Live! USA vs NED (7/7)

1F-United States (6-0-0) "The Stars and Stripes" vs
1E-Netherlands (6-0-0) "Orajeleeuwinnen"

Start: USA is going for their 4th WWC title and are heavy favorites (as high as 5 to 1) and hold the CONCACAF Women's Championship '18 as well.  NED is in the Final in just their 2nd year in the WWC and hold the UEFA EURO Women's Championship '17.  Both go for the Double.  USA has scored in the first 12 minutes in all 6 matches while NED has scored 6 goals (including 4 game-winners) in the 75' or later.  Alex Morgan leads the Golden Boot with 6 goals (3 assists) with Megan Rapinoe behind at 5 goals (3 assists).  USA has 24 goals (record is 25 by '91 USA and '03 GER).  USA has won a record 11 straight WWC matches while NED has won 9 straight overall (6 this WWC) and 12 straight tourney matches ('17 EURO, '19 WWC).  While UEFA dominance and getting 7 of 8 QF teams in, NED is the first UEFA team in the final since '07 (GER).  USA 6-1-0 vs NED ('91).

Current total goals tiebreaker is 3 (SWE 2, ENG 1).  If NED pulls off the biggest upset in WWC history, then UncleChimps needs the total goals in this match to be 3 goals or less while Tom J wants 4 or more (for battle for 3rd/4th).  The goals count only in regulation or Extra Time, not the Penalty Shootout.  From the Pubs! wins the pool if USA wins and THE GAMBLER 1 wins the pool if NED wins.  UncleChimps, Futbol Fabone Dix and Pazzo Americano win 2nd/3rd/4th if USA wins and From the Pubs! gets 2nd if NED wins.

1':  Funny that the start the match with PA doing a countdown for the fans.  USA Rapinoe starts so it's the deadly combo of Heath-Morgan-Rapinoe.

10':  Early yellow for NED who's been a little sloppy.

13': NED survives the first 13 minutes, first time USA has not scored this early.  NED also playing with one less day's rest and played 30 extra minutes in the SF.  No shots for either side yet.

17':  Neat CK play by USA but results in no shot.  Temps in the high 80s.  USA has had several drives into the box but the crosses haven't connected.  The NED forward line has not had the explosive spark expected though they have scored six goals.  NED has just scored twice in the first half.

Live! ENG vs SWE (7/6)

1D-ENGLAND "The Lionesses" 5-1-0 vs
2F-SWEDEN "Blågult" 4-2-0 

Start: ENG has scored in the first 20 minutes 5 of 6 matches. ENG is going for 2nd Third Place finish ('15) and SWE is going for their 3rd ('91, '11).  SWE is 14-3-8 vs ENG (1st matchup in WWC).  For the pool tiebreaker, if NED wins the final, then UncleChimps needs the total goals in this match and the Final match to be 6 goals or less while Tom J wants 7 or more (for battle for 3rd/4th).  The goals count only in regulation or Extra Time, not the Penalty Shootout.  Ellen White (ENG) has scored in 5 straight matches.

11':  All SWE thus far and a poor ENG clearance is pounced upon by Aslanni, who came off the field in the last match in a scary potential neck injury.  So she starts and scores!  SWE 1:0.  ENG has allowed a goal in the first 12 minutes two games in a row.

22':  A great curling strike in the box by Jakobsson and now SWE leads 2:0.  But two SWE players are injured so ENG playing up for now.   Tom J is happy as goals are pouring in.

45':  An unusually high 5' of stoppage due to VAR and SWE injuries.  Now an ENG player is down.  SWE 2:1.

33':  Back to back ENG goals but no, the second won't count as VAR shows an unintentional handball calls yet another White goal back (she'd have 8 if not for VAR) and is back stuck on 6 goals.  But Kriby's goal in 31' was a great effort.  ENG 1:2.  Total time 51:00.

75':  Game has slowed down, SWE out of subs.  Retiring Karen Carney enters the match for ENG.  SWE 2:1.

88':  If White is kept off the board, then USA's Alex Morgan would retain the Golden Boot (more assists).  White's 6 goals is impressive considering she didn't take any of ENG's 4 PKs.

