Can Germany be stopped? Do the Americans have one last gasp left in them? Could Canada really go deep?
Canadian Soccer News endeavours to answer those questions and more in its preview of all 16 teams taking part in FIFA’s second biggest event.
In part 1 we look at our bottom four ranked teams, the “Happy to be Theres”
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No 16 – Equatorial Guinea
Oil rich and self-aware the Equatorial Guinea (EG) government decided that it wanted some footballing glory and deducted that the quickest way to so that was to focus on the women. With fewer countries playing the game seriously the road to the World Cup would be quicker.
Unfortunately, EG allegedly took an extra step to make sure that it could get there – it allegedly enlisted the help of men. Three players -- Salimata Simpore, Bilguissa Simpore and Genoveva Añonma – were accused of being men.
Although photos can lie, a quick Google image search does raise questions.
Partly in reaction, FIFA implemented gender testing protocols for this World Cup. The players are no longer with the team. Their absence does not prove they are men, but it also doesn’t help the argument that they were women.
Regardless the loss is significant on the pitch. The three were key throughout qualifying.
It was always going to be a difficult journey for EG in its first finals. That task is now harder.
High end expectation: Competitiveness -- in a very tough Group a win seems highly unlikely.
Low end expectation: A disaster. The women’s field has become much more competitive in recent years, but if there is a team that might have a 10-0 howler it could be EG.
Our expectation: EG will lose all three, but will keep the score somewhat respectful (except against Brazil. All bets are off there) .
No 15 – New Zealand
Like its men’s team the Kiwis have benefited from Australia’s defection to Asia. The NZ federation went young and has placed a lot of resources into the youth teams. The result is a team that is likely a few years away from true competitiveness.
With just one point out of six matches at the 2007 World Cup and 2008 Olympics there is a lot of room to improve. The team seems realistic in its expectations, looking to simply improve from past.
In a tournament that will be dominated by stars, NZ is lacking. There is no single player that you can look to as a game breaker.
High end expectation: The group is likely the softest in the competition, so a result is not out of the question. Mexico will probably be the best chance (although the Kiwis lost 5-0 to Mexico earlier this year).
Low end expectation: The 5-0 loss to Mexico illustrates the very real talent gap this team faces. Three bad losses are not out of the question either.
Our expectation: If the confidence can stay up a draw is possible.
No 14 – Colombia
Colombia will be a World Cup darkhorse...in 2015.
This is a young team that has grown quickly into a very competitive side at the youth ranks. As with New Zealand there lacks a true game breaker here, but this is a team that plays an impressive possession game and lacks identifiable weaknesses.
The 5-0 loss to Brazil in the South America final suggests that we are a few years away from Colombia being a top 10 team in the world, but they have added some much needed competitiveness in South America. They bumped Argentina out of the No 2 South American slot.
With an increasing number of Colombians making their way into the NCAA it seems that the future is bright.
Long-term, anyway as it’s a really tough group and the team is very young.
High end expectation: Spoiler to one of the big name teams in the group. Anyone that drops points to Colombia is likely in trouble.
Low end expectation: Their youth catches up to them and they lose badly in all three.
Our expectations: There is raw talent here. Colombia will push the more accomplished teams in the group, but in the end will go 0-3.
No 13 – Mexico
The instinct of many is to rank Mexico too high based on one game – the historic 2-0 win over the United States at the CONCACAF qualifying tournament.
And it was an impressive win. It was also in Mexico in front of a rabidly partisan crowd and in an emotional setting that can’t possibly be replicated. It’s often forgotten that Mexico didn’t actually win CONCACAF – Canada did, beating them twice along the way.
Maribel Dominguez will need to replicate her scoring from the CONCACAF tournament and they will need some help from a promising group of young players if the team is to come close to meeting the unreasonable expectations that the US win placed on them
Women’s football has come a long way in Mexico, but it’s still not all the way there yet.
High end expectations: It’s the easiest group and New Zealand should represent a win. The team has shown that it can step up and play above its level for a one off game. A quarterfinal berth is an outside possibility.
Low end expectations: Japan and England are hardly easy touches. New Zealand does seem a step below, but it’s possible the Kiwis could steal a draw.
Our expectations: That Mexico plays exactly to its level by beating New Zealand and losing close games to England and Japan.
Next up – Part 2, The Mushy Middle