Tag: Japan

Women’s World Cup Daily: June 25

Posted on by Backline Soccer

Round of 16: Day 4

Two fantastic games today to finish up the octofinals. Tomorrow is a day off, and then things get even more intense. If that’s possible.

Italy 2 – 0 China

The first half of this game was a huge amount of fun, and could easily have seen three or four goals. Italy were in firm control for the opening 20 minutes and really should have found more than just the one they got. But as the minutes ticked on, China appeared to settle in while Italy started to drag significantly—looking very much like a team that had played four games in less than two weeks, at the tail end of a long and grueling season.

I was particularly impressed with China’s control of play in the middle of the pitch. After an extremely physical (arguably vicious) performance against Germany, they appeared to back off considerably in their other group games. Against South Africa, they showed excellent ball movement and thoroughly controlled the game. But against Spain, they just looked timid. So I was certainly wondering how they would come into this match. What they provided was a good mixture of their strengths. They were certainly physical, but in a far more controlled fashion. During that period of dominance, they simply wouldn’t let Italy get a second on the ball.

Unfortunately for them, they simply couldn’t translate a lot of potential into a final product. Repeatedly, a delightful searching ball would find a Chinese forward in space. She would turn, execute an excellent dribble, and all that was needed was one final incisive touch or quick pass to set up a shot. But instead of doing anything, she would simply stand on the ball, giving an Italian defender time to dispossess her.

To some extent, that’s simply a credit to the Italian defense, which has only grown stronger with each game. The individual players in the backline are good, but the chemistry between them also seems to be growing. It’s a cliché, but the Italian defense is solid and extremely well organized.

At the same time, I also really wonder about the training and coaching system in China. Because watching these players, it’s clear that they have boatloads of ability, and some excellent soccer instincts. But as soon as they need to make the fateful decision to create a chance, they would freeze and the chance would evaporate. When one player does that, it’s possible that it’s simply a flaw in her game. But when many players do the same thing, it feels like a problem in the coaching.

In the end, that’s what took China out of this tournament. They demonstrated a lot of potential, but lacked a coherent structure through which they could apply their ability.

For Italy, the incredible journey continues. They weren’t particularly great today, but it was enough to get the job done. They’ll face a significantly harder task on Saturday in Valenciennes. And given how much they seemed to be struggling with exhaustion here, it’s hard to think they’ll be fully ready to go in less than four days. But a lot of their journey has been improbable.

Netherlands 2 – 1 Japan

One of the finest games in the tournament. Two technically adept teams working at high speed, passing the ball relentlessly, attacking with pace and precision. It was glorious to watch.

But it was also one of the most frustrating games of the tournament. Japan were marvelous and unloaded an assault on the Dutch goal in the second half, but just couldn’t find a way through. And then, in the dying moments, it was the Dutch who scored a heartbreaker, on one of those ‘technically by the rules but come on’ handballs.

It was exceptionally cruel to Japan, who played as well tonight as they have in years. Sugita was incredible. Iwabuchi created chance after chance. Hasegawa scored a wonderful goal. The defense stopped up the Dutch quite well. It was just wonderful all around. But soccer isn’t fair, and so they’re going home.

It felt particularly unfair on Japan because they did everything right coming into this game. Rather than sticking with an aging squad after 2015, they cleaned shop and started fresh. That meant a lot of losses and tough games, but it helped them arrive in France ready and revitalized. Then, after a bad performance against Argentina, Asako Takakura reshuffled her lineup, and turned everything around.

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Compare that to the Netherlands who have rested on their laurels and aggressively refused to make necessary changes. They rode Lieke Martens and Shanice van de Sanden to the Euros in 2017, and so they’re sticking with them here, despite extremely mediocre performances. Martens certainly made her contribution today with that lovely backheel goal, but was pretty nonexistent otherwise. And van de Sanden was a caricature of her worst habits. Only once she was subbed off for Beerensteyn (free Lineth Beerensteyn!) did the Dutch finally get some useful action down the right flank – including the play that eventually produced the penalty, which came from Beerensteyn driving in to make something happen instead of sending in yet another helpless cross.

But that’s the way it goes. Sometimes the right approach loses and the wrong one wins. That’s soccer.