89':  Goal mouth block by SWE's Fischer head!  SWE 2:1.  4 min stoppage.

Finish:  94:23.  SWE wins their 3rd Bronze medal (tying USA)!  Total goals for tiebreaker is 3.  So if NED wins tomorrow, Tom J is going to need at least 4 goals scored between USA and NED.  FOX calling ENG a failure which is funny.  SWE didn't have many opportunities but made the most of them with 8 of their 9 shots on goal.

Extra Time! (7/3)

For the first time, a WWC semifinal went into Extra Time.  Each GK had some amazing finger tip saves and 2F-Sweden were at one time pounding 1E-Netherlands on fouls 17 to 2 in the first 62 minutes.  But in ET, a seemingly typical play saw Jackie Groenen with some daylight and she hit a rocket of strike from way outside the box into the left corner in the 99' and NED held on to win 1-0, their first trip to the Finals in just their 2nd WWC appearance.  They will face 1F-USA, who is making their 5th final on Sunday.

SWE's Kosovare Asllani committed 8 fouls (no cautions) and was fouled 7 times (2 drawing cautions) as SWE ended up outfouling NED 24 to 14.  She was also carted off on a stretcher after being hit in the face with the ball in the 120'+1 delaying the match for more than 5 minutes.  SWE lost for the 3rd time in the SF.

Tea Time (7/2)

1F-USA's Alex Morgan celebrated her birthday by scoring in what turned out to be the game-winner with a sipping British tea salute in helping USA to their third straight 2-1 victory, this time over the jolly good women of 1D-England.  ENG had a brutal stretch from the 68' to 86' where Ellen White's game-tying goal was overturned by VAR (hairline offsides), an open tap in that was whiffed by White but then overturned by VAR into a PK as a foul (hairline contact to her leg), ENG continuing a tradition by missing a penalty kick (their 3rd straight miss), and then going down to 10 women after a second yellow to Millie Bright.  I guess ENG is just a semifinal team after all losing their 3rd straight semifinal ('15 WWC, '17 EURO).  Meanwhile, USA makes its 3rd straight final and 5th overall by winning their 11th straight WWC match (16th without a defeat).

Shocker in Rennes (6/29)

It was a little shocking to see 1C-Italy and 1E-Netherlands so blatantly arguing in the faces of the referee.  It was pretty disrespectful and I wonder if it was a male ref, if they would do that.  There were 29 fouls (16 by NED) and four cards (all ITA).  NED got a couple of headers in the second half to be beat ITA 2-0 to advance to their first semifinal.  This match also featured the first cooling breaks in the 30' and 75' as the heatwave continues across France.

1B-Germany, with more days rest than 2F-Sweden, struggled all day and already made two subs as the second half started.  GER scored early on a great volley but soon and for the first time in 22 WWC matches  (coincidentally also against SWE in '03 Final), GER allowed a goal in the first half.  The 1-1 tie was broken early in the second half off a great save but the rebound was easily put in giving the Swedes the lead.  After not allowing a goal in 394 minutes, GER now has allowed two in one match.  SWE held on to win 2-1, snapping a streak of 29 straight matches where the team that scored first had won (not including NOR-AUS that went to PSO).  The # 2 team is now out and SWE makes their first semifinal since 2011 and wins their first major tournament match against GER since 1995.

Back to Back Brace (6/28)

The gameplan for the U.S.:  Score earlier.  For the 5th time, the 1F-USA scored in the first 12 minutes.  They will play D1-England, who has scored in the first 15 minutes 4 times.  Megan Rapinoe scored two goals for the second straight match in helping USA beat host 1A-France, 2-1, in front of 45,595 fans with a nice contingent of Americans.  Rapinoe's first goal in the 5' was a free kick hit hard towards goal that went through everyone, including between FRA defender Amandine Henry's legs into the net.  The second was a great sequence in the 65' started by the banged up Alex Morgan to Tobin Heath who crossed the ball behind most players except for the charging in Rapinoe who had a clinical finish.  FRA did manage to pull one back off a free kick to the tall Wendie Renard in the 81' but the U.S. did a great job controlling the ball after that, especially in the 5 minutes of stoppage time.  FRA continues to fall short, losing in the quarterfinals for the 5th straight major tournament ('13 EURO, '15 WWC, '16 Olympics, '17 EURO).  While the men's '98 team won the WC and the '16 team reached the final as hosts, the FRA women hoped to duplicate that result at home.

