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Final Women's World Cup Friendly Updates
PLUS: Group E Preview, Kiwis eating kiwis
Welcome to The Women’s Game, our new email newsletter, designed to deliver a concise, intelligent framing of every day of football during the World Cup so you can maximize your viewing pleasure. If you like what you read below, our only request is you forward it to a football-loving (or football-curious) friend.
It’s Friday, July 14. Give us four minutes, we give you everything World Cup.
GROCERY STORE MAYHEM: If you thought Messi’s supermarket run in Miami was fun… then check out the grocery store mayhem Brazilian football magician Debinha wreaks in this World Cup ad.
🇮🇪 Ireland abandon warm up against Colombia 🇨🇴
About 20 minutes into a pre-World Cup tuneup against Colombia in Brisbane, Ireland abandoned their closed door friendly due to “overly physical” play.
Most notably, Denise O’Sullivan (North Carolina Courage) was tragically sent to the hospital with an injury to the shin from what’s been described as a “bad tackle”, leaving the status of Ireland’s irreplaceable veteran in limbo as they stare down their opening game against Australia in just six days.
Should O’Sullivan be sidelined from her nation’s first ever World Cup, the fearsome midfielder would join a handful of footballers injured in preparation for this historic tournament (including Zambia’s starting keeper Hazel Nali), in a heartbreak that borders on the unimaginable.
The Colombian Football Federation put out a statement acknowledging that the Irish National Team had abandoned the match after about 23 minutes had been played, saying they respected the decision and would focus on their upcoming friendly with China.
🇦🇺 Australia beat France 🇫🇷 1-0 before raucous 50k sellout
Australia has set the tone for this summer’s event, breaking the Matildas attendance record in Melbourne with a 50,629 sellout crowd for their final friendly against France. That record will last about six days, though, as the Matildas are set to break it with their opening match against Ireland, going down before a whopping 80,000 person crowd.
With both sides threatening to make a trophy run this summer, the test ultimately fell in the host nation’s favor. Twenty-year-old Mary Fowler (Manchester City) made the difference in the 66th minute, driving home a goal from a quick counter.
In a trend that portends tough physical battles before us, this match also got a bit testy. Selma Bacha (Lyon) was stretchered off following a tough challenge causing more injury scare for France. And Eugenie Le Sommer (Lyon) took out some frustration on Matilda’s Alanna Kennedy (Manchester City).
🇨🇦 Canada and England 🏴 grind to a 0-0 draw behind closed doors
England’s Lionesses wrap-up their third scoreless match with a nil-nil stalemate against Canada that begs the burning question: where will their goals come from? Not Bethany England, it seems. According to reports, the third choice striker was one of just two unused players in a match with generous rotation. Bethany England scored 14 goals for Tottenham Hotspur this year, placing third most in England’s WSL.
As for Canada, who prepares for the believed ‘group of death’, the reigning Olympic gold medalists took pride in the clean sheet against the reigning European Champions. Canada manager Bev Priestman told the press they took a step forward, and were tough to beat.
🇪🇸 Spain trounce Vietnam 🇻🇳 9-0
While many countries have looked shakily upon the World Cup through unconvincing friendlies, Spain is not one. La Roja’s streak of strong performances continued apace against the USA’s first match of Group E, Vietnam. Six different players scored, with Jenni Hermoso (Pachuca), Esther Gonzalez (Real Madrid), and Salma Paralluelo (Barcelona) each bagging a brace.
Group E Preview 🇺🇸🇻🇳🇳🇱🇵🇹
Ah, Group E, the main group of interest for fans cheering on the USA. If you’ve spent as much time as I have configuring American paths toward World Cup three-peat glory, you’ll know their path is likely easier if they place first in the group. The US may be favorites to do so, but the squad rightly knows that Group E is a tough test. And no matter where they place, they'll face the toughest competition yet en route to the final.
With that in mind, here’s what they’ve got:
i. The United States 🇺🇸
Nevermind the injuries striking America’s elite, in form talent and world class veterans from their three-peat quest (Catarino Macario/Lyon, Mallory Swanson/Chicago Red Stars, Sam Mewis/Kansas City Current, Christen Press/Angel City FC), this team remains heavily stacked in all the right places, and could just win it all… again. The biggest questions surround the injury status of key and present players in the midfield, including the creative force of Rose Lavelle (OL Reign) and ruthless destruction of Julie Ertz (Angel City). A pair of debutante center backs sit just behind them in Alana Cook (OL Reign) and Naomi Girma (San Diego Wave). Their quick cohesion and sturdy line will need to form on the fly and under high pressure. US manager Vlatko Andonovski’s side is deepest in the forward line, with the main question being who to start, where to start them, and which impact sub will run on to unleash what Trinity Rodman did against Wales last week.
ii. Vietnam 🇻🇳
This is Vietnam’s first World Cup. And while progressing from this group is a tall order, the debutante Southeast Asian side has for the most part held their own in preparatory friendlies. Their strengths include their cohesion, built in part on the familiarity from a squad that plays frequently together. They held a number two ranked German side to a 2-1 loss this month (though Germany had rotated heavily). But they conceded 9 goals in a closed door friendly against Spain last evening. With dynamic striking talent Huynh Nhu (Vilaverdense) as their key player and leader, progressing from this group may prove too difficult. Though the experience could be used to accelerate their already strong foundation into the future.
iii. The Netherlands 🇳🇱
The USA’s co-finalists from the 2019 World Cup and the 2017 European Champions, the Dutch are a reliably strong UEFA nation looking to reinvigorate after a disappointing departure from last summer’s Euros in the quarter-finals (a 1-0 loss to France after extra time). With their most renowned talent Vivianne Miedema (Arsenal) out with an ACL injury, the Dutch join the long list of teams navigating a World Cup absent some world class talent. Still, there’s plenty of quality left in their squad to threaten Group E with. And with the USA’s sights set on first place in this group, the Dutch are assuredly their most difficult challenge. The Netherlands arrive with a mixed bag of results in 2023, unfurling numerous goals against lesser quality opposition (Belgium, Poland) but held to stalemate or loss by their peers (Germany). Across two friendlies against Austria, they did a bit of both. Now managed by Andries Jonker, (bidding Washington Spirit coach Mark Parsons farewell after the Euros), the Dutch will threaten the US with a crew of technically elite players that can all be goal dangerous, from Lieke Martens (PSG), to Jill Roord (Manchester City) and Lineth Beerensteyn (Juventus), and well beyond them.
iv. Portugal 🇵🇹
Like Vietnam, Portugal are newcomers to the World Cup (two of eight total teams set to debut Down Under). And while at face value two tournament debutantes might portend an easy group to navigate for four-time champions USA, the Portuguese are a scrappy and ascendant force that’s not to be taken lightly. Coming into New Zealand, the Portuguese have looked strong in preparation, holding reigning European Champions England to a 0-0 draw on English soil. Portugal is a defensively stout and veteran heavy team capable of unexpected performances. They’ll be difficult for the US to break down, and look to be lethal on the counter led by their first-ever Champions League winner in Jéssica Silva, who clinched it with Lyon and is now with Benfica (and scored a brace in Portugal’s send-off), as well as midfielder Tatiana Pinto (Levante), whose passing is as dangerous as her strike, scoring 12 goals for Levante this season.
Parting shots
“DOES ANYONE ELSE EAT THE ENTIRE KIWI BESIDES KIWIS?” - New Zealand Football Ferns captain, Ali Riley (Angel City FC), captures her teammates eating the whole kiwi, skin and all… wonders if the world does it the same.
