Canada 2015 Catch-All: USA vs JPN Final. Sun 7:00pm EDT

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Last summer we had a pretty active thread for the men's World Cup. Since it's time for the women's tournament and I'm excited I figured a Catch-All for this tournament would be a good idea. The tournament four years ago was quite good (except for Canada) and the final was brilliant.

Anyway, I'm excited. The Canadian women are a beacon of light among the pit of never-ending chasm of angst and despair that makes up Canadian soccer. The women being quite good is probably a large part of that but genuinely playing matches across the country rather than almost exclusively in Toronto also helps. It didn't feel that way in the immediate aftermath of the last World Cup, but the women's program here seems to be on the right path.

I admit I don't know the women's game all that well. I have a fair idea of what the Canadians are like from following the team and a fair bit about the American's filters through a few bloggers I read. The Americans are the favorites for the tournament although if I were a supporter I would be concerned about what seems to be an aging squad to me. Germany, France, Japan, and Brazil probably round out the favorites for the tournament. With the way the draw set up the brackets a 4th-place finish is about the expectation in Canadian soccer circles for Canada's finish though the optimism is a bit unsettling.

Anyway, I hope it will be a brilliant tournament. Let's have some fun.

The tournament kicks off June 6th at 6pm Eastern and the Final is July 5th at 7pm Eastern.

I had just lethe DVR ro make sure I got the US games and some others recorded. I'm very much looking forward to this!

I need to figure out how I can watch this. The fox sports posting I saw was super vague. Any idea if these games are being streamed on their site?

Wembley wrote:

I need to figure out how I can watch this. The fox sports posting I saw was super vague. Any idea if these games are being streamed on their site?

It looks like you would need Fox Sports Go, which I guess isn't all that helpful for chord cutters: http://www.foxsports.com/soccer/stor...

A number of Goodjers watched the men's tournament on Univision streams last summer. Hopefully Univision will do the same this year?

Canada is playing Josée Bélanger, an attacking midfield/forward, at rightback in the friendly against England tonight because of a mini injury crisis (already). I have a soft spot for Bélanger since her whipping in a wonderful cross is one of my first memorable moments following the Canadian women.

Roke wrote:
Wembley wrote:

I need to figure out how I can watch this. The fox sports posting I saw was super vague. Any idea if these games are being streamed on their site?

It looks like you would need Fox Sports Go, which I guess isn't all that helpful for chord cutters: http://www.foxsports.com/soccer/stor...

I wonder whom did Fox have to grease and how much for this to come to pass.

MoonDragon wrote:
Roke wrote:
Wembley wrote:

I need to figure out how I can watch this. The fox sports posting I saw was super vague. Any idea if these games are being streamed on their site?

It looks like you would need Fox Sports Go, which I guess isn't all that helpful for chord cutters: http://www.foxsports.com/soccer/stor...

I wonder whom did Fox have to grease and how much for this to come to pass.

I believe his last name rhymes with Blather.

I've been kind of drowning in work haven't followed much of the buildup, but am hoping to catch some of the tournament.

The USWNT feels a lot less dominant this cycle - though I want us to win, I do really like that there are five or six teams that are reasonable challengers for the title, and even among the others there are several I wouldn't be surprised to see in the final (the sentimentalist in me would love for Christine Sinclair to get a shot at winning the World Cup on home turf).

Not a fan of the artificial turf being rammed through, even when there was an offer to put down grass for all the games at zero cost to FIFA or the organizers.

I was going to ask the reason for the forcing of artificial grass, but I guess I found it in that article:

FIFA rules also state that all matches and practices for the World Cup must be held on the same surface. Canada’s bid for the event stipulated that the final be played on the artificial field at BC Place, which seats 55,000.
slazev wrote:

I was going to ask the reason for the forcing of artificial grass, but I guess I found it in that article:

FIFA rules also state that all matches and practices for the World Cup must be held on the same surface. Canada’s bid for the event stipulated that the final be played on the artificial field at BC Place, which seats 55,000.

And Qatar's bid stipulated that the event be held in summertime.

I'm pointing out that, even when there was an option for all the pitches to have natural grass, at zero cost to organizers or FIFA, they decided to keep it on artificial turf.

I just hope that we don't see games decided by preventable injury this tournament.

Bunch of games are being played in Ottawa.

Tournament kinda snuck up on me. I figure the interest will grow once the games actually start.

I might skip the group games and catch one of the quarters or semis that are in Ottawa.

Dimmerswitch wrote:
slazev wrote:

I was going to ask the reason for the forcing of artificial grass, but I guess I found it in that article:

FIFA rules also state that all matches and practices for the World Cup must be held on the same surface. Canada’s bid for the event stipulated that the final be played on the artificial field at BC Place, which seats 55,000.

And Qatar's bid stipulated that the event be held in summertime.

I'm pointing out that, even when there was an option for all the pitches to have natural grass, at zero cost to organizers or FIFA, they decided to keep it on artificial turf.

I just hope that we don't see games decided by preventable injury this tournament.