Gameplan: Score Early (6/27)

So 1D-England has a plan.  Score early.  For the fourth time this tourney, ENG scored in the first 15 minutes, this time 2:07 into the match (fastest thus far this tourney) as ENG cruised to a 3-0 win over 2A-Norway.  ENG's three previous early goals were coincidentally all in the 14'.  The one downside is that ENG has failed to score on two straight PKs (both saves from shots by Nikita Parris).  Ellen White scored her 5th goal (tying USA's Alex Morgan and AUS's Sam Kerr) and once again we got the eye goggles (when she scored her first goal vSCO it was an opportunistic pounce and finish off a defensive error and I thought her gesture was just to say "I can't believe SCO just gave the ball to me").  ENG will now play the winner of 1A-France and 1F-United States in the semifinals where in 2015 they lost to JPN on an own goal.  Is ENG peaking at the right time?

Europe Takes Out Asia (6/25)

This is turning about to be the pseudo-2019 edition of the quadrennial UEFA Women's EURO.  Seven of the 8 Quarter-finalists (QF) hail from UEFA with the 1F-USA the lone invader.  Maybe we should do a HWCI pool on that, as the 2021 year is barren (2020 Men's EURO, 2022 Men's WC, 2023 Women's WC).  And in looking at the UEFA Women's EURO 2017 which featured 16 teams, only one match was a complete blowout (Scotland lost 6-0 but they made this year's WWC) so UEFA could lobby for 12 teams in the 2023 WWC and still be competitive (unlike AFC's 5th team (THA), Concacaf's 3rd team (JAM), and Oceania (NZL)).

With all the negativity surrounding this year's WWC (salary disputes, insensitive celebrations, lack of interest by FIFA and national federations, VAR, low attendance, unsportswomanlike conduct, political takes), it's great to see that after a match, great traditions of exchanging jerseys (like a few of the ESP and USA women did -- thank goodness for sports bras) and consoling an opponent after a tough loss are still in great supply.

Save! (6/24)

For the second time this tourney, there was heartache on a missed PK (CHIvTHA for spot in R16).  With 2F-Sweden scoring first in the second half, thanks to... wait for it... VAR, 2E-Canada had a chance to tie with a penalty kick.  Instead of 2nd all-time scorer Christine Sinclair, it was Janine Beckie and her shot in the lower left was saved in the 69'.  VAR kept CAN in the game as a potential PK opportunity was negated by a SWE offside in the 81'.  Both teams only managed two shots on goal each and SWE held on to win 1-0 to advance to their 4th QF.  CAN, ranked #5, had high hopes of doing better than last time when as hosts, they made the QF.  SWE, which rested players to finish 2nd in Group F, had just enough to prevail. 

Unsportswomanlike Conduct (6/23)

For the third time 1D-England scored within the first 15 minutes in a very uncomfortable 3-0 win over 3E-Cameroon.  A rare GK mistake as the CMR GK picked up the ball off a backpass resulting in an indirect free kick on the goalkeeper box line with ALL 11 CMR players on the goal line!  Such an odd sight and unfortunately the GK slightly deflected the shot past her line of defense behind her for the first goal.  Interestingly, had ENG decided to do a direct kick at goal and it deflected off a CMR player going in, it would be a goal since it touched two players.  However, had ENG tried the direct kick and went straight in, it would have been an illegal kick.

Kerr-fuffle (6/22)

1B-Germany scored early and recorded their 4th straight shutout, beating 3A-Nigeria, 3-0.  GER has now reached the Quarters in all 8 WWCs.  VAR reviewed the first two goals where the first it was ruled GER wasn't offsides in that the offside player was not interfering with the GK (though it was a busy box) and the second was another defender whiffing and kicking a player hard on the follow-through and VAR ruling a foul had occurred and PK was awarded. 

Off the Crossbar! (6/20)

Such 3rd place drama.  With both top 2 teams in Groups E and F already qualified, the bottom two teams faced each other to try to qualify with a win.  A4-Nigeria (3 pts, -2 GD) and D3-Argentina (2 pts) were waiting to see if they could sneak in.  First of all, E4-Netherlands beat E1-Canada 2-1 to win Group E and F1-USA comfortably beat F4-Sweden 2-0 to win Group F.  Boring. 