For all that they’ve failed to find their top gear (or really, anything past second gear if we’re being honest), the Dutch are through to the quarterfinals. And while my love for Italy knows no bounds, the reality is that this is probably the easiest draw for that round. So even without truly finding their form, they could make the semifinals. Heaven help their opponents if they actually manage to put it all back together.

Notes

– We have to fix this ‘any ball that touches your arm at all is a penalty’ rule. We need to fix it yesterday.

– I want to buy an Italy Bonansea shirt, but as far as I can tell it’s basically impossible for me to do so. Fans at this tournament have to stand in lines a hundred people deep to buy merchandise. They aren’t selling alcohol. Matches are listed as sold out, when there are actually plenty of seats available. It sure feels like the soccer elites have left a massive amount of money on the table in the past month. That’s how sexist they are. Just about their favorite thing in the world is money, but it’s still not enough of a lure to get them to properly organize this event.

– It’s hilarious to me how differently the media in England, the US, and France have responded to underwhelming performances from their respective countries. I feel like it says a lot about each country.

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– I was not enthusiastic about Jill Ellis’s ‘tactical’ decisions last night. For an even better piece on that same point, check out this one from Kim McCauley.

– This piece from Stephanie Yang is important, though unpleasant, reading.

– Jeff Kassouf and Kieran Theivam’s The Making of the Women’s World Cup is out today in the US. If you haven’t already ordered it, definitely do it now. It’s great, and will make for some excellent reading while you wait for more games in the tournament. My full review is here.

– I was busy for most of the day with my conference, which has been great. Picture above is of the Newcastle city wall, built during the Middle Ages. It was breached by the Scots in their invasion during the English Civil War. So that’s fun.

Women’s World Cup Daily: Previewing the Round of 16

Posted on by Backline Soccer

Tomorrow begins the knockout stage. While we all take a break today, here is a preview for each match. If you want a bit more detail on a couple of the most tantalizing games, head over and check out our own Allison Cary’s post on the Top Three Matchups in the Round of 16.

Germany – Nigeria (22 June, Grenoble)

Germany will be heavy favorites, but it would be a huge mistake to write off Nigeria. They were after all one bizarre penalty retake away from earning a draw against France. And their strike force has the speed and intelligent movement to wreck the fragile Germany defense. The big question will be whether Nigeria can do enough to harass the German midfield. If this turns into a training ground exercise sort of match, with Nigeria endlessly chasing, I have faith in Germany’s ability to pick off the defense and score the goals they’ll need.

Norway – Australia (22 June, Nice)

One of the most exciting matches of this round. If you subtract Sam Kerr, Norway has arguably the stronger team in all three lines right now. Of course, add Kerr back and the equations start to change pretty rapidly. Not only is she arguably the best striker in the world, her mere presence warps games and forces the other team to re-organize to accommodate. It will be fascinating to see how this plays out. In theory, this should be a high-scoring thriller, with Norway using their ability to attack directly to pose all sorts of troubles for Australia’s cobbled-together backline, and Australia firing back with Kerr and Foord up top. But it could go very much in the other direction. If Norway decide to focus on controlling the midfield and starving Kerr of chances, this might end up a tedious 0-0 decided on penalties.

England – Cameroon (23 June, Valenciennes)

England went three-for-three in the group stage without quite kicking into full gear. This could be more of the same, against a Cameroon team who has proven to be quite difficult to play without posing nearly as much attacking threat as anticipated. As with every England game, one big question will be who Phil Neville chooses to play. It’s a squad with a huge amount of depth, and with five or six spots where you can make compelling arguments in multiple directions about who to play. Will he go with experience or youth? Pace or precision? Volatility or dependability? I’m particularly curious to see whether Georgia Stanway might have done enough to play herself into taking over the role of creative midfielder from Fran Kirby.

