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| The Football Sack's Group E preview |
‘E’ would seem to stand for ‘excellent’, ‘exciting’ and
‘extraordinary’. Yup, Group E is pretty cracking, featuring the likes of Brazil,
South Korea, Spain and Costa Rica.
Brazil
Charted as numeró uno in Group E, the Brazilians are no
strangers to the World Cup: their appearance in Canada marks their seventh
World Cup to date. Globally ranked at eighth place, they are sure to be chasing
the Cup, having come closest in 2007 when they were runners up.
Road to Canada
They just drove straight on up. Brazil qualified by winning the
2014 Copa Améicana Feminina, which was held in Ecuador.
Manager
Oswaldo Fumeiro Alvarez, more commonly
referred to as just ‘Vadão’, like ‘Seal’, has earned his stripes. Having
coached the liked of Rivaldo and Kaka, both of whom went on to win the FIFA
World Player Award, he is an experienced manager with clubs such as Mogi Morim,
Guarani, Atletico Paranaense, Bahia, Corinthians and Sao Paulo. Having been
appointed in 2014, he has been an integral part of the teams’ journey to
Canada.
Key players
Marta Vieira da Silva – named FIFA
World Player of the Year five years in a row between 2006 and 2010, Marta is Brazil’s
top scorer and a legend. Discovered playing football on the street by well-known
Brazilian women’s coach Helena Pacheco when she was fourteen years old, Marta
hasn’t stopped since. Currently playing as a forward for FC
Rosengård in Sweden, Marta’s illustrious career has
seen her be compared to football legend Pelé “in a skirt”.
Captian Bruna Soares is also one to
watch. A defender, she keeps the whole squad in line (see what I did there) and
is an indispensable part of Brazil’s game. Like a sensible person, she completed a degree in physiotherapy as her Plan B - but clearly Bruna didn't need it! She currently plays as a defender
for Sao Paulo, her national team debut was in the 2012 Summer Olympics.
Fact you didn't know
It was illegal for women to play football in Brazil from 1941 to
1979.
Verdict
Even if they don’t win, surely they can’t bomb as hard as their
male counterparts last year who lost
seven- one in the semi-finals against Germany. Brazil has a good chance in
this one.
Spain
The espańolas know how to party, make tapas and delicious wine-based beverages, but do they know how to play fútbol? Yes, yes they do! Ranked in at an overall 14th in the world, the ladies from Spain should make the group stage interesting.
Road to Canada
Spain finished at the top of UEFA Group 2 in the FIFA Women’s
World Cup qualifiers, with 28 points and a goal difference of positive 40.
Their group included Italy, the Czech Republic, Romania, Estonia and Macedonia.
They’re coming in at third place in the World Cup group, with this being only
their first World Cup appearance.
Manager
Ignacio Quereda Lavińa was formerly a winger for the Real Madrid
youth team. His first foray into coaching was as Spain’s assistant coach in the
1979 World University Games, which in 1988 was followed by a gig as Spain’s
women’s national team coach. 2015, therefore, marks his 27th year in
the job. We know the Spanish have a history of dictators (jokes), but
seriously, it will be interesting to see if he can make an impact this year, as
it is his team’s first World Cup appearance.
Key players
Marta Torrejón Moya, a defender, has
the most caps of the whole squad – she’s been playing professionally since the
age of fourteen, debuting in the Superliga Feminina. She made her national team
debut in 2007, and was an integral part of Spain’s qualification for the 2015
Women’s World Cup, having played every minute of the campaign.
Verónica Boquete is the highest scorer
of her teammates – 29 goals to be exact. To add to that accolade, she is also
captain of her squad and an important part of Spain’s offensive game. A midfielder
who plays for FFC Frankfurt in the Bundesliga, Verónica’s international career
started in Spains’s U19 team in the 2004 UEFA Women’s U19 Championship, which
they won. She was awarded Player of the Year in 2011 for her performance in
American Women’s Professional Soccer league team, Philadelphia Independence.
