USA vs. Sweden: Date, Start Time, Live Stream for 2015 Women's Soccer World Cup
The United States will look to maintain their winning start to the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup on Friday when they face off against Sweden in a potential group decider.
Jill Ellis' side beat Australia 3-1 in their opening fixture and were pleased to see the Swedes stumble to a 3-3 draw against Nigeria after they conceded an 87th-minute equaliser to Francisca Ordega.
Victory against the side mentored by former USA coach Pia Sundhage would likely wrap up qualification to the next round, giving Ellis' women the boost they need to hunt a second win.
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Read on for the fixture's streaming time and details of where to watch the match, along with discussion of the top headlines as we look toward the Winnipeg head-to-head matchup.
Date: Friday, June 12
Time: 1 a.m. BST (Saturday, June 13)/7 p.m. CDT/8 p.m. EDT
Live Stream: BBC Sport website (UK), Fox Soccer 2GO (US)
Venue: Winnipeg Stadium, Winnipeg
Old Enemies
It's no unfamiliar thing for the United States and Sweden to collide in the first round of the women's World Cup, having now done so for the last four tournaments in succession.
Back in 2011, the Americans finished as top scorers in that year's Group C, netting six goals, but it was the Swedes who topped the pool after claiming a 2-1 win against the Stars and Stripes.
Both teams have transformed since then, but all three goalscorers from that date—Lisa Dahlkvist and Nilla Fischer for Sweden; Abby Wambach for the U.S.—are all present once more in Canada.
The win over Australia puts Ellis' group leaders in a prime position to advance, especially with Sweden and Nigeria having shared the spoils in their opener, as Steven Goff of the Washington Post points out:
For Sweden, the 2011 victory will have served as subtle revenge for the group-stage defeats to their American opponents in 2007, 2003 and 1991.
It may also suggest Sweden are the team making the more substantial steps in terms of development, meaning 2015 could make for the most heated and evenly balanced duel yet.
Old Friends
Former U.S. coach Sundhage has an advantage over Friday's foes in that her familiarity with many in Ellis' squad gives her an intimate knowledge of how they'll be operating in Winnipeg.
Sundhage's time at the helm of the USWNT was a huge success; she lost only six of her 107 games in charge, winning gold medals at the 2008 and the 2012 Olympics, as well as three Algarve Cups and a World Cup runners-up medal in 2011.
Her four years in charge also saw her bring through a great deal of the crop Ellis has come to call her own. Sundhage spoke to Sam Borden of the New York Times this week, reflecting on the attitudes and the personalities of some formerly under her guidance: "Carli Lloyd was a challenge to coach, by the way. When she felt that we had faith in her, she could be one of the best players. But if she began to question that faith, she could be one of the worst. It was so delicate, so, so delicate."
She called Christie Rampone "the best captain I've ever seen" and touched on the off-field issues that afflicted Hope Solo's career. But perhaps most interesting is her treatment of the ageing Abby Wambach, saying: “I said that to Abby. I told her: ‘If I stayed, you would be a sub. The best sub ever. But a sub.’ There was no question about that in my mind.”
However, Sundhage moved on to pastures new, and Ellis utilised Wambach throughout the 90 minutes of their game against the Matildas on Monday, although her captain was unable to get on the scoreline.
Grant Wahl of Sports Illustrated says changes could be on the horizon, however, with Wambach possibly dropping to the bench:
Whatever tactics Ellis has to throw, it's quite plausible Sundhage will have the answer, and since beating the United States in 2011, her takeover of Sweden may only have accelerated their advancement.
It will be a bittersweet reunion for all involved, but both coaches and sets of players will have only victory in their minds.