France – Brazil (23 June, Le Havre)

This is the glamor tie of the round, with two of the great names in world soccer. But these are very much two teams moving in different directions. France is a co-favorite for the tournament, while Brazil is an aging team trying to eke out one more result before their key players shuffle off the stage. Still, for all their struggles coming into the tournament (nine losses in a row!), Brazil managed six points in the group stage, including a solid performance against Italy in their last game. But for all that Italy has been great, they’re no France. Brazil will need much better from Marta (who hasn’t really contributed much, to be honest) and will need flawless games from the likes of Thaisa and Andressinha. That’s certainly possible, but if they expose any cracks, that midfield is going to get absolutely run over by France, and that will probably be the game.

USA – Spain (24 June, Reims)

If this game feels familiar, it should. The US played Spain just five months ago. It was a 1-0 game for the US that day, but Spain earned plaudits for their excellent possession and ability to control the game for long stretches. Expect some of the same this time, but probably to a lesser extent. The US were in their off-season last time, with Spain right in the middle of their season. That’s not true now, and it’s hard to see this version of the US conceding any space for Spain to play. The main question for the game is whether Spain is able to exert enough control in the middle of the pitch to dictate play, or if the US can overload the wings and bring overwhelming force to bear against the center backs before anyone can get back to help them. I’m betting on the latter, and would be surprised at any result other than a comfortable win for the US.

Sweden – Canada (24 June, Paris)

This has been widely billed as a boring tie between two teams that play hyper-defensively. Which is a good test of whether folks have actually been watching Sweden. Because this version of Sweden is hardly the stolid defending team that rode a series of drab games to the Olympic final three years ago. They may not be scoring much, but it’s not for lack of trying. They’re not going to say damn the torpedoes and go full leather into the attack, but this shouldn’t be a completely cagey match, and has at least some potential to be genuinely interesting. Both coaches have the ability and willingness to adapt, which could make for some fascinating chess as the game progresses.

Italy – China (25 June, Montpellier)

Italy were the surprise winners of Group C and as a reward got a game that certainly looks easier on paper than their groupmates. But in practice, this looks like precisely the sort of team that Italy will hate to play. China showed against Germany that they have the ability to play an aggressive physical game which depends very little on doing anything constructive. But Italy’s success so far has largely come from two things. First, picking at the weak spots in their opponent’s setup and then ruthlessly exploiting them. Second, using their physicality to disrupt the opposition, riding their luck a little bit to avoid getting tossed into the sin bin. Will they have the same results against the chaotic bundle of energy that is China? On the opposite side, will China look to play at full tilt like they did against Germany, or will they sit a bit deeper and ride their luck like they did against Spain. The former was far more successful than the latter, so I’d be surprised to see anything else here. Let’s all say a brief prayer for the lower-body health of Italy’s forwards.

Netherlands – Japan (25 June, Rennes)

On paper, this looks like the most exciting match of the round. Two teams with a lot of attacking potential, but in very different styles. The Dutch will look to spread the defense, to create spaces for Miedema to work in, and to give their wide attackers targets to ping with crosses, and create room for slashing runs. This relies on a great deal of technical ability but is fundamentally about vertical movement. Japan, by contrast, are all about triangles. They’ll hope to move the ball quickly through the middle. So far, Japan has been more potential than reality, and my gut tells me that will continue here as well. The Netherlands are absolutely exploitable, but I’m not sure Japan has enough firepower to match the goals they’re likely to concede. At the risk of invoking the pundit’s curse and ensuring this ends up 0-0, I’d expect goals—quite a lot of goals—here.  

Women’s World Cup Daily – June 19

Posted on by Backline Soccer

June 19: Matchday 13

Japan 0 – 2 England

Scotland 3 – 3 Argentina

I wrote about Scotland and Argentina here. 

For the other game, I have very little to say. I only caught glimpses, but England looked fine, while Japan looked…also fine. Obviously, England got the goals they needed, so will be much happier with the result. But nothing I saw here suggests that either team is quite ready to step into the top tier. England have a much easier draw now, and should have some time to play themselves into their top form, so I certainly wouldn’t count them out. But I’ll need to see more from them to be a true believer.

Notes

– I created a World Cup mix, with all the songs that I’ve been listening to on repeat while riding the trains around France. Give it a listen!

