EDMONTON, alberta — Canada coach John Herdman pretty much summed up the prevailing sentiment when he was asked what he was looking forward to most about the Women’s World Cup.
“Winning,” he said.
Join the crowd, coach.
Canada, ranked No. 8 in the world, opens the premier tournament in women’s soccer with a group-stage match against No. 16 China on Saturday in Edmonton, one of six Canadian cities hosting the monthlong event. The final is July 5 in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Twenty-four teams are competing this year, up from 16 that took part in the 2011 tournament in Germany. Japan won that one on penalty kicks in a memorable final against the U.S.
The Americans, ranked No. 2, are among the favorites, along with top-ranked Germany and third-ranked France. The U.S. women are in Group D, the so-called “Group of Death” that includes upstart Australia, Sweden and former U.S. coach Pia Sundhage, and perennial African champion Nigeria.
Group D opens with a match between the United States and Australia in Winnipeg on Monday, but probably the most anticipated match of the group stage is the showdown between the U.S. and Sweden next Friday. It pits Sundhage against former assistant Jill Ellis, who took over the U.S. team last spring.
The players, many of whom played for Sundhage, were keeping perspective on the match.
“It’s just another game for us; it’s just another in the group round,” said U.S. defender Meghan Klingenberg. “We’re not looking at it as the ‘Group of Death’ or the easiest group, or whatever it is. We’re just looking at it as a game we have to win because we want to be on the podium at the end of this tournament.”
There have been mixed reviews of the U.S. team in the matches leading up to the World Cup, starting with an uncharacteristic loss to France in Lorient in February and ending with a listless 0-0 draw against South Korea in New Jersey last Saturday.
The players themselves say they are not concerned, trusting a process.
“Everybody, don’t freak out,” forward Abby Wambach said. “We’re going to be fine.”
The event is the first senior World Cup, for the men or women, to be held on artificial turf.
That hasn’t gone over well with many players, who believe that artificial turf exacerbates injuries and changes the way the ball moves. Wambach led a group of players who filed a legal challenge last fall, alleging gender discrimination — because the men’s World Cup is always played on real grass.
