Jun 18, 2014; Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Germany midfielder Simone Laudehr (6) celebrates with teammates after a goal against Canada during the second half in a women’s soccer friendly at BC Place. Germany won 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports
The USWNT is merely one of eight teams in the 2015 Algarve Cup’s field of twelve who are using the tournament to prepare for the 2015 Women’s World Cup. Here’s a breakdown of the progress across all three groups ahead of Monday’s final group matches.
Group A
Group A at the Algarve is ostensibly the strongest of the tournament: all four teams will be playing in Canada this summer, while Brazil, Germany, and Sweden will all be expected to advance to the knockout round. Number-one ranked Germany, currently dealing with some of the worst injury news of any World Cup team, shocked many by blowing an early 2-0 lead over Sweden to eventually fall 4-2.
But if the Swedes believed they’d walk away with the group, they got that expectation extinguished by a focused Brazilian team. Brazil has been showing well since their 3-2 defeat of the US back in December, and their recently-confirmed longterm residency camp seems designed to build upon that success going into this summer. This group is still up in the air, as there’s no telling who will win in Monday’s matchup between Brazil and Germany, which is expected to be broadcast on Fox Sports 1 at 1:30pm EST.
Group B
The United States is far and away the strongest team in Group B, and has shown as expected, dispatching both Norway and Switzerland with relative ease. Iceland was run over by both Norway and Switzerland, and isn’t expected to put up much of a fight against the Americans.
Perhaps the most competitive match of this group has yet to be played, when World Cup newbies Switzerland take on a stout Norwegian team, who, despite not earning a berth at Canada this year, have a difficult style. For teams who rely on fluidity, the brick-like defensive setup and blitzing counter-attacks should present a real challenge for a Switzerland team that has shown well lately, despite Friday’s loss to the US.
Group C
France took control of this group pretty early, taking care of host country Portugal in short order and putting away Denmark in a 4-1 rout. In perhaps the most surprising news of the tournament, Denmark upended heavy favorites Japan with a 2-1 win over the reigning World Cup champions, completely upsetting the balance of the group.
Again, the most competitive match has yet to be played, but France will take on Japan early Monday. Given the form with which the French have been playing lately, and the disappointing Japanese result against Denmark, expect a firecracker of a match if you can find some way to access Eurosport at 10am EST tomorrow.
Right now, it seems likely that the first-place game will be between the US and France, unless Japan can upset them with a lopsided defeat and Brazil manages to beat Germany. The United States has been playing better, but I suspect they are still not satisfied with their execution of head coach Jill Ellis’ game plan. No matter what, assuming a win over Iceland, the US will match up against either Brazil or France, both of whom are teams that have beaten them in recent months, on Wednesday (time to be determined).
More from USWNT
- Dutch expose USWNT’s vulnerabilities in 1-1 draw
- Kelley O’Hara is a winner and she’s back for the World Cup
- USWNT unveils young World Cup roster with wildcards galore
- USWNT loses Mallory Swanson to patella tendon injury
- USWNT secures sixth SheBelieves Cup trophy ahead of World Cup
2015 Cyprus Cup updates:
In addition to the Algarve, another friendly tournament is currently taking place, albeit with slightly less firepower. The 2015 Cyprus Cup features Canada, England, Korea Republic, Australia, & the Netherlands. Of particular interest is the success that England is enjoying, sitting atop a Group B that features 3 teams headed to Canada this summer. Most impressively, England just demolished Australia off of a Jodie Taylor hat-trick, a performance marred only by claims of off-pitch sexist chants by a group of British soldiers who were in attendance.
Mexico is also looking solid, and seems poised to run away with a relatively weak group C that includes South Africa, Czech Republic, and Belgium. Additionally, World Cup hosts Canada are looking crisp and well-prepared, defeating both Scotland and Korea without conceding a single goal.
It’s particularly comforting to see solid performances from captain and scoring dynamo Christine Sinclair, who is rounding into form after a couple of years where she seemed to struggle to find the back of net. With two goals in two matches, she seems to be exiting her scoring slump, which will be key for Canada as they seek a World Cup win on home soil.
Next: USWNT Dispatches Switzerland