– I took a trip to the Atelier des Lumières this afternoon, and it was fantastic. It’s set in a 19th century smelting plant, and they display literally dozens of huge moving images on basically every surface in the place. The exhibit right now is primarily organized around Vincent Van Gogh and is truly breathtaking. It’s not simply pictures of his paintings; it’s a whole mesmerizing repurposing of his style and approach. I took some pictures, but they capture maybe 10% of the experience. You really just have to go. If you’ve got some time in Paris, I strongly recommend it.

– Back in the NWSL, Sky Blue are busy trading away one of their best players for future draft picks that they probably won’t even be able to use. I’m glad this organization has made some improvements in treatment of players, but it’s becoming increasingly clear that this is not a viable club. In my ideal world, they fold, or are transferred to a new market, and an additional franchise is brought in, taking the total up to ten teams. But if there aren’t two markets ready to enter, I’d rather stick with nine if that’s what it takes.

– More NWSL news: Taylor Comeau has retired. She should obviously do what’s best for her, but I hope we someday get to the point where highly-useful non-starters are able to regard staying in the league as a good career move.

– Even more NWSL news: the final has finally been announced in North Carolina. I don’t really understand why it isn’t in Utah, and I really don’t understand why it took them so long to announce it. Please do better.

Tomorrow’s action

Four games tomorrow, which will close out the group stage. They will fill in a lot of gaps in the bracket, so everyone will be watching closely to see how it plays out.

  • Cameroon – New Zealand. Two teams on zero points. Both will need a win, and potentially a big win. So far New Zealand has shown almost literally zero effort to attack, but they have some legitimately good players, so it’s time to see if they can do anything with them. Cameroon has been better in their games, but hardly as explosive as we hoped they would be. Tomorrow could be the day that changes.
  • Netherlands – Canada. Both teams are through, but it’s a pretty big difference to win the group. First place gets Japan in the round of 16, while second place gets (probably) Sweden, which isn’t a huge difference. But the quarterfinal matchup is the difference between running into Germany or getting to face Italy, China, or Nigeria. Netherlands hold the tiebreaker, so Canada would need to beat them to secure first.
  • Sweden – USA. We all know what’s up here. The US arguably would be better of losing the game – and thus avoiding France until the final. But this US team is not going to take their foot off the gas. Sweden may be able to neutralize them enough to hold on for a low-scoring draw, but I doubt it. And it’s very hard to see them actually beating the Americans.
  • Thailand – Chile. See above. Another match between two teams on zero points. Both need a win to have any hope. Chile will know the exact margin of victory they’ll need (3 goals would certainly get it done, but less might be enough depending on what happens in Cameroon-New Zealand). Thailand only have a chance if the day’s previous game ends in a draw, since there’s no chance of them pegging back their goal difference.

As I write this, I’m on the train heading to Le Havre, to kick off a week of some extreme bouncing around. I’ll be back in Paris tomorrow for a day, and then off to England for a conference, before heading back to Le Havre, Paris, and Valenciennes for the quarterfinals.

Women’s World Cup Daily – June 14

Posted on by RJ Allen

June 14: Matchday 8

Japan 2 – 1 Scotland

It’s almost bizarre how closely this game tracked with Scotland’s first match. Once again they fell behind 2-0 in the first half, partly due to a somewhat questionable penalty. Once again they finally found some attacking venom in the final twenty minutes, and did enough to get a consolation goal back, despite looking extremely leggy. Once again they were furious about the refereeing.

In the end, 2-1 was a pretty fair result. Japan were by far the better team for most of the game, but weren’t able to translate it into as much attacking success as they would have liked. And while their light pressing was enough to frustrate Scotland for most of the game, the defense broke down a bit toward the end.

Scotland can deservedly feel a little hard done by, with several decisions going against them. The penalty is a great example of something RJ Allen brought up in our pre-World Cup episode of The 123rd Minute – an NWSL player who is not ready for the stricter refereeing at this tournament. Rachel Corsie does this exact thing multiple times per game every weekend for the Utah Royals, and no one bats an eye. And even on the international level, it was a soft penalty. But the reality is that if you put your hands on an attacker in the box – particularly if you do it high up on the body rather than down at the waist – you’re opening yourself up to a penalty.

Later in the game, Scotland seemed to earn a penalty of their own, after kicking the ball off a Japanese player’s arm in the box. It’s precisely the sort of thing that shouldn’t be a penalty, but which have been repeatedly called according to the new interpretation of the rule.

