Tim Grainey gives us a detailed wrap up of the latest in qualifying for the 2015 Women's World Cup.
CONCACAF
CONCACAF's Gold Cup, which doubled as the 2015 Women's World Cup qualifiers, saw the U.S. emerge as regional champions, while Costa Rica and Mexico qualified directly for Canada 2015 as runners-up and third place medalists. Fourth-placed Trinidad and Tobago has one last chance to make it to Canada with a play-in versus CONMEBOL's Ecuador, who finished third in their continental qualification tournament earlier this fall.
The Americans won the championship as expected and dominated most of their matches, defeating Mexico 3-0 in the semifinal and Costa Rica 6-0 in the final, after defeating Haiti and Guatemala in the group stage, 6-0 and 5-0 respectively. In the Mexico semifinal, midfielder Carli Lloyd-who scored the winning tally in the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Finals and was just recently traded from the Western New York Flash to the Houston Dash for the 2015 season-recorded a brace. In the Costa Rica final, forward Abby Wambach added to her career world record of 177 international goals with four tallies. The one exception to the American's dominant displays was their first group match in which the Americans labored heavily against Trinidad & Tobago, as their goalkeeper Kimika Forbes (Boston Breakers Reserve Team) played a blinder in facing 29 shots in total and holding the Americans to a lone Abby Wambach goal in the 55th minute. One concern for the Americans was that forward Alex Morgan (Portland Thorns) badly twisted her ankle in the victory over Guatemala but should be able to return to the side by December.
After their outstanding display against the U.S., Trinidad then narrowly defeated Haiti 1-0, losing Forbes to a red card late in the second half. A narrow 2-1 victory over Guatemala with goals in the last 20 minutes from Captain Maylee Attin-Johnson (Issaquah FC in WPSL-a Seattle Reign reserve club) and Keenya Cordner (who played briefly with Seattle Reign in NWSL in 2013).
In the other four team, first round group, Costa Rica defeated Mexico in their first game 1-0 with a goal in the ninth minute from forward Carolina Venegas; their first ever victory for the Ticos over the Mexicans in the CONCACAF Women's Championships. Costa Rica went from strength to strength, defeating Jamaica 2-1 and Martinique 6-1. Martinique is a member of CONCACAF but not of FIFA-since they are an Overseas Territory of France-and would not have advanced to WWC 2015 even if they had finished in the top three, but treated the tournament as a tremendous learning opportunity. Mexico finished second to the undefeated Costa Ricans by defeating Martinique 10-1 and Jamaica 3-1.
In the other semifinal, Costa Rica scored early (18th minute) against the Soca Princesses through the very impressive Venegas, who also scored a world class bicycle kick goal against Martinique and--for this author--was the revelation of the tournament. (With her teammate Shirley Cruz a long-time fixture in France with Olympique Lyon and PSG, I think Venegas will be lured to Europe or NWSL, most likely after the World Cup.) A late Lauren Hutchinson (ex-Virginia Commonwealth University) free kick goal (73rd) tied it up for the desperate Trinidadians. Despite the Ticos 14-4 shot advantage and holding the vast majority of play throughout the match, Trinidad held out for penalty kicks through two scoreless overtime periods. Justice was served when Ticos goalkeeper Dinnia Diaz saved three straight T& T attempts to give Costa Rica a Women's World Cup berth, the first ever for a Central American nation.
In the third place game, Trinidad again took their opponent to overtime, but eventually fell to Mexico 4-2 on two Veronica Corral goals in the 104th and 106 minutes. Corral now plays in Finland's top women's league-the Naisten Liiga-for Meriappi United after two seasons at the University of Louisville in Kentucky. Sky Blue FC's (NWSL) Monica Ocampo scored in the 79th to tie the game at 2-2 while Sandra Mayor (Universidad de las Americas in Puebla, 90 minutes south of Mexico City), scored the first goal of the game in the 24th minute.
