WWC Quarterfinals Preview

With the Round of 16 now completed, just eight teams remain in this World Cup, all of whom are capable of lifting the trophy on July 7th in Lyon. It's USA vs Europe at this point, with no teams from the other confederations remaining. We already know we will have one first-time semifinalist (Italy/Netherlands), so how will the old guard hold up? Here's what I think will go down.

Norway vs England, Thursday at 3:00 PM

This is a rematch of the 2015 Round of 16 in which the Three Lionesses progressed behind second-half goals from Steph Houghton and Lucy Bronze. Norway had to do it the hard way against Australia, and many will feel they were helped by a couple big VAR decisions; the handball decision right before halftime that was reversed, and the DOGSO red card which was upheld. England, on the other hand, did not need extra time to knock off Cameroon, but there was no shortage of drama in their match either. I would expect a low-scoring affair, as was the case in 2015, but England will have an advantage right off the bat in terms of freshness, with Norway having to win in extra time. 

My prediction: England 2-1 Norway, for the second tournament in a row

France vs USA, Friday at 3:00 PM

France has beaten the USA in their last couple meetings, but who will step up when it counts? The US showed that they are vulnerable in their narrow win against Spain, and the weak links in their defense got exposed on several occasions. However, the US showed that they can rise to the occasion in these big tournaments. Think back to Abby Wambach pulling a rabbit out of her hat in 2011 to send the quarterfinal to Brazil to penalties, or the 2015 semifinals against Germany, who showed no signs of slowing down. This France side, while perfect so far, has shown they can be beat, and I second Megan Rapinoe's hopes that the match will be a "total shitshow circus." With a sellout crowd expected in Paris and two teams more than capable of winning it all, we should expect nothing less.

My prediction: USA 2-1 France in extra time

Italy vs Netherlands, Saturday at 9:00 AM

Many were not expecting Italy to even progress from the group stage (myself included), let alone making it just one win away from the semifinals, but by winning a group which included Australia and Brazil and knocking off a traditional powerhouse in China, the Azzurre are showing that they are not messing around. Neither are the Dutch, however, as they put an end to Japan's amazing knockout stage record (only one loss in their previous seven knockout stage games, and that was in the final). We still haven't seen the best of the van de Sanden/Miedema/Martens front three, but the Oranje have played very well as a unit.

My prediction: 3-2 Netherlands in extra time

Germany vs Sweden, Saturday at 3:00 PM

This is a rematch from both the 2015 Round of 16 and 2016 gold medal match, between two teams who are very familiar with each other, and the Germans have always had the Swedes' number, especially when it counts, and I'm expecting something similar here. Alex Popp is hitting her stride at the right time despite a slow start, and younger players like Lea Schüller have shown flashes in the first four games. Sweden are not known for scoring goals in bunches, and despite the 5-1 win over Thailand, that has shown in their first few games (2-0, 5-1, 0-2, 1-0). If the Swedes are able to play the game on their terms, they'll have a chance, but I see Germany in control for most of it.

My prediction: Germany 1-0 Sweden

World Cup Grades (so far) and Knockout Round Predictions

The Women's World Cup has always been one of my favorite big international sporting events, and this one has delivered so far. Here's my grades for the teams so far and how I think the knockout rounds will play out.

Disclaimer: My grades are not just based on performance on paper, but also based on how they did versus the expectations before the tournament, hence the high grades for teams that didn't advance. 

Group A: 

1) France: A- (4-0 vs South Korea, 2-1 vs Norway, 1-0 vs Nigeria)

Qualified with few problems, but they have a tough Round of 16 match on their hands against Brazil. 

2) Norway: B+ (4-0 vs Nigeria, 1-2 vs France, 2-1 vs South Korea)

Played well considering the drama that surrounded the team during the tournament; now the real test begins. 

3) Nigeria: B+ (0-4 vs Norway, 2-0 vs South Korea, 0-1 vs France)

Justice was served after they qualified for the knockout stages, despite being cheated out of a point against France. 

4) South Korea: C (0-4 vs France, 0-2 vs Nigeria, 1-2 vs Norway)

Their fate was sealed after the first two matches, but they finished strong with a late flurry against Norway to get one back there.

Player of the Group: Wendi Rénard (France)

Group B: 

1) Germany: B+ (1-0 vs China, 1-0 vs Spain, 4-0 vs South Africa)

Finally broke open their dam of goals against South Africa, but will they play as free flowing in the knockout round as they did then? 

2) Spain: B- (3-1 vs South Africa, 0-1 vs Germany, 0-0 vs China)

Despite qualifying, they only scored one goal from open play, and Jenny Hermoso needs to get going if Spain wants any chance against the US. 

3) China: B- (0-1 vs Germany, 1-0 vs South Africa, 0-0 vs Spain)

Similar to Spain, they were average at best, and did not fully take advantage of their chance to build their goal difference against South Africa. 