In either case, you could absolutely go either way. It just happened to be the case that both decisions went against Scotland. For them and their fans, that will be absolutely infuriating.

The Scottish team probably didn’t ‘deserve’ a result on the night, given the overall balance of play. But while it often felt like Japan was on the verge of adding more, they only actually managed the one goal from open play. So if those two decisions had merely evened out, Scotland very easily could have earned a point here.

Even without that point, they have a decent chance of making the knockout stage. It will take beating Argentina, of course, but they’ve kept their goal difference very tight, which is the key thing. If they can actually get the three points, they’ll go through.

Japan haven’t technically qualified yet, but for all practical purposes they have. They looked much better today than they did against Argentina, and seem very much like a team who will play to the level of their opposition. There’s no realistic chance of them winning four straight games to win the tournament. But I certainly wouldn’t want to play them in a knockout game.

Jamaica 0 – 5 Italy

Going into the tournament, Italy were generally regarded by casual fans as a random European team who probably couldn’t be written off, and by more knowledgeable folks like Yours Truly as a team with ‘Potential, Who Aren’t There Yet.’ And then a few genuinely knowledgeable people (everyone is following Sophie Lawson, right?) popped up a hand and said ‘well, they might actually be there already.’

Folks, they’re here already.

I’ve been lucky enough to see them in person twice, and they might just be my favorite team in the whole tournament so far.

No, this Jamaica team is among the weaker teams here. But that’s a relative matter. They’re still pretty good. And Italy played them exceptionally well, and more than deserved a lopsided result, even if there were some peculiar twists and turns along the way.

I’m not really going to get into the penalty save/retake situation, except to say that this is yet another prominent example of the way that the laws of soccer are essentially arbitrary, and ill-suited to the kind of work we expect them to do in the 21st century. Did Schneider come off her line? Yes, by a very small amount. Is this sort of thing called? Almost never. Is it technically a violation? Yes. What are we honestly supposed to do with a system that’s so fundamentally incoherent, which simultaneously claims to measure fouls by a fraction of an inch?

Over the course of the game, Italy showed that they are strong not only in their tactical play – they were masters of occupying space and shutting down passing lanes – but also in their sheer physicality. There was no single player in the Italian backline who could individually handle Bunny Shaw, but as a group they kept her relatively quiet. As the captain Sara Gama noted after the match, Shaw is dangerous because she will shoot from anywhere and with almost no warning. But all those shots were blocked because there were consistently two or three Italians hanging on her shoulder.

And the Italian attack was superb. Admittedly, the Jamaican midfield gave them some room, but it was still marvelous to see them exploit it. And their striking core is proving themselves to be one of the most dangerous in the tournament. And they can find success in so many different ways and from different angles. Barbara Bonansea didn’t add to her goal tally but her link play was excellent. Cristiana Girelli managed a hat trick without any of the three looking particularly impressive. But those things don’t happen by accident. It may look silly to score with your face or to chest in a goal, but it takes being in the right place. Then, substitute Aurora Galli entered the game and produced a wonder strike fitting of a 5-0 victory.

Italy, a team that has not been to the World Cup in two decades, is through to the knockout stage with every chance of topping their group. As Girelli told me after the game: “It’s a kind of magic. I mean, we left from Italy hoping to enjoy first, and then to pass the round. We made it, so we are really happy!”

For Jamaica, this was another frustrating result. They actually played quite well, and almost certainly should have found at least a consolation goal, if not two, in the second half. But the chances didn’t fall. At times, it looked like their urgency overwhelmed them and they tried just a bit too hard – playing faster but not necessarily smarter. But there were huge bright spots. Despite the goal tally, keeper Sydney Schneider put in another solid performance, including the penalty save that was taken away. Shaw couldn’t score, but occupied several Italian defenders all night, and gave her teammates space to work. Mireya Grey was a breathe of fresh air in the attack, while Jody Brown brought tons of energy in the second half. Chinyelu Asher looked dangerous out wide, while Havana Solaun played quite a few dangerous passes. And Deneisha Blackwood put in one hell of a performance at fullback. She was a dynamo, covering huge amounts of space, wrestling off defenders, winning tackles, and generally looking like someone who is impossible to play against. It was the best I’ve ever seen her play, and genuinely thrilling to watch.

