Women's World Cup: Biggest X-Factors in the Round of 16
The group stage of the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup is finished. Sixteen teams remain in contention for the title, and that number will be whittled down round-by-round over the remainder of the tournament.
Which players will provide the spark that makes the difference between victory and defeat? Who will stand out on the world's biggest stage?
With the group stage done and the knockout stage beginning, we name our 10 biggest X-factors for the round of 16.
Criteria for the selections ranged from the players' overall skill to expected performance during the knockout stage. In addition, we considered the importance of a player to her team, and her potential to change matches individually.
Marta, Brazil
1 of 10
Brazil reached the round of 16 by successfully negotiating a relatively straightforward schedule in Group E, beating South Korea, Spain and Costa Rica. Marta was relatively quiet, scoring just one goal—a penalty—and sitting out the final game to rest ahead of the knockout stage.
In their first knockout match, the Selecao will play Australia.
Marta, a five-time winner of the FIFA World Player of the Year award, is perhaps the greatest women's player of all time. With superb technique, vision, passing and movement, the 29-year-old has all the tools needed to break down opposing defenses with both flair and skill. Fully capable of beating multiple players with a single touch, Marta can change any game at any moment.
So far, however, her considerable talents have not translated into World Cup glory for Brazil. She came closest in 2007, scoring seven goals in the tournament as Brazil reached the final before losing to Germany. Four years later, the Selecao bowed out on penalties in the quarter-finals after United States star Abby Wambach scored a memorable 122nd-minute equalizer.
Will this be Marta's year? She has already overtaken Germany's Birgit Prinz to become the World Cup's all-time leading scorer. Now a bigger prize awaits.
Celia Sasic and Anja Mittag, Germany
2 of 10
Germany entered the World Cup as the No. 1 team in the FIFA World Ranking. Apart from a 1-1 draw against Norway, Silvia Neid's side looked every bit the part in tearing through Group B.
In the first match, the Germans scored early and often, routing an overwhelmed Ivory Coast team 10-0. Following the draw with Norway, they finished group play with a 4-0 stroll against Thailand despite playing a B-team.
In the first match, Celia Sasic scored the fastest (from kickoff) hat trick in World Cup history, netting goals in the third, 14th and 31st minutes. Anja Mittag notched a hat trick of her own, scoring in the 29th, 35th and 64th minutes. Mittag then added another against Norway and finished the group stage with four goals.
One could make the argument that Sasic and Mittag benefited from playing against inferior opposition in the group stage. But the two have proved deadly at all levels of competition. In UEFA qualifying Group 1, Mittag scored 11 goals and Sasic added nine as Germany won all 10 matches by a combined score of 62-4.
As Germany advances deeper into the tournament, the lethal finishing abilities of Sasic and Mittag should prove more and more valuable.
Dzsenifer Marozsan, Germany
3 of 10
One might not guess it based on the results, but Germany entered the Women's World Cup at a disadvantage. Nadine Kessler, the reigning FIFA World Player of the Year, was ruled out of the tournament as she recovered from a knee problem and was not included in Silvia Neid's squad.
That meant the two-time champions would be without the services of the world's top creative midfielder. But no matter. Germany have talent to spare, and in Dzsenifer Marozsan, they have a ready replacement.
Creative, intelligent, technically gifted and an excellent reader of the game, Marozsan has all the qualities required to take apart any defense. All of Germany's best attacks go through her, and it's easy to see why. With a single touch, she can change the course of a game and thus a tournament.
Marozsan had to deal with injury problems of her own, sitting out Germany's first match as she regained full fitness. But she returned for the Norway match and promptly set up her team's early goal with a shot that was parried into the path of Anja Mittag.
With each passing game, Marozsan's influence will only grow.
Ada Hegerberg, Norway
4 of 10
When Norway won its first, and still only, Women's World Cup title on June 18, 1995, Ada Hegerberg was a few weeks away from being born. Two decades later, Hegerberg is a few weeks shy of her 20th birthday—and she's leading the line for her country on the world's biggest stage.
At just 19 years old, Hegerberg has already compiled an impressive resume in football. In her first season with Olympique Lyon, the Norse striker scored 34 goals in 32 appearances, including 26 league strikes as Lyon claimed the French D1 Femenine title. She also netted seven times in six appearances as her side lifted the Coupe de France Femenine.
At the international level, Hegerberg has already scored 19 times in 38 appearances. Those totals include three strikes in Norway's three group-stage matches in Canada.
Her best game so far at this World Cup came against Ivory Coast, when she bagged a brace and earned FIFA Player of the Match honors. If Norway is to make a run at another world title, Hegerberg is certain to play a starring role.
Christine Sinclair, Canada
5 of 10
Canada carried great expectations into the World Cup as the host nation and thanks to a bronze-medal finish at the 2012 London Olympics. In the group stage, those expectations didn't lead to the most attractive attacking soccer, but the hosts did top Group A.
Not that it was easy.
In the opener, Canada squeaked past a determined China side 1-0, as Christine Sinclair converted a controversial penalty in second-half stoppage time. After a scoreless stalemate with New Zealand, the hosts then held on for a 1-1 draw with the Netherlands.
And so, through three games, coach John Herdman's side scored just twice. That's not nearly enough, and no one knows it better than Sinclair.
With 154 goals (and counting), Sinclair is her country's all-time leading scorer in international soccer. Powerful, good in the air and fully capable of scoring in any variety of ways, the 32-year-old has been unstoppable when playing her best.