Needing a win, both E2-Cameroon and E3-New Zealand were pushing players forward to try to break a 1-1 tie and in the end, 5 minutes into stoppage time, Ajara Nchout single-handedly worked herself through and her strike went into the right corner for the final play of the match and sent CMR into the Round of 16 and eliminated ARG.  Then E3-Chile needed a 3-goal win to advance (E4-Thailand now needed a 15-goal win margin after CMR won) and were leading 2-0 when VAR awarded them a PK in the 83'.  But Francisca Lara's PK hit the crossbar hard and match ended 2-0 sending NGA into the Round of 16.  Two African teams claimed the last two R16 spots.  In retrospect, SCO blowing a 3-goal lead against ARG cost them a R16 spot and would've sent CMR home.  So the 3rd place teams are 3E-Cameroon (BEF), 3C-Brazil (CDE), 3A-Nigeria (ACD), and 3B-China PR (ABF).

Comeback of the Ages (6/19)

D2-Scotland were well on their way for a great chance to reach the Round of 16 with a 69' goal giving them a 3-0 lead over D1-Argentina.  Then a breakaway in the 74' gave ARG their first goal of the tourney.  The a long strike apparently hit the crossbar and hit the goalie's hand and barely bounced into the net for an own goal for ARG's second goal in the 79'.  Then we had the 7 minute, 27 second "play".  At 85:49 a SCO player tackled an ARG in the box but no penalty was called.  VAR was then called in and the ref determined it was a foul and ARG now has a chance to tie.  The PK was taken and saved and a rebound attempt was also saved.  SCO survives!  But now, another VAR review and for the 3rd time, the GK was off her line and the PK was retaken.  And like the other two, it was buried at 93:16 and ARG had tied it up at 3.  SCO's dream had come to an end and ARG's was kept alive, despite sitting at two points.  ARG was the first team to come back from 3-0 to tie.  If both bottom two teams in Group E and F tie, ARG is in (as would NGR). 

Topsy Turvy (6/18)

C1-Australia's Sam Kerr pounced on a C4-Jamaica GK mistake in the 83' and her 4th goal of the match proved to be the difference in securing 2nd place in Group C and facing 2A-Norway with a 4-1 win.  While C2-Italy and C3-Brazil were tied, AUS was comfortably in 2nd but a BRA PK by Marta (now the all-time WC, men's or women's, goal scorer with 17 passing GER's Miraslav Klose) in the 74' had put BRA into 2nd.  So despite BRA beating ITA 1-0 and both having 6 points (along with AUS), ITA takes 1st on goal differential and AUS takes 2nd on goals scored, leaving BRA to face either 1A-France or 1B-Germany.  Yikes.  Of course, had BRA scored again and won 2-0, they would have taken 1st (GD and GF with ITA would have been equal (both beat AUS on GD), so head-to-head comes into play).

Twenty-Two Shots (6/17)

Each match saw one team take at least 22 shots but only two of the four won today.  B1-Germany got tired of 1-0 wins and came out swinging shooting 23 times and scoring four times in a 4-0 win over B4-South Africa to clinch Group B with 9 points.  In an interesting match where the winner would be the loser, only a loss would keep B3-Spain, holding 2nd place, from likely facing the F1-United States in the Round of 16 and yet they came out shooting 24 times with 9 shots on goal but was held to a scoreless draw by B2-China PR, who had just one shot and none on goal.  By finishing 3rd, CHN will likely play C2-Italy, C3-Brazil, C4-Australia, D1-England, or D4-Japan, all preferable over facing a hot USA team.

Three Teams Advance (6/16)

F2-Thailand changed goalkeepers and Waraporn Boonsing, the veteran and first-choice GK that didn't start against F1-USA, made 10 saves but unfortunately, F4-Sweden had 15 shots on goal in another tough match.  However, THA in stoppage time scored their first goal and the fans (albeit a tourney-low of 9,354) cheered the achievement.  It was great to see after allowing the first 17 goals in their two matches and seeing the team and the staff celebrate was emotional to see.  SWE's 5-1 win sent them to the Round of 16 for the 6th time. 

