This week, we look at the two-thirds point of the 2023 NWSL Regular Season, with interesting team news and results, as all the teams have played 15 games (out of 22 for the regular season).

In part 1, we examine the top six teams so far this season: with North Carolina, Portland, Gotham, OL Reign, Washington and San Diego. If the playoffs ended today, North Carolina, Gotham FC and Washington Spirit would be new teams to qualify in 2023, replacing 2022 playoff teams Kansas City Current, Houston Dash and Chicago Red Stars, who would not make it, while Portland, the Reign and San Diego would repeat from last year. In August, in part 2, we will review Racing Louisville, Orlando, Houston, Angel City, Chicago and Kansas City.

We also continue our 2023 Women's World Cup coverage, looking at the results after two games for each team for the group stage, along with some late rosters and other news, as some teams have already qualified for the Round of 16 while we have seen some upsets among the exciting matches so far.

NWSL Regular Season Review at the 2023 Women's World Cup Break.

North Carolina Courage (8-2-3, 26 points, First)

This Courage is on fire and won five games in a row beginning on June 10, including road wins over Chicago (5-0) and Washington (2-1) in the Challenge Cup. In the Spirit game, Olivia Wingate scored the winner in the 92nd minute, as the club has gone 13 straight NWSL Challenge Cup matches without a loss. American Tyler Lussi, in her first season with the Courage, has four goals, doubling her previous season high of goals in a season (two) with Portland in 2019. Brazilian 2023 WWC team member Kerolin leads the team with eight goals.

The Courage's amateur team in the W-League has also done well, making the final four this season and lost in the Championship Game in overtime (2-1) in Indianapolis to the Indy Eleven in front of 5,419 fans—the winners will join the professional Super League franchise next fall. (Note: We will cover the summer league championships around/after the Women's World Cup).

The Courage leads the league in shutouts with eight; seven by U.S. international and 2023 WWC Finals goalkeeper Casey Murphy and one from Katelyn Rowland.

Some replacement players signed during the WWC period with international experience included midfielder Haleigh Stackpole. She was selected by the Courage as number 29th overall in the 2022 draft out of the University of Mississippi. She was on the roster with the Courage throughout much of 2022 but did not play in any regular season games and was waived in August; she then played with SK Slavia Praha Zeny in the Czech Republic.

The Courage also signed goalkeeper Hensley Hancuff, who played this past winter with the Brisbane Roar in Australia, on loan from Gotham FC. She played every minute for the Roar and had 72 saves, and was voted the Players' Player of the Year. She was drafted 24th overall in the 2022 NWSL Draft by Gotham FC and was waived in late April.

Nikia Smith played at Northwestern University in Chicago and then played professionally for FC Ramat HaSharon of the Israeli Ligat Nashim for the 2021-22 season, before joining the Courage as a trialist in 2023 preseason camp.

Portland Thorns (7-4-4, 25 points, Tied for Second)

The Thorns took over the league lead with a 4-2 win over Washington on June 23, with Sophia Smith getting a hat-trick in the first 48 minutes, her second of the campaign; she became only the third player in league season to score three goals in the same season along with Australia international Sam Kerr and U.S. international Kristen Hamilton. Morgan Weaver added the other goal for her fourth of the season in her fourth year with the club, in front of a home crowd 20,254. Smith leads all NWSL players with 10 goals. Sam Coffey assisted on three goals to give her the league lead with six assists, one more than Smith. U.S. international and 2023 WWC team member Crystal Dunn has five goals in 15 games while 17-year-old Olivia Moultrie has two goals in 14 games in her third season in the league. New head coach Mike Norris, a native of England who has coached in Canada for years, has smoothly transitioned into the job, keeping the talented side near the top of the table so far this season.

Midfielder Lindsey Horan (29) will remain at French powerhouse Lyon. After spending the last 18 months on loan from the Thorns, she will stay at OL for three seasons following an agreement for a permanent transfer. The 29-year-old midfielder was transferred for 250,000 Euros, with possible add-ons of 50,000 Euros (see: The Week in Women's Football: World Cup Groups E & F preview; pressure on Marta - Tribal Football). Horan started in Lyon's 3-1 win over defending champion Barcelona in the 2021-22 Women's Champions League final for its eighth European title.

Adriana Leon is on Canada's World Cup side and her loan period from Manchester United of the WSL is over with the Thorns; she played in five regular season matches and did not score. She previously played for five different clubs in the NWSL from 2013 through the 2018 season.

As the NWSL break loomed, Portland only scored once in three games, losing all of them, two in the league against Kansas City (1-0, in front of 17,796 fans in Porland) and Gotham FC (2-0), along with one in the Challenge Cup (1-0) against OL Reign).

The Thorns signed Isabel Dehakiz (22) as a National Team Replacement player. She played four seasons (2018-21) at Arizona State University and then a fifth season at Santa Clara University in 2022. Following her collegiate career, Dehakiz joined Colombian side Deportivo Cali in Liga Femenina, where she played in 13 games (all starts). She was also recently part of a training camp with the Colombia Women's National Team in December 2022 and has previous experience with their youth national teams.

The Thorns also signed defender Kayla Morrison as a National Team Replacement player. Morrison (26) played in Australia for the Melbourne Victory for the past three seasons. Following her collegiate career at the University of Kansas (2013-17), the 2017 Big 12 Defender of the Year moved to Melbourne in 2018 and played for Bulleen Lions in the National Premier Leagues Women's (NPLW—Victoria state league) for two seasons, helping the team win the 2018 NPLW Championship. In 2020, Morrison played in Sweden with Morön BK. In 2020-21, in her first season with the Victory, the team won the A-League Grand Final and she played every minute of every game. Across three seasons with the Victory, Morrison started and played in 31 matches, tallying six goals and two assists.

The Thorns also brought in Alyssa Walker (25) on a short-term loan from SK Brann in Norway until September 1, 2023. This season she has two goals in 16 games, with eight starts. In 2022, she scored nine goals in 23 matches with newly-promoted Kalmar in Sweden's Damallsvenskan. She played collegiately at Richmond and Iowa. Lindsey Harris (29) was signed as a goalkeeper replacement and last played for Damaiense in Liga BPI, the top tier league in Portugal. She also played in Iceland, Norway and was on the Houston Dash's roster from 2020-22, after playing collegiately at the University of North Carolina.

