FIFA Women's World Cup preview - Group C
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TSN.ca's lookahead to the FIFA 2023 Women's World Cup continues with a preview of Group C that features Costa Rica, former champions Japan, superstar Alexia Putellas and Spain and underdogs Zambia.
Raquel Rodriguez Costa Rica COSTA RICA
Confederation: CONCACAF
FIFA ranking: No. 36
Manager: Amelia Valverde
Captain: Shirley Cruz (Alajuelense)
Previous World Cup appearances: One
Major honours: N/A
Like with Spain, it’s important to address the goings on off the pitch for Costa Rica, but the situation for Las Ticas is a much different one. As they qualified for the World Cup, ASOJUPRO, the Costa Rican players’ union, negotiated a new collective rights and duties agreement with the Costa Rican Football Federation (FCRF) similar to the one reached between the men’s side and the FCRF when it qualified for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. “As Latin Americans we play in the national team for love of our country," union head Steven Bryce, told FIFPro, the global body that represents professional footballers. "But that love still left room for us to improve certain rights and conditions and obtain an agreement like the men. That is what we achieved with this deal. The players, the coaching staff and the federation qualified, but we also added to their success with this agreement.” A realistic goal for Costa Rica in this tournament will be picking up its first ever World Cup victory. Las Ticas have only competed in one previous World Cup, in Canada in 2015. Playing in Group E in Montreal and Moncton, NB, Costa Rica managed a pair of draws – 1-1 with Spain and 2-2 with South Korea – in the group stage, but a 1-0 loss to Brazil in their final match meant that Las Ticas would exit the tournament there. Worrying for the team is the form it’s in heading into the tournament. Las Ticas have won just one of their last 14 matches, with that last victory coming in a friendly with the Philippines last fall. In five matches in 2023, Costa Rica is 0-2-3, having scored just three goals while conceding nine.
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Tanaka Mina Japan JAPAN
Confederation: AFC
FIFA ranking: No. 11
Manager: Futoshi Ikeda
Captain: Kumagai Saki (Roma)
Previous World Cup appearances: Eight
Major honours: World Cup (2011) and AFC Women’s Asian Cup (2014 and 2018)
After a World Cup victory in 2011 by defeating the United States on penalties, followed by a trip to the Final in 2015 in which the USWNT avenged their loss four years earlier, Japan’s 2019 World Cup ended in the Round of 16 with a loss to the Netherlands. In truth, the team never looked convincing at any point in France. Their lone victory in the group stage, a 2-1 win over Scotland, came largely in part due to a questionable penalty call for them and Scotland being denied what looked like a stone-cold penalty for handball. Heading New Zealand now, manager Futoshi Ikeda has decided that it’s no time for sentimentality as his Japan side looks to once again make a deep run. What that means is there’s no place for Iwabuchi Mana on the team. The veteran Arsenal forward, who spent the past six months on loan at Tottenham Hotspur, is the Nadeshiko’s third all-time leading scorer with 37 goals in 80 appearances. At 16, Iwabuchi was a member of the 2011 World Cup-winning team and she appeared at the last two World Cups. Her move to Spurs was meant to get her more playing time ahead of the World Cup instead of being kept on the bench on a deep Gunners side. Ikeda defended his decision to keep Iwabuchi off of the squad, saying that the players he selected give the Nadeshiko the best chance of earning results. “I would never drop a player just to give the team a shot in the arm,” he said after the team’s announcement in mid-June. “I chose these 23 because I felt like they give us the best chance for the World Cup at this particular point in time. I respect all the players. I wish everyone the best and continued improvement as footballers.” With Iwabuchi out of the picture, Japan captain Kumagai Saki (Roma) is the only player from the 2011 team headed to New Zealand. Just as Iwabuchi was a youthful selection in 2011, Ikeda has handed an opportunity to another young player in 19-year-old Chelsea forward Hamano Maika, who spent last season on loan at Swedish side Hammarby. Hamano has yet to score at the senior level in four appearances. The Nadeshiko’s biggest goals threat will likely be INAC Kobe forward Tanaka Mina, who has 24 international goals to her name, the most among the 23-player roster. Japan will be considered a heavy favourite to get out of the group, but their World Cup could be another short one if their effort matches their underwhelming performance in France.
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Ona Batlle Spain SPAIN
Confederation: UEFA
FIFA ranking: No. 6
Manager: Jorge Vilda
Captain: Alexia Putellas (Barcelona)
Previous World Cup appearances: Two
Major honours: N/A
It’s impossible to discuss what this Spain team is capable of on the pitch without addressing what’s happened and remains ongoing off the pitch. Last fall, 15 players sent identical letters to the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) informing it that, while they remained committed to the team, they were removing themselves from selection for national team duty. The letter came only weeks after players had lobbied to its president, Luis Rubiales, to remove the team’s head coach, Jorge Vilda. When it became clear nothing was moving on that front, the letter was sent. While Vilda was not accused of inappropriate conduct, the players in question felt that the relationship was irreparable. The RFEF didn’t budge and backed Vilda, citing the players’ letters as unprofessional. Flash forward to nearly nine months later and three of the 15 women – Barcelona trio Mariona Caldentey, Ona Batlle and Champions League Player of the Season Aitana Bonmati – have been named to Vilda’s preliminary squad. Also on the squad is Barca midfielder and back-to-back Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas. The 29-year-old Putellas didn’t send the letter as she was at the time recovering from an ACL, but she did publicly support the women that did. Arguably the best player in the world, the dynamic Putellas has not played for the national team since her injury, but did return to Barca towards the end of this past season and is good to go for Australia and New Zealand. Even with the lingering discord, Spain gave eventual champions England everything they could handle in an extra-time 2-1 loss in the quarterfinals of last year’s Euro. It was the third straight Euro in which La Roja went out in the final eight. With Putellas, Bonmati and all-time leading goal scorer Jennifer Hermoso (Pachuca) leading the way, the talent level here is great enough for Spain to make a deep run in this tournament, despite the dark clouds still present over the program’s heads.
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Barbra Banda Zambia ZAMBIA
Confederation: CAF
FIFA ranking: No. 77
Manager: Bruce Mwape
Captain: Barbra Banda (Shanghai Shengli)
Previous World Cup appearances: None
Major honours: N/A
The lowest-ranked team in Australia and New Zealand and one of eight debutants among the 32 teams, reaching the World Cup is an accomplishment in its own right for Bruce Mwape’s Zambia. No team – men’s or women’s – has ever qualified for a World Cup from a landlocked African nation before the Copper Queens did it to reach the 2023 World Cup. The tournament comes on the heels of the program’s best-ever finish at an Africa Cup of Nations in 2022 when Zambia finished in third place after an absolutely excruciating semi-finals loss to eventual champions South Africa. In stoppage time, Copper Queens defender Martha Tembo was adjudged to have taken down Jay Seoposenwe in the area after a VAR check. It was a decision that left Zambia incredulous. Linda Motlhalo stepped up and beat Catherine Musonda to give the Banyana Banyana a berth in the final. Despite the dispiriting loss, Zambia managed to bounce back to beat Morocco, another team set to make their World Cup debut, in the third-place game by a score of 2-1. The Copper Queens’ star player is their captain, Barbra Banda of Chinese side Shanghai Shengli, who has done nothing but score goals since announcing her presence on the world stage at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics with back-to-back hat-tricks in her first two matches. Zambia knows that getting anything out of Group C will be extremely difficult, but this side has proven its ability to excel at the highest levels.