With SWE winning by just four, the USA knew they clinched the goal differential if they ended up tied with SWE in the final match, so the USA made 7 changes to their starting lineup.  And it didn't stop the USA as they dominated F3-Chile and scored three goals in the first half again.  CHI only had one shot and no shots goal.  However, they ran into a buzzsaw named Christiane Endler who seemed to make more than the six saves she was credited with and kept USA off the scoreboard for the last 55 minutes.  USA's 3-0 win sent them to the Round of 16 for the 7th time and also sent D4-Japan in the Knockout Stage who are guaranteed at least a top 4 third-place finish. 

Sea of Orange (6/15)

E2-Netherlands scored twice in the second half to secure a spot in the Round of 16 with a 3-1 win over E4-Cameroon in front of a large orange-clad partisan crowd.  Valenciennes is less than 200 miles from Amersterdam with multiple ways to travel (being it's Europe).  E1-Canada also scored twice in the second half to advanced to the Knockout Stage with a 2-0 win over E3-New Zealand.  NZL became the first team to not record a shot on goal and the CAN GK has only faced 1 shot on goal in the two matches (making the save).  That should change as CAN and NED battle it out for first.

Four UEFA Teams In (6/14)

C2-Italy routed C4-Jamaica 5-0 to advance to the Round of 16.  A double VAR sequence saw it first used to reverse a non-call and gave a penalty kick to ITA in the 9'.  On the PK, JAM's young GK saved it in the 11' but was off her line and VAR gave the infraction and on the retake, ITA converted for the first goal in the 12'.  This seemed egregious upon live view but I forget the GK can move as long as he/she has a foot on the line.  Clearly, she didn't but ignoring she was way off center, it was only by 10 inches or less.  Watching another PK from today, the GK was behind the line and timed it run up to the line so she had a foot on it when the PK was taken (not successful BTW).  JAM has allowed back-to-back hat tricks against them and now have a -8 Goal Differential.

AFC is Back (6/13)

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has had a nightmare of a WWC going 0-5-1 and that tie was the biggest upset with D4-Japan tying D3-Argentina.  But today, things have turned around.  After losing a 1-0 lead in a loss to C2-Italy, C1-Australia rallied from a two-goal deficit to stun C3-Brazil, 3-2, giving the AFC its first win.  It was just the second time a team has come back from 2-0 to win in the WWC.  Marta scored in her record 5th straight WWC with her record-extending 16th WWC goal on a penalty (a soft foul) and Cristiane scored her 3rd of the tourney to put BRA up 2-0.  AUS scored three straight times off long crosses into the box.  The first was headed and then put in before halftime, the second was let through freezing the GK for the game-tying goal, and the third was headed in by BRA into their own net.  The last was called offsides but upon VAR review, it was determined BRA's player had a controlled header on the cross was not impeded by AUS's offsides player (Monica) and therefore there was no offsides.  So we've had an own goal in 3 of the last 4 matches.  BRA made two subs at the half including taking out Marta and then used their 3rd sub to take out Cristiane in the 75' while down 3-2.  Very odd.

Own It (6/12)

A3-Norway must be kings of the own goal as they benefited for the second straight match as an opponent scores for NOR, this time hometown A1-France which tied the score at 1 in the 54'.  It was a bizarre play as the cross would've gone harmlessly past the goal but FRA's Renard, who scored 2 goals in the opener, just seemed to tap the ball into her own net with no NOR defender around her.  However, a reckless tackle (really a mis-hit by NOR which made the follow through worse) in the box was looked at by VAR and deemed to be a foul, and FRA converted the penalty and held on to a 2-1 win to take the lead in Group A.

In the other Group A match, another own goal changed the tide of the match as A2-Korea Rep's control of the match was unhinged on a counter and accidentally kicked into their own net to give A4-Nigeria a 1-0 lead in the 29'.  The bizarre part was NGA's player near by put her hand up and appeared to graze the ball as it went past the goalkeeper into the net but VAR said no handball, thus the goal stood.  KOR had chances but it was another counter that did them in and NGA picked up three points in a 2-0 win.