NJ/NY Gotham FC (7-4-4, 25 points, Tied for Second)

Gotham FC is having a fantastic season thus far and, along with the Washington Spirit, have bounced back well from a poor 2022 season, after both clubs made the playoffs in 2021. The club has made lots of player moves with the WWC coming. Nahomi "Naho" Kawasumi, who played for the club for five years, was recently released in a mutual decision with the player. Kawasumi joined Gotham FC prior to the 2019 season in a trade with the Seattle Reign FC (now OL Reign). Across all competitions in NWSL action, Kawasumi has appeared in more than 150 matches, with 116 starts, 26 assists, 22 goals and six game winners. She ties for third in the league for regular season assists with U.S. Women's National Team players Alex Morgan (San Diego Wave) and Lynn Williams (Gotham FC). Kawasumi remains only one of six players in league history with 20 or more career regular season goals combined with 25 or more career regular season assists.

Kawasumi began her professional career in 2008 with Japanese club INAC Kobe Leonessa in the WE League, where during her five years, she won three league titles, two league MVP awards, and was nominated for Asian Women's Footballer of the Year in 2013. In the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup, she scored two goals over four appearances and helped Japan win the Women's World Cup

The team brought in two new players from Europe, one who had never played outside of her native Spain and an American who is well known to followers of the NWSL. Spain international midfielder Maitane Lopez played in the Primera División de la Liga de Fútbol Femenino for 11 seasons and scored 42 goals for Collerense, Levante UD, Real Sociedad de Fútbol, and most recently with Atlético de Madrid.

Lopez said: "The NWSL is a highly competitive league, and I am thrilled to be offered a chance to be a part of the club's journey. I can't wait to meet our fans and give my all for the club and city."

She signed a two year deal with Gotham FC. She told TribalFootball.com that there were other clubs in other countries that she considered, but was convinced to come to New York and America: "I'm was super excited to join the side. It's my first time playing abroad—but after talking to Juan [Carlos Amoros—head coach] and Yael [Averbuch—General Manager], I wanted to come here."

TribalFootball.com then asked her about what her teammates and other players in Spain thought about the NWSL and Mexican League and she said that "there was not a lot of in-depth knowledge on either since, with the time difference, they are typically shown online at night or early in the morning."

Katie Stengle came on loan from Liverpool of the English Super League, where she scored 9 goals in 15 matches last season. She said: "I'm looking forward to the opportunity to join Gotham FC and help to make an impact for this club. The NWSL has always had a special place in my heart, and I feel fortunate to spend some time back in the U.S. in a competitive environment."

In all NWSL competitions, she played in 96 games, scoring 12 goals—with four game-winners—with five assists for Washington, Boston, Utah and Houston.

Lynn Williams, who is going to the WWC with the American team, is fourth in the league with 7 goals. On May 21, after a big 4-1 win in Seattle over the reigning Supporters' Shield [regular season title] winners OL Reign in front of 8,146, the team took over first place; the first time they have topped the league since July 21, 2013 when the then named Sky Blue FC was playing at Rutgers and the league only had eight teams, William said: "I think that everyone has in their mind last year's Gotham, and that's not this year's Gotham." Midfielder Jenna Nighswonger and forwards Lynn Williams and Taylor Smith scored the first three goals with the final goal coming from Brazilian 2023 WWC Finals defender Bruninha, who notched her first NWSL career goal.

American goalkeeper Abby Smith has had a superb season, posting four shutouts in 14 matches and compiling a very good 0.93 goals against average.

On May 23, the club announced it had surpassed a ticket-sales milestone, with more than 10,000 sold for Gotham FC's Pride Night match on June 4 against the San Diego Wave at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey. They opened the upper bowl of seats for the game as the lower bowl held 11,000. The club surpassed their previous all-time record of 9,500 tickets sold, which was set when Gotham FC faced OL Reign on Aug. 18, 2019. Unfortunately, the Wave ended Gotham FC's unbeaten league run of four games with a 1-0 win on Makenzy Doniak's goal 44 seconds into the second half. The match drew a Gotham record crowd of 15,058 at Red Bull Arena.

Gotham FC signed midfielder Taylor Otto and forward Cyera Hintzen as National Team Replacement Players (NTRP). Otto signed with Gotham FC after starring for Scottish Women's Premier League side Celtic during the 2022-23 season, where she made 27 league appearances and scored two goals (see: The Week in Women's Football: Profiling Kaloyan Petkov; Celtic welcome Chinese starlets; Euro League reviews - Tribal Football).

The midfielder was selected by Racing Louisville as the 11th overall pick in the 2021 NWSL Draft. She appeared in the season opener of her rookie season with Racing, and went on to earn nine appearances, including three starts, despite a knee injury that kept her out of competition for two months. In the collegiate ranks, Otto was a member of the perennial powerhouse at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, where she appeared in back-to-back national championships (2018, 2019), with the Tarheels finishing as runners-up in both NCAA College Cup title games.

Forward Cyera Hintzen also has previous professional playing experience and said: "I'm very grateful for this opportunity. This is my first time playing on a team back home in the U.S., and I'm really excited to learn and grow here with a great team and a great coaching staff."

She played in 2021 and 2022 in the Icelandic Women's Premier League (Besta died kvenna) with Valur FC and Australia's A-League Women with Perth Glory. In Iceland, she gained UEFA Women's Champions League experience with Valur FC and won a double in 2022, capturing the Icelandic Championship and the Super Cup Championship. Hintzen was selected by the Utah Royals FC as the 31st overall pick in the 2020 NWSL Draft, shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic, after playing at the University of Texas.

Off the field, SL Benfica of Portugal, a huge historic name on the men's side and rapidly improving on the women's side since starting in the 2018-19 Second Division—where they won one game 32-0 against CP Pego, won the league, and then won the last three Division I (Campeonato Nacional Feminino) titles—announced a transformative partnership aimed at advancing women's soccer development and expanding their global reach.

Gotham FC will have access to the knowledge and world-renowned methodologies of SL Benfica for player development, which boasts one of the best youth academies in the world. Through collaboration and shared expertise, Gotham FC can enhance its player development systems and further strengthen the club's competitive edge in the NWSL.

SL Benfica, as part of its USA Expansion Plan, continues to embark on strategic initiatives, and this partnership with Gotham FC represents a significant milestone. With a focus on strategic positioning in the vibrant and strong Portuguese/Benfica community of New Jersey and New York as well as the entire Northeastern U.S., Benfica aims to deepen its roots in the region.