England 1 – 0 Argentina

I saw zero minutes of this match, since it coincided exactly with my travels back from Reims. That means I’ve now seen zero minutes total of England. I was really interested in England going into the tournament so it’s weird I still haven’t seen them. And since I’ll be at the Scotland-Argentina match that happens at the same time as their final group stage match, I probably won’t catch much of that either.

It sounds from reports that this was a less successful defensive performance from Argentina, rescued by a show-stopping night from Vanina Correa in goal. Still, it’s incredibly impressive that they’ve gone 180 minutes against two of the top ten teams in the world and only conceded one goal.

Two points could theoretically be enough to advance, if neither New Zealand or Cameroon win a game, and Chile and Thailand. But more realistically, they’ll need a win against Scotland to go through. I wouldn’t say the chances are high there, but it’s certainly a realistic possibility.

The danger is that they’ll have to actually open themselves up a bit to attack, and in doing make it far harder to keep their own goal protected. I’m certainly pulling for them,. As much as I love the Scotland team, it would be a hell of a fun story if Argentina get through.

Notes

– As I mentioned above, I wrote a long piece on the laws of the game, and the problems that VAR is exposing (though not precisely creating). Give it a read, and then read Ian’s response/elaboration which offers a very interesting alternative perspective.

– I am a massive Bunny Shaw fan, but she should have been sent off. Her attempted bicycle kick put a boot directly into Sara Gama’s head. It was lucky that the connection was more glancing than full-on, but just a few inches different and she could be in intensive care right now. It wasn’t intentional, but that’s a red card.

– Kim Little is one of the best players in the world, but she’s having to do too much and it’s really limiting her effectiveness. I don’t know what the right place for her to play is, but it’s probably not holding mid. I understand the impulse to put your best player at a critical hinge, but I think they need to trust someone else to do a job, and take some of the responsibility off Little to shepherd play every single instant.

– I have thoroughly enjoyed riding the trains with fans of the various teams. Props to the Jamaica fans on the 21:12 out of Champagne-Ardenne tonight. Y’all were great.

Tomorrow’s action

  • Netherlands – Cameroon. The Netherlands couldn’t finish in their last match, but given the lethal strikeforce they have at their disposal, there’s no reason to expect that to last. Cameroon were solid against Canada, but this feels like it’s as likely to finish 4-0 or 5-0 to the Dutch as it is for Cameroon to get a result.
  • Canada – New Zealand. These teams are both good at many things, but scoring goals is not one of them. Of course, having said that, maybe it will end up a wild 4-3. I doubt it, though. We’re still in Sinclair watch. Failure to get any against Cameroon makes it much less likely she breaks the record in this tournament, but it’s absolutely still possible.

I’m not going to either of these games. In fact, I’m not traveling anywhere at all. For the first time in the whole tournament, I could just sit on the couch in my Airbnb all day if I wanted. But assuming I can get myself up, I’m going to see some water lilies at the Musée de l’Orangerie, and if it’s nice out do some reading in the Tuileries Garden, and then get some crepes.

Which, hey, if you’re in Paris and you want to talk about soccer or see some great impressionist art tomorrow, hit me up.

Women’s World Cup Daily – June 10

Posted on by RJ Allen

June 10: Matchday 4

Argentina 0 – 0 Japan

Anyone who thinks a 0-0 game can’t be thrilling should be lucky enough to be in the stadium for a game like this. From the opening few minutes until the final whistle, this was full of tension, waves of action, and moments to set your heart racing.

It was also an exceptional team defensive performance, with Argentina putting on a clinic in how to frustrate a possession-oriented team without ever having to resort to the Dark Arts. They hardly committed a foul in the game – in fact it was Japan that was far more likely to commit serious infractions, with Argentina’s Estefania Banini drawing several bookings from the normally restrained Japanese players.