Some impressions from this tournament include that Costa Rica's strong play was crucial in their run to the championship game. With Venegas and midfielders Shirley Cruz and Rachel Rodriguez (Penn State University junior), they legitimately topped Mexico in their group round game and are now legitimately the best team in CONCACAF after the Americans, Canada and Mexico. Mexico-usually so difficult to overcome in World Cup and Olympic regional tournaments-looked jaded and disjointed. All-time leading scorer Maribel Dominguez (75 goals in 109 international games who played in WUSA, NWSL and Spain) was invited into the team by head coach Leo Cuellar-himself a World Cup player for Mexico in 1978 and a professional in the U.S., Spain and in his home country--but begged off as she was not fit from training and playing for a university side in Mexico. Dominguez did say that she would be ready for the World Cup if asked again.
Cuellar badly needs her guile, leadership and experience. She can create goals out of nothing. Mexico has never advanced from the group stage in a Women's World Cup-their two appearances coming in 1999 and 2011--and their team play must improve for them to have any chance to do so in Canada. Cuellar has been in charge of the women's program since 1998 and their narrow win over Trinidad and Tobago in the third place match should guarantee his job, probably through the 2019 World Cup cycle. A former women's college coach in the U.S., Cuellar has traditionally relied on Mexico's American-raised diaspora-some who played for U.S. youth national teams such as Houston Dash midfielder Teresa Noyola--for top talent.
The other top take-away impression from the tournament was the severe lack of funding and resources that some teams had to overcome-particularly the 3 of the 4 Caribbean teams: Haiti, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago. Haiti has been coached since early 2012 by Polish-American Shek Borkowski, who brings the team to train in Indiana for 6 months every year. Trinidad and Tobago hired long-time University of Notre Dame and current Houston Dash coach Randy Waldrum as their head coach this summer. Both Borkowski and Waldrum have volunteered their services without salaries. Trinidad was so short of funds that most of the players arrived in Texas from Trinidad for a pre-Gold Cup camp with only $500 between them for food, lodging, transportation for a week. Waldrum, pulling his hair out, took to Twitter to complain. A number of groups came to the rescue that day, contributing a total of $9,000. The unlikeliest donor to Trinidad's plight was the Haitian Women's Team, who donated their savings of $1,300 from their own fund raising efforts.
The Haitian players actually came to the coaching staff, moved by Trinidad's desperate situation-they could so fully relate-and requested that they send their extra money to their opponents. Haiti has struggled to make ends meet on their own and was reliant on donors and continual fund raising efforts--the players even have to contribute for their expenses through their own limited resources--as the Haitian Football Federation is hard pressed for funds for any of their teams. It was hard to escape the irony the poorest country in the Western hemisphere was helping one of the strongest economies in the Caribbean region, which has large oil reserves. One Trinidadian women's football coach said that: "The whole situation was a huge embarrassment for our country."
Haiti has recently had major sponsors come to their assistance. Toms is known for donating a pair of shoes to a child in need globally for each pair purchased. Founder Blake Mycoskie told the team how he read about the team's well-documented struggles with fund-raising in the New York Times: "Haiti's attempt to qualify for the Women's World Cup, at odds that don't seem possible, is something that matters and Toms wanted to help." Toms is strongly committed to Haiti, having started a shoe manufacturing plant in the country the year before. Besides a cash donation of $20,000, Toms provided the players and staff with full warm-up suits and a pair of shoes and sunglasses to each player. After their 1-0 win over Guatemala, one player told a Toms representative: "We had confidence. We looked good. [Your gift] helped us very much."
Haiti's Women's National Team is close to finalizing another major funding arrangement with a well-known NGO that would provide multi-year resources through the next World Cup cycle-the Clinton Foundation led by former President Bill Clinton.
Head Coach Shek Borkowski talked about why he brings his squad, currently comprised of 15 from the island mixed with 5 former and current players who were born in the U.S. but have Haitian parents or grandparents. Borkowski firmly believes that transporting the Haitian national team to the U.S. has allowed the team to learn and be competitive. Their U.S.-based training also helps to reduce the social constraints on them from families and friends who insist that soccer is not a game for girls/women. Borkwoski said that some parents say: "'Proper Ladies don't play football; they take care of siblings or try to make a living.' So there is a lot of pressure at home from family and friends. Coming to the U.S. helps to relieve pressure in terms of being in a little more professionalized environment where they can concentrate on playing the game and preparing for events such as this. It makes it a little bit easier .Success in events like this can change minds [at home]."