Wambach said that Scotts Lawn Care offered free grass but Scotts didn't reply to a media inquiry and the story hasn't come from anywhere else. I'm skeptical but if that were possible to have pitch quality comparable to Japan's when they had temporary grass and still artificial practice pitches after the tournament(which will be one of the big legacies of the tournament) I'd have been for that.

My understanding is there's no evidence that artificlal turf leads to a higher incidence of injuries than grass.

I'm not a grass snob - On the occasion I turn on an MLS,NASL, NWSL, CONCACAF Champions League, or CanWNT match the surface generally doesn't stand out unless it's terrible and if a blind test were possible I'm not sure I could pick out the surface type. In terms of how matches are played, good quality turf seems comparable to good quality grass to my untrained eye. Watching the 2nd leg of the CONCACAF Champions League final I did notice the ball rolled a lot quicker than it should on the awful, old Olympic Stadium turf. The worst pitches I've seen have come about through an insistence that matches must be played on grass, whether it's just sod laid down on top of turf like you see for high-profile friendlies in North America (Mexico-USA a short while back being the most recent incident) or a World Cup Qualifier in Montreal which to be fair was after a huge rainstorm.

I've got tickets to the doubleheader in Vancouver next Friday. Switzerland vs Ecuador and Japan vs Cameroon. Wife is Japanese so there's a nice bit of luck that they're playing on this side of the country.

Roke wrote:

Wambach said that Scotts Lawn Care offered free grass but Scotts didn't reply to a media inquiry and the story hasn't come from anywhere else. I'm skeptical but if that were possible to have pitch quality comparable to Japan's when they had temporary grass and still artificial practice pitches after the tournament(which will be one of the big legacies of the tournament) I'd have been for that.

My understanding is there's no evidence that artificlal turf leads to a higher incidence of injuries than grass.

Evidence on injury rates is mixed, though the photo (since removed) Sydney Leroux tweeted of the aftermath of an artificial surface game would make me wary of attempting too many sliding tackles.

IMAGE(http://i.imgur.com/UAEn0aF.jpg)

And I'm surprised you were under the impression that Abby Wambach was the sole source for this story, given that FIFA acknowledged the offer in a statement last month.

ESPN[/url]]"The contact [with the natural grass companies] was informal and didn't include any range of price for any service," FIFA said in the statement Monday. "The proposals were for the official stadia only and not for the various training sites [18 in total] to allow the players to train on a consistent surface throughout the tournament."

Hampton Dellinger, attorney for the players during the legal challenge over the use of turf, said FIFA deserves "a booking for simulation" and challenged FIFA to respond.

"The idea that a lack of money is the reason this World Cup is on artificial turf is laughable," he said in a statement. "FIFA sits on a $1.5 billion cash reserve, Canada is one of the richest nations on earth, and the players made it clear to organizers that -- if necessary -- private funding from corporations was available to cover the mere million dollars or so it would cost for temporary grass fields of the highest quality.

"Second, the idea that this World Cup would be on grass but for the lack of grass training fields is similarly ludicrous," he said. "University and other first-class facilities are available in or around every host city. Securing sufficient grass practice fields was a wholly surmountable challenge.

I've always kind of thought that this was getting railroaded through for the 2015 Women's World Cup to establish precedent for Qatar eventually having to amend their proposal for the 2022 Men's World Cup to switch to turf instead of grass.

In any event, it's a moot point since the players dropped the challenge.

Dimmerswitch wrote:

And I'm surprised you were under the impression that Abby Wambach was the sole source for this story, given that FIFA acknowledged the offer in a statement last month.

I've always kind of thought that this was getting railroaded through for the 2015 Women's World Cup to establish precedent for Qatar eventually having to amend their proposal for the 2022 Men's World Cup to switch to turf instead of grass.

In any event, it's a moot point since the players dropped the challenge. :)

Thanks for that link. I don't see why you couldn't just slap the same temporary grass on the plastic practice pitches as well. I thought the same about Qatar. It seemed like a simpler solution than disrupting nearly every domestic competition in the World with a change of date.

I wouldn't say it's moot, for it's definitely a big deal and a fundamental part of the tournament's narrative. Plus FIFA seems to be big on pushing artificial turf and this seems to be their way to get it on a bigger stage (I assume previous youth tournaments, including the U-20 World Cup that was held here don't count).

Once the matches are being played I expect it will all slide into the background. I'm not attending any of the matches in person but it's going to be fun to watch. It wasn't a great game but the Canada-England warm-up match was a nice spectacle with a wonderfully finished goal from Sophie Schmidt. Half-volley straight into the top corner.

USA!
USA!
USA!

I had this crazy idea last night that my kids and I could drive to Winnipeg (7 hours) to catch Sweden vs Nigeria and USA vs. Australia next Monday. StubHub has good tickets for $50-$100, and cheap tickets for under $20.

Tempting.

Godzilla Blitz wrote:

I had this crazy idea last night that my kids and I could drive to Winnipeg (7 hours) to catch Sweden vs Nigeria and USA vs. Australia next Monday. StubHub has good tickets for $50-$100, and cheap tickets for under $20.