And while this was a defensive approach from Argentina, don’t let anyone tell you that it was a ‘bunker’ or that they ‘parked the bus.’ There is an important difference between those things. The problem with bunkering is that you effectively subject yourself to constant pressure, with very little in the way of failsafes. What Argentina did was far more refined and impressive. They set a solid block, but also continually sending players at the top of the block forward to harass Japan as they attempted to probe the Argentinian defense.

It was a wonderfully controlled performance, one which put enough pressure on Japan to significantly restrain their attacking creativity, without exhausting themselves in the process by consistently chasing the ball. It takes a degree of precision to strike that balance – one that is certainly possible for a club team that trains together every week, but is rare among national teams and virtually unheard of in national teams with the level of resources provided to Argentina.

The heart and soul of the operation was Lorena Benítez, a 20 year old futsal player (!), who only joined the team in March (!!). This was just her fourth time playing for Argentina, but she turned in one of the great performances from any player in the whole tournament. As defensive midfielder, she shepherded play, tracked runs, and covered an almost impossible amount of territory. Watching from high above, it genuinely seemed like she was everywhere. Each time a potentially dangerous attack from Japan was snuffed out, she was there. And as the game progressed, she ranged further and further forward, applying pressure in much more advanced zones.

It would also be impossible to let the game go by without talking about Estefania Banini, who ranged all across the field, providing crucial relief for Argentina by holding possession and disrupting Japan’s efforts to build any serious rhythm. And as the second half went on, and Argentina seemed to grow more comfortable, Banini was a whirling dervish, helping to guide several counterattacks.

For Japan, this was very much a game to forget. They may seriously regret the points they dropped here, but the reality is that things haven’t really changed that much for them. Beat Scotland and they’ll likely finish second in the group. Beat England and Scotland, and they’ll finish first. That was true before this and it’s still true. The question is whether this was a one-off case of nerves, or whether it’s a sign of deeper malaise in the team. My bet is that they sort things out and emerge fine, but it’s certainly something to watch out for.

Canada 1 – 0 Cameroon

This was a peculiar game. In my pre-match writeup over at Stars and Stripes FC, I said that it was a clash between styles, with Canada wanting a tight game and Cameroon wanting an open one. And I suggested that whoever controlled the tempo would therefore have an advantage. The first half was frantic and chaotic, much like Cameroon would have wanted. Except it didn’t produce the goals we might have expected. The one and only tally came on a corner, and all the other chances just fizzled away.

Then, goal in hand, Canada came out in the second half to completely shut up shop. And they pretty much succeeded. The result was a narrow 1-0 that felt like a pretty wide margin by the end, as it seemed less and less possible that Cameroon would be able to get a grip on the game.

On a day when Japan – a team fairly similar to Canada in terms of expectations and ability – failed to get a result against an inferior team, getting the three points probably counts as a major success. But Canada really had no business letting it be as close as it was.

Those two perspectives are going to define this team over the coming weeks. And, as I said on twitter earlier today, as unpopular as it is, this conservative, stifling approach to the game may end up serving Canada very well. It doesn’t produce many goals, but it keeps games close. When they come up against The Netherlands, we’ll get to see whether that tradeoff is worth it.

Notes

– Check out my post over at Stars and Stripes FC about what to watch for in the US – Thailand game tomorrow. The US is going to win, but the way it plays out is still potentially pretty important.

– I also wrote up the discussion post at SSFC for today’s games as well.

– I was thrilled to see the level of support in the Parc des Princes today for Argentina – Japan. 25,000 is well below capacity, but is still a huge crowd, and they were into the game. I’ve got more thoughts on that subject, but you’ll have to wait for the next 123rd Minute episode to drop (look for it tomorrow) to hear them.

Tomorrow’s action

  • New Zealand – Netherlands. Another game with a clear favorite, but one where the underdog has a very real chance to find a result. New Zealand could lose this game 5-0 or could scrape a 1-1 draw. I’ll be particular curious to see if Vivenne Miedema (my pick for the golden boot) can get off to the races.
  • Chile – Sweden. Sweden should have enough to stifle Chile, and enough firepower to slice through their defense. But Chile have a top-class goalkeeper, and we’ve already seen what a disciplined squad can do against superior opposition. I’d certainly bet on Sweden here to win comfortably, but it’s no sure thing.
  • USA v. Thailand. See my post at SSFC.