Category: Opposition Research

Posts on the USWNT’s upcoming opponents, its key rivals (Brazil, Germany, Japan, and Sweden), its neighbors (Canada and Mexico). For posts about youth WNT opponents, please see the Under-xx category.

Olympics: Brazil, Canada, New Zealand, and Others to Participate in a Friendly Tournament in Early July

The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) released preliminary details of a friendly tournament that will take place from July 8th to the 17th in Savièse, Switzerland, between London-bound teams Brazil, Canada, and New Zealand, plus Russia and two other teams that have yet to be confirmed. The CBF news item uses the phrase “Copa Feminina da Suíça 2012” which translates to “Swiss Women’s Cup 2012,” but there is no word on whether Switerland’s WNT will participate in this six team tournament.

Source: CBF.com.br

Olympics: Brazil’s June Training Camp Roster

Earlier today, Jorge Barcellos announced Brazil’s June training camp roster (CBF.com.br). From the 25 players called into the camp, 18 will make the official Olympic roster, while up to 4 will be included as alternates. The official roster should be announced at the end of June. Continue reading “Olympics: Brazil’s June Training Camp Roster”

USWNT Olympic Opponent: France’s Semi-Official Final Roster, Plus Training Schedule

Earlier today, French WNT head coach Bruno Bini announced his team’s roster for the 2012 Summer Olympics, along with their training schedule. The most notable roster change from the 2011 Women’s World Cup is the inclusion of goalkeeper Sarah Bouhaddi, who is generally regarded as France’s best ‘keeper, but has had issues on and off the pitch , which led to her exclusion in 2011. Continue reading “USWNT Olympic Opponent: France’s Semi-Official Final Roster, Plus Training Schedule”

USWNT Olympic Opponent Watch: Colombia – Updated May Camp Roster

ColFutbol.org has posted a news item with a slightly different roster for its current camp. From the previous roster, three players were added, Liana Salazar and Ingrid Vidal, who both play collegiately for the University of Kansas Jayhawks (Salazar’s profile, Vidal’s profile), plus Florida native Catalina Perez (Team Boca; Boca Raton), who was a back-up goalkeeper for Colombia at the 2010 U-20 Women’s World Cup. Not included on the roster were Nataly Arias (U. of Maryland, 2004-2008) and the hard-to-find-info-on Kena Romero. (Edit, 5-June-2012: Nataly Arias is still on the roster, while Alexis Hermosa was removed from the roster.) Continue reading “USWNT Olympic Opponent Watch: Colombia – Updated May Camp Roster”

USWNT Olympic Opponent Watch: Colombia – May Camp Details and More

Earlier this month, USWNT group stage opponent Colombia ramped up its preparation for the 2012 Olympics by convening for a month-long training camp. Twenty-two players were called up, including at least eleven players with American connections. Along with a camp roster, Colombia also released details of its schedule ahead of the Olympics. (ColFutbol.org news release, in Spanish) Continue reading “USWNT Olympic Opponent Watch: Colombia – May Camp Details and More”

USWNT To Play Sweden and Japan, in Sweden, in June

(Update, 18-April-2012: US Soccer has confirmed the USWNT’s involvement in the tournament. No word yet on TV coverage.)

On Wednesday, Sweden’s soccer federation (SvFF) announced on its website that in June  it will be hosting a mini friendly tournament between the women’s national teams of Sweden, the United States, and Japan.  The next day, Japan’s soccer federation (JFA), also posted a short news item on its website about the tournament. US Soccer has yet to publicly confirm the USWNT’s participation in this friendly tournament, which may be due to them trying to line-up a TV broadcaster before they make their official announcement. Continue reading “USWNT To Play Sweden and Japan, in Sweden, in June”

USWNT: Brazil, Since Last We Met…

The United States Women’s National Team will play Brazil in the USA’s second match of the Women’s Kirin Challenge Cup on April 3rd, in Japan. The last time these two teams met was just eight months ago, in the 2011 Women’s World Cup. Since that match, Brazil has changed its head coach, changed its captain, and changed its federation’s president. The one thing that has not changed is Brazil’s reliance on a three-back formation. Continue reading “USWNT: Brazil, Since Last We Met…”

USWNT Rival Watch: Brazil’s (Old?) 3-4-3 Formation

Edit: So, I missed Ray’s Curren’s March 28th article at AWK on the Brazil-Canada match, which he attended in person. He notes that Brazil used a 4-4-2 formation, which does match the notation used in the CBF’s match report. Based on a closer look at some CBF news items on in-camp scrimmages earlier this year, it seems that new head coach Jorge Barcellos has been trying the 4-4-2 formation at least since January.

At this point, consider this post useful for historical, e.g., non-current, purposes. Although, with only a few months to go until the Olympics, it is possible that Barcellos may fall back to this formation.

Continue reading “USWNT Rival Watch: Brazil’s (Old?) 3-4-3 Formation”

USWNT Neighbor + Rival Watch: Canada’s Friendlies Versus Brazil and Sweden

The London-bound Canadian Women’s National Team played two friendlies recently, both against fellow Olympics-bound teams: a 2:1 victory against a far from full strength Brazil on March 24th, outside of Boston; and a 1:3 loss versus Sweden in Malmö, on March 31st. Sweden’s victory this past Saturday ended a two-match losing streak (0:4 losses to Germany and the USA during the Algarve Cup). Continue reading “USWNT Neighbor + Rival Watch: Canada’s Friendlies Versus Brazil and Sweden”

USWNT Opponent: Japan’s 2012 Kirin Cup Roster Is Loaded With Defenders

Earlier today, Japan released its roster for the 2012 Women’s Kirin Challenge Cup, which begins April 1st, with Japan taking on the United States Women’s National Team. The 23-player roster is loaded with ten defenders, which is three more than were on Japan’s recent Algarve Cup roster.  From the Algarve Cup roster, head coach Naori Sasaki made five changes, although two are due to medical reasons.

The additional defenders may indicate that Sasaki is unhappy with his defense, which gave up four goals (3 during the run of play, 1 via a PK) versus Germany in the Algarve Cup final.

Continue reading “USWNT Opponent: Japan’s 2012 Kirin Cup Roster Is Loaded With Defenders”