Borkowski realizes that it is not an easy cultural transition for his players when they initially arrive to the United States: "It is a shock to their system when they first come here. When we take them to a buffet when they first come, the variety and amounts of food is just shocking to them; their eyes pop out. Early on, it's really unbelievable for them, when they go into a soccer store for example, the choices of shoes and equipment doesn't exist in Port-au-Prince."
Borkowski was optimistic that funding and support eventually will come at home and it's a common theme in many CONCACAF countries as well as in Africa and Asia. He actually sees a model for improvement from the U.S. National Team, explaining that the U.S. battled through similar conditions in the late 1980's and 1990's: "We have no Title IX [the law that requires equal funding for gender in U.S. schools]; it has to occur naturally. The U.S. faced similar problems as we're facing right now, where the U.S. players did not receive the same amount of money as they are receiving now or the same treatment, but because they became successful and started winning titles, that changed. Now they are well-funded and well taken care off. For us it will take success." Haiti's goal in four years' time is to be able to compete at an equal level against the fourth-best team in CONCACAF-Costa Rica or Trinidad-while trying to narrow the gap with the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
Jamaica's women's national team program was probably in even worse shape earlier in the year, having been in mothballs since 2008, when Jamaica failed to make the Olympics. The country did not attempt to qualify for the 2011 Women's World Cup or 2012 Olympics. In the last ten months, they had a powerful benefactor that allowed them to reform the team and compete for a World Cup spot: Miami based Cedella Marley, daughter of reggae legend Bob Marley. Impressive young Reggae Girlz head coach Merron Gordon explained what comes to mind when the name Marley is raised: "Prestige, prestige. When the Marley's are associated with anything in Jamaica, that's just big. The Marley's are definitely the biggest name in the region, not just Jamaica."
Cedella Marley heard about the team's plight through her 11-year-old son and her involvement has gone much beyond just writing a check or giving a speech: "I'm a firm believer that every girl should have the opportunity to purse her dreams, whether its football, music, business, whatever it is."
Trinidad should qualify easily in their home-and-away series versus Ecuador, who have no internationally-based players, except that the South American nation may hold the first leg in 9,300 foot (2,800 meters) Quito. There are clearly no 9,300 foot high mountains on Trinidad and Tobago; El Cerro del Aripo is the highest peak at only 3,084 feet tall (940 meters). Mexico offered to assist T&T with a high-altitude training in the Mexico City area. The key issue is will if the Trinidad and Tobago federation follows though and supports Waldrum and their players in their bid to be the first Caribbean side to ever make a Women's World Cup.
AFRICA
Nigeria won the 2014 African Women Championships in Namibia on October 25 with a 2-0 defeat of Cameroon, qualifying for the Women' World Cup for the seventh consecutive time. Cameroon, who participated in the 2012 Olympic Games and will host the 2016 African Women Championships, captured their first ever WWC berth. Desire Oparanozie (Guingamp, France) and Asisat Oshoala (River Angels in Port Harcourt, Nigeria) scored the goals for Nigeria. Cote d'Ivoire captured the third World Cup spot allocated to Africa, by surprising South Africa 1-0 in the third place match. Les Elephantes scored a late goal (84th minute) through 20-year old Rebecca Guehai Ida, who plays at Juventus De Yopougon in Cote d'Ivoire.
Cote d'Ivoire lost a close semifinal to Cameroon 2-1 when defender and captain Christine Manie (30-year-old who play with Olimpia Universitatea of Romania) headed in a goal from a corner in the 118th minute as penalty kicks loomed. Gaelle Enganamouit was also key for the Cameroonians, finishing the tournament tied with third overall among goal scorers with three. Enganamouit (who spent this season with Eskilstuna United in Sweden after playing for Serbian power Spartak Subotica) was Eskilstuna's leading scorer in the recently completed 2014 season with 5 goals.
