In part 3 of CSN’s WWC preview we look at team’s 5 to 8 – the On the Cusps
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No 8 – France
The French are a sexy darkhorse pick by many. Built in the same fashion that the powerhouse male French teams were there is some thought that they are ready to make the jump from middling side to true contender.
Lead by the tournament’s most senior player, Sandrine Soubeyrand, and featuring nice mix of WWC 2003 veterans and new blood this is likely the best French side in history.
The doubts come from a lack of success at any level in the past. However, the recent UEFA Champions League win by Olympique Lyon, featuring much of this squad, has caused some to pause.
High end expectations: Edging Canada for second in the group and advancing to the semi-finals
Low end expectations: Third in group
Our expectations: Third, but not by much.
No 7 – Canada
There is little doubt that Carolina Morace has moved this program forward a great deal in a short period of time. They are a legitimate darkhorse pick to advance to the final, although that would be a big ask.
Canada features one of the world’s great players in Christine Sinclair and a core that has played a lot of games together over the last 18-months. Played well too – Canada is 10-1-1 in 2011 and it’s won some silverware too. A pair of draws against Brazil in Brazil suggested that on the right day the Canucks can compete with the big players.
There has never been a Canadian team with as much expectation placed on them heading into a finals. If Canada fails to reach the semis there will be a lot of people disappointed.
But, let’s step away from the hype for a moment. Yes, Canada has a chance to go deep, but they could also lose out in the group stage. Germany is too strong – so that’s likely a loss. Nigeria should be a win, so it comes down to one game against France. The French are not going to be an easy touch.
If they do get out of the group however the semis are a real possibility.
High end expectations – If everything fell into place Canada could advance to the final.
Low end expectations – A crushing group stage exit to underrated France.
Our expectations: Fourth place overall after a semi-final appearance. But, we also won’t be stunned if they are upset early – Morace’s work is not yet done.
No 6 – Japan
A funny team that’s hard to pinpoint. After years of underachieving they had a measure of success in Beijing, which they then used to propel themselves to the No 4 ranked team in the world.
FIFA rankings lie – a lot – but Japan is a solid team (emphasis on word team, as they play an organized and collective game). You’d like a true game breaker to emerge, but there is more than enough here to get out of a weak group.
Getting out of the group might not be good enough as the No 2 team gets Germany. Japan needs to win to have a real chance at a deep run.
High end expectations – A run to the semis is certainly possible.
Low end expectations: It’s hard to see them missing the knock-out stage, but a second place finish in the group would be a disappointment.
Our expectations: We rank England slightly ahead, so we see Japan losing to Germany in the quarters.
No 5 – England
The first requirement of being a contender in the women’s game is to have a superstar. England has one in Kelly Smith. The second is to show that you can grind out results against top teams. With results over the USA and Sweden recently, they are starting to do just that.
Although it’s hard to see a true darkhorse wining, you would have to think that England is the most likely from outside the top four to do it.
As with Japan, it will come down to wining the group. Do that and you are looking at a toss-up game against likely France or Canada to get to the semis.
High end expectations: With recent big results a appearance in the finals is not out of the question
Low end expectations: Second in group, German appetizer in knock-out stage.
Our expectations: Win group, lose in quarterfinals to Group A runner-up (but with a good chance to win quarter).
Next-up, part 4 – The favourites