4) South Africa: C+ (1-3 vs Spain, 0-1 vs China, 0-4 vs Germany)

Started strong against Spain and went downhill from there, but Thembi Kgatlana scored one of the goals of the tournament, with her chip against Spain. 

Player of the Group: Jenny Hermoso (Spain)

Group C: 

1) Italy: B+ (2-1 vs Australia, 5-0 vs Jamaica, 0-1 vs Brazil)

Surprised everyone by winning the group in their first appearance since 1999, but how much will they have left in the tank?

2) Australia: A- (1-2 vs Italy, 3-2 vs Brazil, 4-1 vs Jamaica)

Rebounded well after a rocky start, but they will go only as far as Sam Kerr takes them, which could either be in the final or an early exit.

3) Brazil: B- (3-0 vs Jamaica, 2-3 vs Australia, 1-0 vs Italy)

Probably the biggest under-performer of the tournament, they didn't do much more than what was expected of them, and they play France next.

4) Jamaica: B (0-3 vs Brazil, 0-5 vs Italy, 1-4 vs Australia)

Just being there was a great success for them, and they hung in well with Brazil and Australia. 

Player of the Group: Sam Kerr (Australia)

Group D:

1) England: A- (2-1 vs Scotland, 1-0 vs Argentina, 2-0 vs Japan)

Haven't seen them at their best but haven't seen them at their worst either, which makes their Round of 16 match against Cameroon interesting.

2) Japan: B (0-0 vs Argentina, 2-1 vs Scotland, 0-2 vs England)

Made it through, as was expected, but with players without much experience, they will need to play much better to reach the final for a third consecutive year.

3) Argentina: B+ (0-0 vs Japan, 0-1 vs England, 3-3 vs Scotland)

After years of inactivity, this group lifted themselves up to stay in contention, and while they didn't get the help they needed on the final day, they exceeded expectations and then some. 

4) Scotland: B- (1-2 vs England, 1-2 vs Japan, 3-3 vs Argentina)

Went from 100 to 0 in a matter of 16 minutes, but they have a lot to build on for future Euros and World Cups.

Player of the Group: Vanina Correa (Argentina)

Group E:

1) Netherlands: A- (1-0 vs New Zealand, 3-1 vs Cameroon, 2-1 vs Canada)

Silenced their critics with two strong performances to close out group play; now it's time for their stars to show up.

2) Canada: B (1-0 vs Cameroon, 2-0 vs New Zealand, 1-2 vs Netherlands)

Showed that the supporting cast around Christine Sinclair can get the job done, but now it's her turn to help this team advance.

3) Cameroon: B (0-1 vs Canada, 1-3 vs Netherlands, 2-1 vs New Zealand)

Bounced back when they had to from their two opening defeats, and now they have a chance to get one of the upsets of the tournament.

4) New Zealand: C (0-1 vs Netherlands, 0-2 vs Canada, 1-2 vs Cameroon)

This was the year for them to finally win a game at the World Cup, and they didn't even score a goal that wasn't an own goal.

Player of the Group: Ajara Nchout (Cameroon)

Group F: 

1) USA: A+ (13-0 vs Thailand, 3-0 vs Chile, 2-0 vs Sweden)

Got the job done and then some; just like France, the only problem for them is their matchup against Spain being a trap game.

2) Sweden: B (2-0 vs Chile, 5-1 vs Thailand, 0-2 vs USA)

Qualified as expected, but they will need to score more goals if they want to go far, and that hasn't always been a strength for them.

3) Chile: B (0-2 vs Sweden, 0-3 vs USA, 2-0 vs Thailand)

It came down to one penalty for them and they didn't convert it, but Christiane Endler's heroics against the US kept them in it until the very end.

4) Thailand: C (0-13 vs USA, 1-5 vs Sweden, 0-2 vs Chile)

Despite their shellacking against the US, the goal they scored against Sweden is not a moment anyone associated with the team will ever forget. 

Player of the Group: Christiane Endler (Chile)

Knockout round predictions:

Norway 1-2 Australia

England 2-1 Cameroon

France 2-2 Brazil (France wins on penalties)

Spain 0-2 USA

Italy 0-0 China (China wins on penalties)

Netherlands 2-1 Japan

Germany 3-1 Nigeria

Sweden 1-0 Canada

Quarterfinals (will predict exact scorelines after the Round of 16):

England vs Australia

France vs USA

China vs Netherlands

Germany vs Sweden

Semifinals:

Australia vs USA

Netherlands vs Germany

Final:

USA vs Germany

USA wins!

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog! I decided to create this to have a platform to showcase my writing, and write more in depth about the things I'm interested in. I've only ever had one piece published, but it was a very important one to me, about how I coped with the death of a longtime friend of mine during my freshman year of college. That event has been something that has shaped my college career, and just recently I found the courage to put that story into words for the first time.