We didn't see her best in the group stage, and if Canada is going to advance deep into this tournament, that will have to change.
Aya Miyama, Japan
6 of 10
Japan was the first team to qualify for the knockout stage, booking its place in the round of 16 following a 2-1 victory over Cameroon on the second matchday in Group C. In its opening match, the defending Women's World Cup champions edged Switzerland 1-0.
So while progress came early, it was anything but easy. Thankfully, though, Japan had Aya Miyama in the squad.
Miyama, 30, serves as team captain and takes Japan's set pieces. It was her corner that Yuika Sugasawa headed in at the far post to put Japan up 2-0 on Cameroon. The goal turned out to be the game-winner. In addition, Miyama converted from the penalty spot against Switzerland, another goal that turned out to be the winner.
Japan's roster has several experienced, talented players. Even casual fans will be familiar with Homare Sawa, the top scorer and best player of the last World Cup, which Japan won unexpectedly. But Sawa is now 36, and Miyama is the most important player on the roster.
Germany is the only team to have won back-to-back Women's World Cup titles, in 2003 and 2007. For Japan to have a chance at matching that feat, Miyama will have to turn in a sterling performance in midfield.
Megan Rapinoe, USA
7 of 10
The United States was on the ropes. The defense was teetering, the midfield was imbalanced and the Americans could hardly gain a foothold against Australia in their opening match at the 2015 Women's World Cup.
But then Megan Rapinoe changed the game. Admittedly, her opening goal against the Matildas owed more than a bit to good fortune. But that deflected strike lifted the U.S. out of the doldrums and ensured Australia wouldn't be able to run away with an easy win.
The Aussies managed to take a 1-1 draw into halftime, but after the break, Rapinoe took over, scoring another goal and helping to set up a third. She was the best player of the match, and without her, the U.S. very well could have lost.
"Megan thrives in these big games, big moments," coach Jill Ellis told the Los Angeles Times. "She's got ice water running through her veins, but a lot of passion inside of her. She's a game changer. And that's what makes her special."
As the knockout stage begins, the Americans will need more of the same. Creative and tenacious, intelligent and fearless, Rapinoe has the skill and temperament to lead her team by word and deed. She can provide pinpoint crosses, or she can score the goals. Whatever the U.S. needs, the 29-year-old winger can handle it.
Ramona Bachmann, Switzerland
8 of 10
Ramona Bachmann wasn't the only player to score a hat trick in Switzerland's 10-1 demolition of Ecuador, and she wasn't even the first on her team to do so. That honor went to Fabienne Humm, who scored three goals in the astoundingly short span of five second-half minutes.
But Bachmann, who found the back of the net in the 60th, 61st and 81st minutes, is the Swiss player to watch. An outstanding dribbler with exceptional ball control and speed, the 24-year-old can trouble any defense just by running at it.
"(Bachmann) has been one of the stars of the tournament," B/R's Andrew Gibney wrote after the Ecuador game. "Her direct running style and skill on the ball are a delight to watch."
She proved as much in Switzerland's opening match, a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Japan. Bachmann didn't score in that game, but if anything, she was more impressive. Facing the tournament's defending champions, Bachmann tormented the opposing defense for 90 minutes with mazy runs and mesmerizing dribbling. In fact, the only thing she didn't do was score a goal.
That obviously changed against Ecuador, and with a few goals in her pocket, Bachmann will now look toward making a lasting impact on this tournament in the knockout stage.
Gaelle Enganamouit, Cameroon
9 of 10
Cameroon became just the second African side to advance to the knockout stage by finishing second behind Japan in Group C. Along the way, the Indomitable Lionesses shredded Ecuador 6-0 and came from behind for an impressive 2-1 victory over favored Switzerland.
In between, the Africans fell 2-1 to Japan, but Cameroon caused the defending champions all kinds of trouble with its athleticism, physicality and technical skill. The whole team deserved plaudits, but forward Gaelle Enganamouit in particular was worthy of praise.
Enganamouit opened the tournament with a superb hat trick against Ecuador on the day before her 23rd birthday. She did not score in either of the next two games, but she was critical to her team's success in both.
Physically imposing, technically sound and instantly recognizable with her dyed blonde hair, Enganamouit never stops working for her teammates, never shies away from taking on defenders and constantly creates chances both for herself and others. She is creative and powerful, and she can serve as both scorer and provider.
In the knockout stage, her presence will make the Indomitable Lionesses a dangerous team for any opponent.
Louisa Necib, France
10 of 10
When French midfielder Louisa Necib has the ball, a world of possibilities open up at her feet. Anything can happen, whether it's a brilliant pass, a clever flick or a smart finish. That's why the 28-year-old Necib has earned the nickname Ziza, or the female Zidane.
Her nickname-sake, France's Zinedine Zidane, proved his brilliance in the 1998 World Cup, which Les Bleus won on home soil. Four years from now, France will host the Women's World Cup, but because of her age, this might be Necib's best chance to match the feat.
If that is to happen, both she and France will have to improve considerably. Les Bleues opened the tournament with a drab 1-0 victory over European rival England, a match that featured few chances and little entertainment. Up next, however, was a shocking 2-0 defeat to Colombia in a game that included a controversial missed handball in the South Americans' box.
Necib was unable to stamp her authority on either match, and she was left on the bench for the start of France's final group match against Mexico, most likely to rest her knee. But anyone who has seen her play knows what she can do with the ball at her feet, and Necib still has the chance to change the course of this tournament.
But she needs to start playing her best football soon.
Follow @MiguelCominguez