Nigeria defeated South Africa 2-1 in the other semifinal with two goals by Asisat Oshoala. The 20-year-old Oshoala finished with four goals in the African championships, one behind teammate Desire Oparanozie, who also scored in the Final game. Oshoala won the Golden Ball as the African Championships best player, to go with her Golden Ball award from the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada last summer. She also won the Golden Ball in Canada as the top scorer. Nigeria called in a half-dozen players off of the squad that finished as silver medalists after losing narrowly to Germany 1-0 in the finals. If they can avoid turmoil over arrangements, visas and bonuses, then Nigeria has a very good chance for a semifinal spot next summer, for a nation that in six previous World Cup appearances advanced beyond the Group Stage only once, losing in the quarterfinal in the U.S.A. in 1999.
South Africa missing out on a first ever World Cup was a bitter disappointment for the Banyana Banyana who participated in the 2012 Olympic Games and imported veteran Dutch coach Vera Pauw. The plus side is that Pauw was one of three women head coaches among the eight final teams: Jacqueline Shipanga (Namibia) and Clementine Toure (Cote d'Ivoire) the others. Shipanga, whose team surprisingly defeated Zambia 2-0 in their first game but didn't advance to the semifinals, said: "It is long overdue. It has grown from having just one coach to three and this is historic. The choice of [a] women's coach is largely dependent on the country (Federation). The three coaches have shown that women deserve better." Pioneer Fran Hilton-Smith, who guided South Africa in the 2000 tournament and is now a FIFA and CAF instructor, said: "Having three women coaches at the AWC for the first time is a big step forward for the development of national coaches in Women's football in Africa and the world. The fact that two of them have reached the semi-final--Vera Pauw (South Africa) and Clementine Toure (Cote d'Ivoire)--is an indication that women coaches can do it if given the necessary training and most importantly the opportunity by their respective federations .I think there is still a backlog of thinking that coaching in football is a man's job and women are not given the opportunity. Many women don't see a future in coaching and this perception needs to be changed by ensuring that each National team has a women coach."
OCEANIA
As expected, New Zealand qualified easily for next summer's Women's World Cup as the lone qualifier from the 11 team Oceania Confederation, besting Tonga 16-0, host Papua New Guinea 3-0 and the Cook Islands 11-0. Papua New Guinea finished second with just the one loss while the Cook Islands and Tonga recorded their lone point in a 1-1 draw. In the Tonga victory, New Zealand defender Abby Ercig (Chicago Red Stars and previously USV FF Jena in Germany) scored twice on her 100th appearance for the Football Ferns. Helen Collins scored three goals as did Liverpool's Sarah Gregorius, while 17-year-old Daisy Cleverley scored in the first minute and again later in her first international appearance. In the crucial second match against PNG, the Ferns goals came in the last 30 minutes. In the Cook Islands finale, Amber Hearn (ex-Doncaster Rovers Belles who plays in Germany for USV FF Jena) scored four and Collins again scored a brace. Hearn won the tournament's Golden Boot with seven goals while Rosie White (senior at 2013 NCAA Champion UCLA) won the Golden Ball for the most outstanding paper. Papua New Guinea goalkeeper Fidelma Watpore won the Golden Glove award and Tonga won the Fair Play award.
On occasion, there have been discussions regarding Oceania joining the Asian Confederation in an Associate arrangement, keeping their confederation members, but having access to more resources and better competition in the 47 member regional body than in their small confederation. Australia moved from the OFC to the AFC as a full member in 2006, which helped all of their national teams to improve versus better competition. New Zealand, which was instrumental in the formation of the OFC in 1966, is unlikely to ever abandon the other members to join the AFC without the other members, With 24 spots available at the Women's World Cup for the first time (increased from 16), such a move could hurt New Zealand short term, as now they have virtually an automatic spot, which might require a play-in if they merge in some form with the AFC. New Zealand is clearly better than the first time qualifiers Thailand-the fifth place qualifier from the Asian Women's Championships--and should be able to compete with Australia and South Korea, if not quite at the level of Japan. The issue is whether Papua New Guinea could overcome Thailand this year if the two nations were required to play off, and that is doubtful as Thailand has more access to better competition, not just at the senior level but also for their youth teams. Tim Grainey is a contributor to Tribal Football. His latest book Beyond Bend it Like Beckham on the global game of women's football. Get your copy today.
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