summer.
The Matches
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Here is a look at the match schedule for Group A. The site of each match is listed in parentheses. All times are EDT.
June 6
Canada vs. China, 6 p.m. (Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton)
New Zealand vs. Netherlands, 9 p.m. (Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton)
June 11
China vs. Netherlands, 6 p.m. (Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton)
Canada vs. New Zealand, 9 p.m. (Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton)
June 15
Netherlands vs. Canada, 7:30 p.m. (Olympic Stadium, Montreal)
China vs. New Zealand, 7:30 p.m. (Winnipeg Stadium, Winnipeg)
Will Canada Be Hurt by a Lack of Qualifiers?
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Following a bronze-medal performance at the 2012 London Olympics, Canada qualified for this year's World Cup as the host nation, meaning coach John Herdman's team did not face a qualifying campaign. That could either be a positive or a negative.
On one hand, the players did not have to face the wear and tear of playing a series of competitive matches. On the other, however, they also did not reap the benefits of competition, like maintaining match sharpness and fitness.
In his preview for the team, B/R's Andrew Gibney writes: "Without any qualification games to test and tune their squad, they may find it difficult to gauge where their place is among the top teams."
That said, Canada did draw 1-1 with the United States in a friendly last year, a good result regardless of the stakes of the match. The U.S. has won the Women's World Cup twice and comes in at No. 2 in FIFA's latest world rankings.
In addition, Canada won three of their four matches at the Cyprus Cup in March, finishing second in the competition to England.
The results indicate that Canada will be ready, but in the biggest of matches, Herdman and his players might miss that extra bit of preparation that a grueling qualifying campaign can provide.
Can China Turn Youth into a Winning Trait?
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China is a traditional power in women's football but did not qualify for the 2011 World Cup. After finishing fourth in 1995 and second in 1999, the team required an overhaul over the past four years under coach Hao Wei.
Unlike past China sides, Hao's team lacks star names. But the Steel Roses form a solid team unit and play a defensive, physical style. On the counter, Ma Jun and Yang Li are expected to provide the scoring threats.
But as Hao told FIFA.com, age is the most noticeable trait of his team:
"The average age of our players is under 23 and we are one of the youngest sides of the tournament. We have laid the foundation for the future national team. Many of them are still very young going into next year’s Women’s World Cup as well as the 2016 Olympic Games so they can represent the country for many years.
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As Wei hinted, this World Cup could be a chance for China to build for the 2016 Olympics and the next World Cup. But if results go their way, it's not out of the question for the Steel Roses to make it out of the group. The first game, against Canada on June 6, could prove telling.
Can Anyone Stop Christine Sinclair?
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Canada's Christine Sinclar is without doubt the star of the group. The 31-year-old captain has accrued more than 220 caps and scored more than 150 goals—and counting—in her international career.
So will Sinclair be able to continue her free-scoring ways in the group stage?
China likely will park the bus. New Zealand likes to play possession-based soccer but could change to a counter-attacking style against a superior side like Canada. The Dutch, too, are expected to play on the counter, according to Doug McIntyre of ESPNW.
Expect Canada to face packed defenses. The team's talented midfield of Diana Matheson, Kaylyn Kyle, Sophie Schmidt and Brittany Baxter could make the difference in providing Sinclair with the service she needs.
Was New Zealand Tested Enough in Qualifying?
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New Zealand is another young team, but one that has played together frequently over the last few years, as noted by FIFA.com:
"New Zealand have come a long way on the international in recent years and it is no coincidence that the quantity of players plying their trade overseas has massively increased during the same period. The side have also enjoyed a strong international program featuring numerous high-quality matches annually. As a result the team are collectively high on experience, though still relatively youthful overall.
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The question is, how valuable is that experience? The Football Ferns advanced to the World Cup by tearing through the competition at the four-team Oceania Football Confederation qualifying tournament. Against Papua New Guinea, Tonga and the Cook Islands, New Zealand won all three games by a combined 30-0 score.
In fairness, New Zealand can only play the opponents in front of them, but it remains to be seen whether the competition the Football Ferns faced in qualifying was anywhere close to the standard they will see at the World Cup. Having been eliminated in the group stage in all three previous World Cup appearances, New Zealand can only improve.
Netherlands: Can Vivianne Miedema Carry the Scoring Load?
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Vivianne Miedema is the star name for the Netherlands at the tender age of 18. Miedema, who plays for Bayern Munich at the club level, scored 16 times in qualifying, including three strikes in the two-legged play-off final victory over Italy.
Scoring 16 goals in any qualifying campaign is impressive, and in Europe, Miedema will have faced strong competition. At just 18 years old, inexperience might be an issue. Then again, the young are often fearless. Opposing defenses beware.