In addition to creating future player transaction opportunities, the partnership also opens potential avenues for growth, collaboration, and business opportunities off the pitch. Through this partnership, SL Benfica is poised to gain invaluable knowledge and insights from the North American women's soccer landscape. By closely studying the advancements and best practices in women's football in the region, Benfica seeks to enhance its own player development programs and strengthen its position as a leader in talent development on a global scale. With this agreement, Benfica can identify and recruit talented players from Gotham FC to play in Europe. This mutually beneficial arrangement offers exceptional opportunities for young players to gain exposure, develop their skills, and potentially thrive in the European football market, through this new pathway created.

Additionally, the partnership presents an array of communication opportunities that will allow both clubs to leverage the strength of each other's brand. SL Benfica aims to gain international leverage in the rapidly growing women's football market, while Gotham FC can tap into Benfica's prestige and reputation as a powerhouse in European football. Bernardo Faria de Carvalho, Global Expansion Director at Benfica, said: "Benfica can benefit a lot from this partnership because women's soccer in the U.S. is very advanced, with millions of federated players. With the investment that Benfica has made we believe that we will reach higher levels in women's soccer and this partnership and relationship with the USA will contribute to that."

OL Reign (7-3-5, 24 points, Tied for Fourth)

Megan Rapinoe will retire from the sport at the end of the 2023 season. She has played every NWSL season (11 to date). She has one goal this season in 9 regular season matches and has 51 in her NWSL career in 125 games to date—spent entirely with Seattle.

She said in a statement issued to U.S. Soccer, as she was with the national team in camp ahead of the Women's World Cup: "I've been able to have such an incredible career, and this game has brought me all over the world and allowed me to meet so many amazing people… I feel incredibly grateful to have played as long as I have, to be as successful as we've been, and to have been a part of a generation of players who undoubtedly left the game better than they found it. To be able to play one last World Cup and one last NWSL season and go out on my own terms is incredibly special."

She has won three NWSL Shields with the Reign and earned one Best XI and two Second XI selections. Internationally, Rapinoe has earned 199 caps [before the 2022 WWC Finals] and a 2012 Olympic gold medal along with the World Cup victories in 2015 and 2019. In 2019, she was named Best FIFA Women's Player and won the Ballon d'Or Feminin.

On May 28, Rapinoe led her side with three assists in only 21 minutes as OL Reign rebounded from back-to-back losses to beat Angel City FC 4-1. She stated the comeback from a 1-0 deficit with an assist on a goal by Elyse Bennett, (who has been on fire of late) in the 34th minute and assists on a pair of goals by Veronica Latsko three minutes apart in the second half, in the 52nd and 55th minutes.

Rapinoe said after the game, "I think in the previous games, honestly, a little bit, a lot of this season, I haven't gone into the pockets as much as I normally do and that is just kind of my bread and butter—so dangerous, it puts a lot of pressure on the defense."

On June 11, OL Reign used goals from 2023 WWC Finalists Sofia Huerta of the U.S. (from the penalty spot) and Jordyn Huitema of Canada to hold off a late fightback by the Kansas City Current, as American defender Isabel Rodriguez scored in the 91st minute at Lumen Field in front of 8,271 fans. Huerta assisted on Huitema's goal as well. They had lost three of their previous four games so it was an important win for the Reign.

On July 1, the Reign fought back to tie Racing Louisville at home, with Veronica Latsko and Elyse Bennett scoring in the last seven minutes of the game to haul back Racing's lead and earn a point from a 2-2 deadlock. Bethany Balcer has five goals this season while Veronica Latsko has four.

Washington Spirit (6-6-3, 24 points, Tied for Fourth)

The Spirit have made two international signings from France for the second half of the season including forward Ouleymata Sarr to a three year contract through the 2025 season. She played most recently with Paris FC of Division 1 Feminine. In ten seasons she has 45 goals in 127 appearances with French clubs Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), Lille Olympique Sporting Club (Lille), FC Girondins de Bordeaux (Bordeaux) and Paris FC.

Sarr said: "I have always had the ambition to join the NWSL which is, to me, one of the best leagues in the world. When the opportunity with the Washington Spirit presented itself, I immediately understood it as a great one. Meeting Michele [Kang—owner], Mark Krikorian [general manager], Mark Parsons [head coach] and the whole team only confirmed to me the great sporting and family dimensions of this club. I am ambitious, determined and excited to get started on this next chapter. I can't wait to get to work with my teammates and all the staff to achieve great things together!"

At the international level, Sarr tallied seven goals in 22 appearances for various French youth national teams before making her senior team debut in 2017. Sarr has earned 28 caps for France, netting nine goals in the process including a four-goal match against Estonia during 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification last year.

The Spirit's second signing from France was defender Annaig Butel (31), who inked a two-year agreement through next season. She also comes from Paris FC, where she has spent most of her career and appeared in over 250 matches since 2008. Butel said upon her signing: "I am really happy and proud to join the club and its project. I have only played in one city in Europe, and I can't wait to meet our fans and for Washington to become my second home, away from home."

She earned 10 caps with the French national team from 2013-18. Washington Spirit head coach Mark Parsons said: "Annaig has special attacking and defensive qualities. With this addition, we can continue to develop our of play. We look forward to Annaig arriving and settling in with our fantastic group."

Forward Mariana Speckmaier and defender Jordan Thompson join the active roster for the summer window during the 2023 Women's World Cup, who both have been training with the club since January. Speckmaier was originally drafted by the Spirit with the 39th overall pick in the 2021 NWSL Draft out of Clemson University. The forward made three appearances with the Spirit during the side's 2021 NWSL Championship run before playing abroad in 2022. She was due to play with CSKA Moscow on a two year contract, but three days after her signing, Russia invaded Ukraine, so she went to play in Iceland instead with Valur.

At the international level, Speckmaier has made nine appearances for the Venezuelan national team, scoring twice. Thompson was drafted by the Spirit with the 50th overall pick in the 2022 NWSL Draft out of Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. She missed the 2022 season with an injury sustained during preseason camp and returned to the club for 2023 preseason camp. While competing with the Bulldogs, Thompson appeared in 81 matches over five seasons and this summer will mark Thompson's first time on an NWSL active roster.

One of the major omissions across all the 2023 WWC Final rosters was Spirit forward Ashley Hatch from the U.S. team, particularly as the Americans could not call on forwards Mallory Pugh and Cartarina Macario due to injuries.