Fact you didn't know
Although when we think of Spain, we tend to immediately think of
football, women’s football wasn’t officially recognized as a sport until 1980
at which point the Royal Spanish Football Federation accepted that it indeed
was real.
Verdict
Although Spain isn’t necessarily a European powerhouse when it
comes to the ladies, they are certainly in with a shot although by no means
will it be easy to get through to the next stage.
South Korea
The Taegeuk Ladies as they are known at home have once again qualified for the Women’s World Cup. This is South Korea’s second appearance and looks to be a promising one, having just played a friendly against USA on Saturday in which they held the tournament favourites scoreless at home in New Jersey.
Road to Canada
South Korea came fourth in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup and is
globally ranked at 18th place. Their hard work has earned them a spot in their second Women’s
World Cup, their first qualification was in 2003 during which they did not make
it past the group stage, in which they were also competing against Brazil.
Manager
Retired South Korean footballer Yoon
Deok-Yeo, who played for the
national team in the 1990 World Cup. The former defender spent his youth career
at Sungkyunkwan University and has been managing since 1993. Some of the clubs
he has managed include Gyeongnam FC, South Korea’s U17s and Ulsan Hyundai
Horangi.
Key players
Park Eun-sun, known as much for her footballing skill as for her
gender ambiguity, she has been accused on several occasions of being male. Standing
at an impressive 180cm tall, she is an imposing striker with 18 national goals
to her name. She has been playing for Rossiyanka, a Russian Women’s Football
Championship club, since 2014.
Kwon Hah-Nul at just 27 years of age
has an impressive 94 caps for the national team. Her current club career is at
Busam Sangmu WFC, where she has played since 2011. The versatile midfielder has
proven she’s worth her weight (52kg, apparently) with consistent performances
throughout her career.
Fact you didn't know
South Korea’s first official women’s game was in 1990 and saw
them lose 13-1 to Japan – it’s still their worst result to date.
Verdict
The Taegeuk Ladies have every shot of progressing to the next
stage. Their squad has come a long way in a short period of time and there’s no
reason why they wouldn’t keep improving.
Costa Rica
Costa Rica – which means “rich coast” is famous for more than just its bountiful natural resources - it is also considered one of the strongest Central American footballing nations despite this being their first appearance at the Women’s World Cup.
Road to Canada
The road was long, but Costa Rica has made it to their first
Women’s World Cup. They qualified by coming in second to the USA in the
CONCACAF FIFA Women’s World Cup qualifying tournament, and although they lost
the final 6-0, it’s a great start for a relatively inexperienced squad against the
powerhouse that is the USA women’s team.
Manager
Amelia Valverde has been with the national team in
various roles since 2011, such as the conditioning coach, and assistant coach
of the under-20s. When former coach Carlos Avedissian stepped down last year so
close to the World Cup, Valverde was the natural choice having a deep
understanding of the squad. The World Cup will be her biggest gig to date.
Key players
Fifteen year-old Gloriana
de Jesús Villalobos Vega found her love of football at the age of 5, having
grown up around brothers who showed her the magic of the round ball game.
Having played for a boys’ team from the age of 7 until she was 11, her
professional career started at the age of twelve with local club Deportivo
Saprissa, where she has been ever since. Gloriana debuted for her country at
the age of fourteen and is set to be a star on the rise.
Shirley Cruz Trańa grew up with seven
football-obsessed brothers, so she too found her love of the game at a young
age. Her first major tournament appearance for Costa Rica was at the 2002
CONCACAF Women's Gold Cup, which served as a qualifying tournament for the 2003
FIFA Women's World Cup. She currently plays for Paris Saint-Germain, which may
sound familiar because David Beckham played there, too. A creative midfielder,
she is an indispensible playmaker and will be one to watch this tournament.
Fact you didn't know
Costa Rica won the Fair Play Award at the CONCACAF tournament,
so you know they have hearts of gold. Also, incase you were wondering, CONCACAF
stands for ‘Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association
Football’
Verdict
Costa Rica might not be ranked as highly as the other teams but
definitely has the passion and guts to make an impact in the group stage and
perhaps ruffle a few feathers.