Tempting.

You're quite the enabler Godzilla Blitz. I'm watching Waltzing Matilda videos, looking at downloadable portraits of the Queen (Nigeria is also a member of the Commonwealth after all), and eyeing those cheap seats even though they'll be 30m+ from the goal-line.

Roke wrote:
Godzilla Blitz wrote:

I had this crazy idea last night that my kids and I could drive to Winnipeg (7 hours) to catch Sweden vs Nigeria and USA vs. Australia next Monday. StubHub has good tickets for $50-$100, and cheap tickets for under $20.

Tempting.

You're quite the enabler Godzilla Blitz. I'm watching Waltzing Matilda videos, looking at downloadable portraits of the Queen (Nigeria is also a member of the Commonwealth after all), and eyeing those cheap seats even though they'll be 30m+ from the goal-line.

I thought it was a crazy 2am idea that would die a quick death once the light of day hit it, but my daughter wants to go and it's feeling more and more like one of those ideas that I'd regret not doing ten years from now. We might actually go.

Godzilla Blitz wrote:

We might actually go.

You should go.

If I wasn't drowning in work I would be trying to talk the family into doing this, as well.

Dimmerswitch wrote:
Godzilla Blitz wrote:

We might actually go.

You should go.

If I wasn't drowning in work I would be trying to talk the family into doing this, as well.

Enabling +1

My son is wavering. My wife thinks it's a horrible, crazy, stupid, reckless, irresponsible idea.

My daughter is firmly on board. She is actually a fairly good keeper for her age, and really likes Hope Solo. Her quote from a few months ago:

"When I grow up, I want to be like Hope Solo. Except for all the domestic violence."

EDIT: (two hours later) I just bought two lower sideline tickets, for my daughter and me!

Godzilla Blitz wrote:

EDIT: (two hours later) I just bought two lower sideline tickets, for my daughter and me!

IMAGE(http://i.imgur.com/OApHGUe.gif)

Have a wonderful time.

In years to come, the dollar values will recede into background noise, while the wonderful adventure you two will have will remain a great memory forever.

I am super-jealous.

Dimmerswitch wrote:
Godzilla Blitz wrote:

EDIT: (two hours later) I just bought two lower sideline tickets, for my daughter and me!

IMAGE(http://i.imgur.com/OApHGUe.gif)

Have a wonderful time.

In years to come, the dollar values will recede into background noise, while the wonderful adventure you two will have will remain a great memory forever.

I am super-jealous. :)

Thanks! My daughter is turbo excited, and I'm right there with her. We're heading out Sunday night, right after her practice, and going to try to get to Grand Forks, ND. Wake up Monday morning, drive the last 2-3 hours, watch Sweden vs. Nigeria, have dinner, watch USA vs. Australia, then hop in the car and drive through the night to make it back home by Tuesday morning.

I lived in Sweden for a year+ a long time ago, and am 50% Swedish ancestry, so getting to cheer for Sweden in the early game will be a double bonus.

My wife appears to be coming around too, although I've still go some work to do there.

This is the first time I've used Stub Hub, but it looks like I've got actual tickets to the right thing, so thumbs up so far!

Less than 30 minutes until kickoff.

I'm equal parts hopeful and dread. Dread because that's the default mood of Canadian soccer, but hopeful because there's something joyful about this Canadian side which I haven't really gotten from sports. I watch sports for the moments of brilliance and joy, but it's been longer than a moment for this team, especially since John Herdman took over.

I'm watching this on the fox sports go site. Every few minutes the sound cuts out for about 10 seconds. Not the worst thing but certainly annoying. My excitement levels remain high, though.

That wasn't a great first half. Canada with the same problems attacking they had in the warmup game against England - the centre of the pitch is packed, they're fairly slow on the ball, and the fullbacks aren't getting forward to receive through balls to then cut back into the box.

Kadeisha Buchanan was terrific though. What a great defender.

Despite my initial complaint, this stream has been solid. No more sound issues so far and barely a stutter.

Yeah, Buchanan has been great. Hopefully whatever was happening right before halftime wasn't serious.

I have to admit, I found myself rooting for China, mainly due to the underdog effect. That had to be a heartbreaking loss for them. Although it might have been an even more devastating draw for Canada.

Great game, though.

I feel that second half Canada earned that game. It felt like an awful lot of unforced turnovers throughout, though.

I didn't think that was a penalty at first. On the replay, at most I think it's a "seen them given."

Canada really need to move the ball quicker at the back and not be so ponderous going forward if they face any more packed defenses. China parked the bus really well today.

First half of Netherlands-New Zealand has been a lot more pleasing on the eye than the opening match. A lot more space and both teams looking to play and moving the ball well.

Plus a beautifully curled goal:

Edit: and the Dutch hold on. Not a lot of chances in this match either. Hopefully the tournament opens up a bit.

I'd really love to see what New Zealand's right back could get done with good forward play.

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