Hatch wrote on Instagram: "I'm gutted, I think I've felt almost every adjective there is to explain how I feel about not making this World Cup roster. Heartbroken, devastated, disappointed, gutted, confused, lost...you get the picture. I am still in the process of navigating all these feelings and emotions and trying to comprehend it all while still performing and playing games for the (Washington) Spirit. And it is hard. But the one thing I want to recognize is the overwhelming amount of love and support I have received from family, friends, coaches, teammates and strangers alike. THANK YOU.

"This has given me the strength to continue to move forward even when it hurts. I could not be more grateful for the people who have surrounded me with love and understanding, and for the Spirit organization for helping me navigate this stage of my career. There are a lot of things I don't know and a lot of pain and disappointment I am still working through but the one thing I do know is I love this game, I love playing it, and I can't wait to continue to take the field this summer with my Spirit teammates and continue to improve as a player and as a person. So cheers to this crazy thing called life, and all that comes with it, the lessons to be learned in the highest of highs and the lowest of lows."

Since the World Cup team announcement, Hatch scored a goal June 23 in a 4-2 loss to the Portland Thorns and then again on July 8 (from the penalty spot) in a 2-2 tie against the Wave in San Diego. She has eight tallies in total on the season and is tied with Kerolin of North Carolina for second in the league, behind Sophia Smith of Portland, who has 10.

San Diego Wave (6-3-6, 21 points; Sixth)

One point in their last three games has seen the Wave tumble from first after Week 11 and second through the first two weeks of the season and in week 10 to their current position of sixth, but they still remain in the playoff race (see: The Week in Women's Football: NWSL results; shake-up at OL Reign; Stoney ponders MLS future - Tribal Football). The Wave have two points from two ties in their last six games, including a pair of 2-1 losses to fellow Southern California side Angel City (once in the Challenge Cup and once in the league).

San Diego Wave FC forward and U.S. international Alex Morgan has 58 goals and is set to become the fourth player in NWSL history to score 60 goals in the regular season when she returns from Australia/New Zealand. Earlier this season, Portland Thorns FC striker Christine Sinclair and NJ/NY Gotham FC forward Lynn Williams became the second and third players, respectively, to hit the 60-goal threshold. Williams now has 62 goals and needs only 16 more tallies to overtake the record from former Chicago Red Stars forward and Australian WNT star Sam Kerr (now with Chelsea), who has 77 tallies.

Morgan leads the side with five goals while 18-year-old Jaedyn Shaw has four. Canadian international goalkeeper Kaelyn Sheridan has been doing her usual steady work, with five clean sheets in 13 games and a 1.15 goals against average.

The Wave signed goalkeeper Meagan McClelland as a National Team Replacement Player. She had signed a similar contract last season with Chicago and played at Rutgers University in her native New Jersey, with 43 shutouts in 102 games across five seasons.

Women's World Cup Review

This week, we briefly review the 8 groups in the 2023 Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, after two games have been played, (see last week's column on late news from Groups A-D and initial results: The Week in Women's Football: Review World Cup week I; chat with NZ star Rennie; Nigeria's 'blabbermouth'? - Tribal Football). We also present—for some teams in Groups E, F, G and H—late news, final rosters, etc., following on from our four-part WWC preview over the past four weeks (see:

Groups A and B four weeks ago (The Week in Women's Football: World Cup Groups A & B preview; Calgary Foothills exclusive - Tribal Football;

Groups C and D three weeks ago: (The Week in Women's Football: Kaylan Williams exclusive - a USA star playing for Dinamo Moscow - Tribal Football;

Groups E and F two weeks ago: (The Week in Women's Football: World Cup Groups E & F preview; pressure on Marta - Tribal Football;

Groups G and H last week: (www.tribalfootball.com/articles/the-week-in-women-s-football-world-cup-groups-a-b-preview-calgary-foothills-exclusive-4463860).

Group A

After two games for each side, this group is very tight. After New Zealand's stirring win over Norway in the first game on July 20 at Eden Park, combined with Switzerland's 2-0 win over the Philippines the next day, the second set of matches on July 26 were crucial, not only for possible advancement but also for survival, as two losses in two games is a sure eliminator in a four team group, particularly when there are two teams with six points. New Zealand faced the Philippines in Wellington and a win would have clinched a knockout round spot for the Football Ferns.

The Philippines displeased the home crowd of 32,357 in Wellington's Regional Stadium with a 1-0 win, thanks to Sarina Bolden's powerful header midway through the first half, after Sara Eggesvik kept the ball in play on the right side and sent a perfect cross into the box. New Zealand had long stretches of attacking play, particularly at the end of the game, with goalkeeper Olivia Davies-McDaniel making a lighting quick, diving save with her left hand in second half injury time from a shot by late substitute forward Grace Jale.

In the second half, Jacqui Hand of New Zealand headed in an apparent equalizer, but the full video assistant referee (VAR) review found that Hannah Wilkinson—who scored the winner against Norway and was dangerous all night—was slightly offside earlier in the attack, negating the tying goal. At the end other end, Philippines' striker Carleigh Frilles scored but it also was ruled offside.

Alen Stajcic said after the game: "Unity, work rate and heart from the team was special; we had some luck but we also earned our luck and it is a special moment in the history of Philippine's team sport. It's staggering and miraculous and unbelievable and what the players have done right now is mind-blowing."

For New Zealand (with three points and second ahead of the Filipinas on goal difference), they likely need a result against the Swiss to advance from their final group game.

New Zealand coach Jitka Klimkova said: "Our goal was to inspire our nation and it was not the result that we wanted but the fight and the passion was definitely there tonight. It is heartbreaking but this is not over yet; we still have time to reset and refocus."

The Football Ferns have some amazing players and personalities: Tottenham Hotspur's Ria Percival (I interviewed Ria for the first time in 2008 when she was 18 and had just arrived in the U.S. to turn professional to play for FC Indiana rather than attending college), iconic Angel City captain Ali Riley, and Rebecca Stott (Brighton and Hove Albion in the WSL and Melbourne City in Australia), who survived Stage 3 Hodgin's Lymphoma that was diagnosed in 2021 and is now in remission and returned to play club and national team football. New Zealand does have a small base of players in a country in which football is seen as a second tier sport behind Rugby and even swimming, but this Jekyll-Hyde display across the two games seems to be a coaching issue.

