Women's World Cup Schedule 2015: Live Stream and Times for Friday Group Fixtures
The 2015 Women's World Cup is in full swing in Canada, with many of the tournament's marquee national teams taking to the pitch Friday for the second time in group-stage affairs.
There's no shortage of top-notch play as the tournament enters the weekend, with defending champions Japan looking to continue their quest for a repeat in style against Cameroon. That's just the night cap after a day of play that includes the United States playing their second group match as well as appearances from Switzerland and Australia.
Here's a glance at Friday's World Cup schedule.
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Women's World Cup Schedule: Friday, June 12
| 5 p.m. | Australia vs. Nigeria | Fox Sports 1 |
| 7 p.m. | Switzerland vs. Ecuador | Fox Sports 1 |
| 8 p.m. | United States vs. Sweden | FOX |
| 10 p.m. | Japan vs. Cameroon | Fox Sports 1 |
Live Stream
Key Matchup: USA vs. Sweden
It's not like a group-stage matchup between two of the top five national teams in the world needed any extra sizzle to it.
Sweden is led by former USA coach Pia Sundhage, who saw plenty of success in winning gold medals at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics in between a trip to the 2011 World Cup final. While Sundhage has done well to turn around the Swedish program, she chose to call out some of her former players just before the World Cup began.
Sundhage had some choice words for the New York Times' Sam Borden in regards to some of her key players. Unprovoked, she mentioned Carli Lloyd as "a challenge to coach" and "so delicate," while also throwing some shade at Abby Wambach and Hope Solo.
Some could perceive those comments as simply candid from a new, outsider's perspective, but needless to say, it didn't sit well in the American dressing room. Lloyd made that clear to Sports Illustrated's Grant Wahl:
It's not like these Americans needed any extra motivation, anyway. They're in the midst of a so-called "group of death" and got their money's worth in a 3-1 win over Australia to open up play, and they know they just might see Sweden down the line again regardless of Friday's result.
What they do need, however, is more consistency after Australia gave them fits throughout stretches of their opener. Perhaps an easier playing surface will do that, as Linda Eriksson of Women's Soccer Zone reported a change to the Winnipeg pitch:
"The artificial turf at Winnipeg Arena will be watered properly ahead of #USASWE after complaints from both Sweden and the USA.
— Linda Eriksson (@Wosozone_Linda) June 12, 2015"
The goals eventually came for the USA in their opener, but it looked to be no secret that offensive opportunities were tough to come by and often generated by the powerful shot of Megan Rapinoe. With Wambach failing to impress in a starting spot and Alex Morgan yet to make an impact, questions remain heading into Friday's match.
The United States lead Group D for the time being following Sweden's opening draw to Nigeria, but that could all change in the span of 90 minutes in Winnipeg. And against a coach who only lost six times in 107 matches with the U.S., these players know better than anyone what they're up against.
