Women's World Cup 2015: Underdogs That Can Pull Off the Upset
The World Cup is down to the final eight teams, and not all of them are powerhouses of soccer. If you don’t have a rooting interest outside of the United States, it can be fun to root for the underdogs.
But you don’t want to be a loser either, so which two underdog teams have the best chance of making an improbable run to World Cup glory? Let’s explore.
England
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The women of England dominated their World Cup qualifiers, conceding only one goal during their 10 matches. That dominance was short-lived once the World Cup began, as the Three Lionesses lost their opening game to France, 1-0.
In fact, the defensive dominance England displayed during the qualifying stage has disappeared. England has conceded goals in each of its four World Cup games.
But there lies the English chance. Attacking.
The Three Lionesses were down 1-0 to 1995 champions Norway 61 minutes into their round-of-16 matchup. England captain Steph Houghton tied the game up just seven minutes after conceding the first goal of the match.
Then this happened. Fast forward to 1:17.
England seems to thrive under the pressure this year, which is exactly the kind of mentality it's going to need from this point forward.
“We'll probably be underdogs, but we've already shown in this tournament we can play under pressure," Houghton told Alistair Magowan of the BBC. “That's what we did against Norway.”
England has beaten Mexico, Colombia and Norway each by a score of 2-1. It plays a very beatable Canadian team Saturday night under the lights in front of probably 50,000 fans politely screaming.
Coming into the tournament, England had a FIFA world ranking of sixth while Canada was eighth. However, England is considered the underdog due to Canada's home-field advantage. This is a very winnable match for England and could set up a rematch with England’s only loss this World Cup: France.
If only the French can make it past Germany...
France
The Blues have shown a little bit of everything in this World Cup.
France lost to Colombia 2-0 in the team’s second match of the tournament but has outscored the likes of England, Mexico and South Korea by an impressive 9-0 in its three wins.
They may not be consistent, but the Blues have firepower to spare, and now, according to Deadspin’s Greg Howard, they have the experience needed to win it all.
“France’s roster boasts seven players who have logged over 100 appearances with the squad, and seven players who have scored over 25 goals for their country,” Howard said. “The scary thing is, they’re not even old. This is a team in its prime…This is the tournament France have been waiting for.”
There’s just one problem standing in the Blues’ way: Germany.
Germany has looked nearly unstoppable. Norway miraculously tied the Germans in its second match of the World Cup, but that was after Germany hammered Ivory Coast 10-0.
It’s not going to be easy for France, but it has all the potential to beat the unbeatable. It’s just a matter of which France team is going to show up. The one that was embarrassed 2-0 by Colombia, or the one that lit up Mexico 5-0.
The last time France played Germany was a friendly in October. The Blues won 2-0.
If it can beat Germany on Friday, France can beat anyone. The world is yours, France.
Follow Aaron Brand on Twitter @AaronBrand47