One coach I talked to in the States knew Jitka Klimkova from when she coached in the U.S. and he questioned a lot of her tactical decisions against Philippines. I wondered why she didn't bring on A-League Women scoring star Grace Jale earlier than the 84th minute or other potential scoring threats such as Gabi Rennie (22) of Arizona State University or Paige Satchell (25) of Wellington Phoenix, or even 17-year-old Emily Clegg of Wellington Phoenix, to help Wilkinson up front.

Celtic's Olivia Chance was a constant threat when she came on to start the second half from the left side but why did she not start? Former Czech Republic international Klimkova was appointed New Zealand manager in September 2021, having also previously been the assistant manager in 2014. She played at coached at home with Slovacko until 2011. She then joined Canberra United in Australia, and later managed the United States Women's Under-19 and Under-20 teams, spending six years in the States between 2015 and 2021.

In the latter match in Hamilton, Norway and Switzerland tied 0-0 in a game that should have had more intensity and more fluent play on the ball, as both teams combined for only one shot on goal in the first half. The tie left the Swiss at the top of the table with 4 points, and Norway at the bottom and pointless. Norwegian head coach Hege Riise did not start midfielders Ingrid Engen and Caroline Graham Hansen, with the latter venting her displeasure afterwards. It seemed like an odd move by Riise, particularly as both players won the UEFA Champions League title in 2022-23 with Barcelona.

Graham Hansen was eventually substituted on in the 57th minutes for her 100th national team appearance while Engen came on in the 88th minute. In addition, Ada Hegerberg was in the starting lineup but left for the dressing room after the national anthems, reportedly for a groin ailment and thus missed the match. In Hamilton, 10,769 fans who showed up on a cold, wet and miserable night, down from the 16,111 attendance for the Japan-Zambia match earlier in the tournament (the stadium holds about 18,000 fans). Goalkeeper Gaelle Thalmann (Real Betis of Spain) was excellent for the Swiss and deservedly was the Player of the Match. Hamilton, on the North Island, is not hosting the Football Ferns during the Group Stage but the large international community's support for the games in the university city has been a real positive of the tournament.

Group B

The Republic of Ireland became the first team eliminated from the 2023 WWC Finals on July 26 in Perth, Western Australia, when they lost to Canada 2-1. The Irish scored first when Arsenal's Katie McCabe scored directly from a corner kick in only the fourth minute. Canada tied the game in the first half when Megan Connolly inadvertently put the ball into her own net from Julia Grosso's shot. Ariana Leon scored Canada's winning goal eight minutes into the second half.

McCabe was asked about scoring the first Irish goal at a Women's World Cup on ITV1 and she said: "It's bittersweet, isn't it? Of course, it's nice to score and get us off to a good start, but it's the results that matter in this game, at this level, in these type[s] of tournaments. I'm just heartbroken for the girls because I felt like we deserved so much more from the game… I think we took a lot of positives from that second half against Australia [in their opening match 1-0 loss], decided to be more confident and back ourselves a bit more going forward. We know we have the quality and the pace as well, especially on the flanks. We wanted to start the game with a lot of energy, getting in Canada's face as much as possible and putting them under a lot of pressure, and I felt we did that. It's just about capitalising on those moments then as well… Against Nigeria we want to end this tournament on a high and give the fans something to cheer about, because they were absolutely immense all game."

Canada was feeling pressure following their 0-0 tie with Nigeria to open the tournament and Captain Jess Fleming said: "I think we are just happy to pick up the three points and happy with our response in the second half. It's tournament football, so every team is going to be difficult to play against. Ireland gave us a good challenge today so we're happy to get our three points."

Olivia Smith, the youngest member of Canada's Women's World Cup squad (who we discussed in last week's column), has signed with Portugal's Sporting Lisbon through 2025. She had previously said that she would play abroad after one year at Penn State University but did not reveal where she would go. Smith was only 15 when she made her senior debut in November 2019, becoming Canada's youngest senior debutante, when she was named Canada Soccer's Young Player of the Year. Sporting is also home to Canadian forward Chandra Davidson, who played at Indiana University and has been at Sporting for two seasons. The club finished runner-up to Benfica, where Smith's national teammate Cloe Lecasse played for four years before moving to Arsenal in England this summer. Smith has not seen any game action in Canada's first two matches.

Australia coach Tony Gustavsson had some injuries in training ahead of their match on July 7 against Nigeria, already missing forward Sam Kerr but also lost Mary Fowler—who started for Kerr against Ireland—as well as defender Aivi Luik, who was a substitute in the Ireland game, as she received a knock to the head. Forward Kyah Simon is still recovering from a knee injury, but they still had Arsenal's Caitlin Foord as a lead striker, who is a top international caliber striker. Nigeria then sprung arguably the upset of the tournament so far as they defeated the co-hosts 3-2 in Brisbane in front of 49,156 fans.

Emily Van Egmond of Angel City FC in the NWSL scored in the first minute of first-half injury time but then Uchenna Kanu of Racing City deadlocked the match five minutes later, still in injury time ahead of the break. In the second half, Nigeria jumped to a 3-1 advantage on a 65th minute goal from Osinachi Ohale of Deportivo Alaves of Spain—who were relegated to the second division last season—and Barcelona's Asiast Oshoala seven minutes later. Alanna Kennedy pulled a goal back for the Matildas towards the end of the 11 minutes of added time, but it was too late to rescue the points.

All credit to head coach Randy Waldrum and the Nigerian players, who have been massively disrespected by their federation, as we documented in last week's column. Now, Nigeria leads the group after two matches—tied with Canada on four points, but in first due to more goals (3 vs. 2)—with Australia on 3 points and Ireland bottom on 0 points. Australia faces Canada on July 31 in Melbourne and has to defeat the defending Olympic Champions to make the knockout stage, which they have not failed to do since 2003 in the U.S., making the Quarterfinals Round of 16 in four consecutive tournaments. Nigeria will qualify with a win or a tie over the homeward bound Irish, but a loss could still see the Super Falcons advance on goal difference, depending on the results from the last games.

Group C

After two games on July 26, Spain and Japan became the first teams in the Finals to qualify for the knockout stages. Spain repeated what Japan did in their first game by defeating Zambia 5-0; Spain now has scored eight goals in their two matches. Jenni Hermoso (Pachuca of Mexico after three years at Barcelona) scored twice and added an assist while Alba Redondo of Levante also had a brace. Hermoso made her 100th national team appearances and has now scored 50 goals for her nation.

