SantaFeToday.com Santa Fe’s Hometown News
By Arnie Leshin
Well, at 5 a.m. American time Sunday, the Group E runner-up United States gets Group G winner Sweden in Melbourne, Australia.
In the other Round of 16 match-up of these groups on Saturday in Syndey, Australia, it’s a most decent start of 10 p.m. when Group E first place Netherlands faces Group G second place Italy.
In other group first rounders, Switzerland, Norway and co-host with Australia, New Zealand, are still playing to make the next round, and only the fourth place Philippines will have to exit.
In Group B, the Aussies are on top with six points, Nigeria has 5 and Canada 4. High-scoring Japan has tallied 11 goals and nine first-place points to win Group C, with Spain in the runner-up spot. Ireland and Costa Rica have been eliminated.
England and Denmark are 1-2 in Group D, the Great Britain women with nine points, three more than Denmark, plus the English were overwhelming with eight goals. China and Haiti have been ousted.
In Group E, it’s the U.S. and Netherlands, with Portugal just missing out. The Dutch tallied seven points, and the Americans 5 and the Portuguese 4, and the Netherlands also came away with nine goals, while winless Vietnam is done.
In Group F, it’s France and Jamaica in a top spot deadlock with four points apiece, and Brazil has three and a leading five goals, and Panama has been ousted.
Then comes Sweden, the next task for the U.S. It has posted six points, has scored seven goals has allowed one. Next comes Italy with three points, just one goal and five yielded, and South Africa and Argentina have been eliminated.
One of the big surprises comes out of Group H where Columbia edged favored Germany, 2-1, and has a top of the heap six points to go with four scored goals and one against. Germany and Morocco are tied for the runner-up spot with three points each, although the scoring has the Germans with seven goals and two yielded, and Morocco with one for and six against.
So for an update of games being played, Jamaica has Brazil to deal with, Australia plays Nigeria, and Switzerland, Norway and New Zealand had a real jam in Group A, with the Swiss taking first and next meeting up with Spain, and Japan and Norway also in the Round of 16 against one another.
Is the United States concerned? You bet, for it had to settle for the second spot in its group, play Sweden, and will have to improve on its scoreless draw with Portugal. It has just the 3-0 opening win over Vietnam and the 1-1 tie with the Netherlands, and one triumph and a pair of draws doesn’t account for enough for a program that has won the most World Cups, four.
Thus, the pressure builds for the morning meeting with the Swedes. The Americans have to move the ball around and find the net. They will be without Rose Lavelle, whose second yellow card has her ineligible for this match.
Players like Alex Morgan, in her 12th year, 38-year-old Megan Rapinoe, in her 13th season, in retirement time and probably not a starter, captain and recently engaged Lauren Horan, and Trinity Rodman, daughter of former NBA star Dennis Rodman.
Must find the key ingredients if they want to continue on the pitch.