Japan defeated Costa Rica (2-0) and had the game wrapped up by the half-hour mark as Minami Tanaka (29) of INAC Kobe Leonessa provided two assists, on goals by Hikaru Naomoto (29) of Urawa Reds in the 25th minute and Aoba Fujino (19) of Tokyo Verdy Beleza—who scored along the baseline slipping the ball past goalkeeper Daniela Solera's weak side. The game only drew 6,992 in Dunedin, which has a domed stadium that holds 30,000, and less than half what they drew for the July 21 match between Switzerland and the Philippines (13,711); this was a far cry from the 16,111 who saw Japan's 5-0 win over Zambia in Waikato Stadium in Hamilton. Costa Rica and Zambia are eliminated from the knockout stage.

Zambia's press conference ahead of the second match against Spain was ended early due to persistent questions about the charges of sexual misconduct by head coach Bruce Mwape and another national team coach, that the Zambian Football Federation and FIFA have been investigating since last year. One journalist asked Mwape if it would be for the good of the team if he stepped aside to allow them to focus solely on the football. Mwape responded: "What environment affecting the team in particular? What are you talking about? I would like to know because there is no way I can retire without reason. Maybe your reason is because what you are reading from the media or from the press, but the truth of the matter should actually come out, not just on rumours."

FIFA then shut down the press conference, leaving several journalists without a question.

Group D

The fallout of Haiti's strong effort against England resulted in a lot of media questioning of England's chances to make the Final—particularly as they lost so many starters prior to the tournament through injury, notably captain Leah Williams, Beth Mead and Fran Kirby—because Haiti had played well in their first game; England's 1-0 win was due to a twice-taken penalty kick (see last week's column). On July 28, England clinched a place in the Round of 16 with a 1-0 over Denmark from a goal by Lauren James in the sixth minute, in her first WWC start in a fairly even game. England's Kiera Walsh (Barcelona in Spain) went down with a knee injury and appears out for the rest of the tournament.

Also on July 28, Haiti fell to China 1-0 despite the Asian Champions playing with 10 players for an hour after a straight red card in the 28th minute for Zhang Rui (Wuhan Jiangda University) for a tackle on Sherly Jeudy, who has been playing in France's second division with Grenoble. Going into the last group game, England is at the top with six points, Denmark and China are tied on three points and even on goal difference, while Haiti has zero points; though not eliminated yet, they have to face experienced Denmark in their last game.

Olympique Lyon's Melchie Dumornay came in as a substitute to start the second half as she had a muscle injury, but she didn't see as much of the ball as usual and wasn't as explosive as a result. Wang Shuang (Racing Louisville) scored the only goal from the penalty spot in the 74th minute after Zhang Linyan (Zurich Grasshoppers of Switzerland) was fouled in the penalty area. A potential Haitian penalty kick award in second half stoppage time was reversed by VAR. Haiti's French coach Nicolas Delepine succinctly summed up the game when he said: "It was as if we were given the game on a silver platter, but we didn't take it."

Group E

On July 21, Sophia Smith of the Portland Thorns scored twice (and added one assist) and Lindsey Horan (Olympique Lyon in France) scored once as the U.S. defeated Vietnam 3-0 in Auckland in their first game. The U.S. dominated Vietnam in shots (28 vs. 0), shots on goal (7 vs. 0) and corners (10 vs. 0), but Vietnam's defense limited the Americans to 10 fewer goals than they put past Thailand to open the 2019 WWC Finals in France (13-0), showing that Vietnam's extensive preparation schedule of friendlies and regional tournaments has paid off, in arguably their most difficult game in the group. The game attracted 41,107 in Eden Park for a game that was aired on Friday night in prime time in the States (see below).

Megan Rapinoe appeared as a substitute in her 200th game, the 14th American in their WNT history to achieve a double century of caps. Midfielder Savannah DeMelo made her first career start against Vietnam, becoming the first player in USWNT history to make her World Cup debut and start at a World Cup, in one of her first two caps. She started the match and was replaced by Rose Lavelle in 63rd minute.

Off the Field, Fox Sports—the tournament broadcaster in the States—sold out their advertising spots as the tournament started, with the first game versus Vietnam aired in a viewer-friendly Friday night spot on July 21 at 9 pm east coast/6 pm west coast time and drew a record of 5,261,000 viewers, peaking at 6,552,000 for the last fifteen minutes; this was the second highest rating in history for a group stage WWC match, after 5,337,000 watched the 2019 match versus Chile. It was virtually double the number of viewers for the first game in 2019 (2,649,000 viewers against Thailand). In addition, the one million viewers across Telemundo television and streaming properties broke records, making it the most-watched Women's World Cup group stage match in Spanish-language history. This is significant in growing the brand of the U.S. WNT among Spanish speakers in the U.S., particularly since Mexico is not participating in this Finals.

For their 1-1 tie versus the Netherlands on July 26, FOX broke these records with 6,429,000 viewers, peaking at 8,451,000 viewers, with 1.51 million viewers across Telemundo, Peacock, Universo and Telemundo streaming platforms, setting the record for a WWC group stage match in Spanish-language history and the second largest ever regardless of competition's stage.

In the other opener in the group, Netherlands defeated debutants Portugal 1-0 in Dunedin, in front of 11,991 spectators, from a 13thminute goal by Stefanie van der Gragt (30), who played with Inter Milan last season, with the assist by Sherida Spitse (33), who has played the past three seasons at Ajax at home.

In the blockbuster second match of group play on July 27, a nervy and hesitant American side went behind 1-0 from a Jill Roord (26) goal in the 17th minute. Roord is moving this summer from Wolfsburg of Germany to join Manchester City in the English Super League, having played for Arsenal in 2019-20 and 2020-21. The Americans used a headed goal from a very peeved Lindsey Horan, who was fouled by her clubmate Danielle van de Donk at Olympique Lyon and almost came to blows with van de Donk, before she buried a corner kick on the restart into the net in the 62nd minute in Wellington. The two are close friends and appeared to have a cordial chat after the game. The Netherlands had about an 8% advantage in possession while the Americans led in shots (18 vs. 4), shots on goal (3 vs. 1) and corner kicks (11 vs.1). The two teams lead the group with 4 points, though the Americans are in first on goal difference over the Dutch (+3 vs. +1), heading into their last matches versus Portugal and Vietnam, respectively.

In the other match in Hamilton on July 27 between two debutants, Portugal came away with a 2-0 win over Vietnam, with goals within the first 21 minutes of the match from two of their younger players: Telma Encarnacao (21) of CS Maritimo, who assisted on the second goal by 20-year-old phenom Francisca "Kika" Nazareth, who plays at Benfica. Nazareth, who is an imaginative dribbler and grew up playing football in the streets, scored 15 goals and added 8 assists last season as Benfica won the Portuguese League for the third time, all while she has been with the club. She is looked upon as a future impactful player in the country and has numerous sponsorship deals with companies. Andreia Norton, also on Portugal's WWC Finals side and plays with her at Benfica, says about Kika: "She is a beacon of light."

With the loss, Vietnam was eliminated from the knockout stage in a difficult group but their federation should definitely keep doing what they have been doing over the past few years—as they have been competitive in this tournament—while trying to move more players offshore and invest more in the women's game.

Group F

We saw another upset on July 23, after New Zealand's 1-0 win over Norway to open the tournament three days earlier, as Jamaica tied one of the favorites France 0-0 in Sydney. Jamaica earned their first point in their fourth WWC Finals game. A down side is that Manchester City forward Khadija Shaw received her second yellow card of the game when she took down France's captain Wendie Renard with a hard tackle and will miss their next game against Panama. Shaw had a few good opportunities to win the match and goalkeeper Rebecca Spencer (32), who has played the last four seasons for Tottenham Hotspur, earned the shutout for the Reggae Girlz. Spencer played for her native England at the youth levels and joined Jamaica in 2021.

Brazil looked brilliant in their opening match 4-0 win over Panama. Ary Borges (Racing Louisville) scored a hattrick in the first seventy minutes of play and assisted on Brazil's third goal, an absolute thing of beauty in the build-up that included two back heel passes. Brazil had 33 shots on goal to 7 for Panama (9 vs. 2 for shots on goal). Yenith Bailey in goal for Panama was stellar in the loss as, without her, Brazil could have been won by double digits.

On July 29, Jamaica won their first ever Finals match with a 1-0 win over Panama from a 56th minute goal by Allyson Swaby (who is under contract with Angel City but was loaned to PSG in France for six months in January) from Trudi Carter's (Levante of Spain) corner kick. The match was more even than expected, with Jamaica taking 19 shots to 12 for Panama; both teams were even on shots on goal with four each, with the Reggae Girlz having a slight edge in corner kicks (9 vs. 7). Jamaica is tied for the lead in Group F with 4 points with France, who shocked Brazil 2-1 that same day. France has scored 2 goals to 1 for Jamaica if a tiebreaker is needed. France next plays Panama, who with 0 points is eliminated, while Brazil (3 points) faces Jamaica in Melbourne on August 6. The two sides last played in a 2019 Women's World Cup group match in Grenoble, with Brazil winning 3-0 from a Cristiane had trick, though she was a late omission from this Brazilian squad. France's goals came from two players that Herve Renard brought back into the team when he was hired as head coach just before the tournament: Eugenie Le Sommer in the 17th minute and captain Wendie Renard in the 83rd minute, sandwiching a goal from Kansas City Current's Debinha in the 58th minute. France had 17 shots to 11 for Brazil (6 vs. 2 for shots on goal) and had a slight edge in possession (43% vs. 36% when either team had control of the ball).

The NWSL sent six players to the Brazilian squad and a seventh will join the league at the end of the Women's World Cup, 29-year-old centerback Lauren was purchased by the Kansas City Current from Madrid CFF. She participated in 40 games over two seasons at Madrid CFF and signed a contract with the Current through the 2024 season, with an option for 2025. She started and played 90 minutes in the 4-0 win over Panama.

France's final roster of 23 players included five players from England, two from Spain, one from Italy and 15 playing at home in France, with the bulk from perennial leaders Paris St. Germain (6) and Olympique Lyon (5):

Late cuts to get to 23 included a big surprise in midfielder Amandine Henry (33), who was ruled out with a calf injury. She has 93 caps but had not played for France since December 2020 because of a dispute with former coach Corinne Diacre. After she recovers, she will play with Angel City in Los Angeles in the NWSL. Other late omissions were Mylene Chavas, a goalkeeper with Bordeaux, and midfielder Oriane Jean-Francois of PSG.

Group G

South Africa had a fire fight with its Federation over pay and other resource issues just before leaving for New Zealand (see the above link for our preview of Groups G and H) but Desiree Ellis proved again that she is a very shrewd, veteran coach in their opening match versus Sweden on July 23 in Wellington's Cake Tin Stadium, with heavy rains and cold (10 degree Celsius) conditions. Hildah Magaia (28) scored three minutes into the second half to give Banyana Banyana the lead, from a cross from Thembi Kgatlana that Swedish goalkeeper Zecira Musovic punched away poorly.

Magaia was bodied—not maliciously—into the net by a Swedish defender and ended up in pain lying prone in the back of the net; all her teammates piled onto her to celebrate, not realizing she was hurt and she had to come out of the game shortly after. Sweden, struggling all game but with the majority of possession, used its height in the middle and width to score in the 65th minute from an own goal and then Kosovare Aslani put through a cross that Amanda Ilestedt (30) towered over and headed into the net. Ilestedt played the last two season at Paris St. Germain and will join Arsenal in the WSL for the 2023-24 season.

Ilestedt said after the game: "We are really positive about the win, really happy They scored the first goal, and to win this kind of a game and score two goals, it's something we will bring further on. Obviously we were really happy about the three points. That's what matters right now."

In their first match, Italy defeated Argentina 1-0 in a close and physical contest. Argentinian attacker Estefanía Banini always had two and sometimes three or even four players guarding her, but was magical with her creative dribbling and passing. Sophia Braun, the American-born defender who played at Gonzaga University and now is with Club Leon in Mexico, told the media, when asked what they knew about the Italians, joked that: "they knew how many dogs the players have." Argentina was prepared for their opponents but, in the 87th minute, Cristiana Girelli headed in the only goal to give Italy three points in a bruising contest in Eden Park, with 34 fouls and six yellows between the two teams.

On July 28, South Africa took a 2-0 lead by the 66th minute, through goals by midfielder Linda Motlahalo (25), who plays with Glasgow City in Scotland after time with Djurgardens of Sweden and the Houston Dash in the NWSL, and forward Thembi Kgatlana (27), who is with Racing Louisville this season and played with Motlahalo in Houston in 2018 under now Republic of Ireland head coach Vera Pauw, who formerly was head coach with South Africa's WNT. Sophia Braun ignited another Argentinian late fightback with a 23 meter volley into the top left side of goal in the 73rd minute (as we saw in 2019, when Argentina fought back from a 3-0 deficit against Scotland in the final 20 minutes to tie the game 3-3). Five minutes later, Romina Nunez (29), who plays at home with UAI Urquiza, scored her first goal in 29 international matches with a glancing header to tie the match.

Braun told TribalFootball.com earlier this year that one goal for Argentina was to win their first Finals game (see: www.tribalfootball.com/articles/the-week-in-women-s-football-world-cup-groups-a-b-preview-calgary-foothills-exclusive-4463860), along with advancing from their group. South Africa was also looking to win their first ever Finals game and make the group stage, but the 2-2 tie made the second goal difficult for both teams, who face European sides Italy and Sweden in their final matches. South Africa earned their first point in five WWC Finals game, but again they will feel that they lost a prime opportunity for their first ever win.

In the second Group G match on July 28, Sweden erupted after a poor overall performance in their first match against South Africa with 5 goals against Italy, who were shutout. Amanda Ilestedt, who scored the late winner in the first match, scored two goals—again from corners and with her head. Her first came in the 39th minute, which opened the floodgates as Sweden was 4-0 up by the 50th minute. Sweden qualified for the knockout stage while Italy has 3 points and Argentina and South Africa are tied with 1 and even on goal difference at -1. On August 2, Argentina faces Sweden in Hamilton while Italy faces South Africa in Wellington. The African and South American sides need to win over the Europeans—if Italy loses, they would be out of the tournament.

For Argentina's final squad of 23, five play in Brazil, three are with clubs in Spain, two play in the US (one in college), and one each in Chile, Italy and Mexico, with one unattached and nine in Argentina:

Goalkeepers: Vanina Correa (Rosario Central), Lara Esponda (River Plate), Abigaíl Cháves (Huracán)
Defenders: Adriana Sachs (Santos/BRA), Eliana Stábile (Santos/BRA), Julieta Cruz (Boca Juniors), Aldana Cometi (Madrid CFF/ESP), Sophia Braun (León/MEX), Gabriela Chávez (Estudiantes)
Midfielders: Vanesa Santana (free agent), Daiana Falfán (UAI Urquiza), Dalila Ippólito (Parma/ITA), Lorena Benítez (Palmeiras/BRA), Camila Gómez Ares (Universidad de Concepción/CHI).
Forwards: Romina Núñez (UAI Urquiza),Paulina Gramaglia (Red Bull Bragantino/BRA), Yamila Rodríguez (Palmeiras/BRA), Miriam Mayorga (Boca Juniors), Florencia Bonsegundo (Madrid CFF/ESP), Mariana Larroquette (Orlando Pride/USA), Chiara Singarella (Univ. of Alabama/USA), Érica Lonigro (Rosario Central), Estefanía Banini (Atlético de Madrid/ESP)

Free Agent Vanesa Santana played at Sporting de Huelva for the past three seasons in Spain. Mariana Larroquette will move back to the NWSL from Leon of Mexico this summer after a year in Portugal with Sporting Lisbon in 2021-22—she played in Kansas City in 2021—she has also played in Chile and Norway.

Group H

Even though Colombia and Korea Republic featured teams that have been to seven finals combined (Korea Republic with four and Colombia with three), Colombia's 2-0 win on July 24 can be viewed as a considerable upset, with both goals coming in the first half. Cataline Usme scored from the penalty spot after the first 30 minutes after Shim Seo Yeon handled the ball in a goalmouth frenzy.

Nine minutes after, 18-year-old phenom forward Linda Caicedo lifted a shot towards goal from just outside the penalty box. Keeper Yoon Young Geul was in two minds about catching or swatting it away and it deflected off of her hand and into a net to double the lead. Korea did struggle with Colombia's physical play, which we thought might be coming after Ireland was so put off by it that they stopped a friendly after 20 minutes (see last week's column). Colombia had 17 shots to 5 for Korea Republic (6 vs. 3 for shots on goal). American-born Casey Phair played for Korea and became, at 16, the youngest player ever to appear at a Women's World Cup.

Morocco held Switzerland to a 0-0 tie in a pre-tournament friendly in Winterthur on July 5, which was a tremendous boost in confidence for the visitors against a solid European side. However, their first Women's World Cup match against Germany ended in a much different result with a 6-0 defeat, with their defense struggling massively against a side which demonstrated their legit credentials as a threat to win the 2023 tournament. Alexandra Popp had two goals while Morocco scored two own goals. Morocco fans should be encouraged by their offensive play as they did score once, but it was waived off for offsides.

On July 30, Morocco bounced back majestically from their disheartening first game defeat and won their first ever WWC game (1-0) over Korea Republic, on a glancing header from Ibtissan Jraidi in the sixth minute; the Atlas Lionesses defended that lead through the rest of the game. Korea Republic had 14 shots to 9 for Morocco, but none on goal versus two for the winners. Morocco, though having 31% possession to Korea's 49%, had good attacks and periods of possession in the first half. In the second half, Korea Republic stepped up their intensity and Morocco frequently clearing the ball with few chances to build attacks, other than in the last few minutes, but their defense continually frustrated the Korean attacks.

It was a case of a Korea Republic side that seemed unable to turn their advantage into many dangerous attacks in the penalty box, up against a truly well-functioning and strong defense. Morocco is still alive for a chance at the knockout stages with 3 points and a crucial third game versus Colombia in Perth on August 3. Korea Republic (0 points) maintains a slim chance of advancing as, in the other group match, Colombia defeated Germany 2-1, showing that the South American side has the talent to go far in this tournament, as they qualified for the Round of 16 for the second time in three Finals with 6 points. Teen-age superstar Linda Caicedo (18) scored in the 52nd minute. Veteran German attacker Alexandra Popp tied the match from the penalty spot in the 80th minute but Colombia scored again in the 97th minute, with a goal from Manuel Vanegas (22) of Real Sociedad in Spain. German is tied for second on three points with Morocco, but has a clear advantage in goal difference (+5 vs. -5).

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 yours copy today.

Follow Tim on Twitter: @TimGrainey