Group A: Canada | China | New Zealand | Netherlands
New Zealand has failed to advance past the group stage in its three Women's World Cup appearances (1991, 2007, 2011). Will the Kiwis break through this year?
The journey
It must be said: The Football Ferns did not exactly climb many mountains to get to Canada. Only four teams competed in the five-day Oceania Football Confederation qualifying tournament, and New Zealand far outclassed Tonga, Papua New Guinea and the Cook Islands. New Zealand won its three games by a combined 30-0 margin, the closest a 3-0 win against Papua New Guinea. (Four years earlier, it won its five qualifying games by a 50-0 margin.) This is New Zealand's third consecutive World Cup appearance. It is no coincidence that the last one it missed was before Australia moved to the Asian Football Confederation.
World Cup History
A look at how New Zealand has fared in past World Cup tournaments:
The rep
New Zealand is a tough, athletic team with technical ability and an emphasis on possession. That reputation has only grown with current coach Tony Readings, who took over after John Herdman left for Canada in 2011. New Zealand's defining characteristic may be its ability to switch from a controlling pace against overmatched Oceania sides to a counterattacking resilience against the world's elite. Captain and defender Abby Erceg recently became the first New Zealand player -- male or female -- with 100 caps.
Projected Formation
New Zealand has experimented with a 4-1-3-2 lineup:
The question
Will they score goals? In the past two major tournaments, the 2011 Women's World Cup and 2012 Olympics, New Zealand earned praise and won admirers with its hard-luck resolve -- but it has yet to win a game in the group stage, going 0-1-8 in three Cups. A close loss against Japan in 2011 and a 1-1 draw versus the United Sattes in a 2013 friendly are a far cry from being outscored 9-0 in three games in its Cup return in 2007. But the final product is still in question, and the squad will be hard-pressed to reach its first knockout round.
Right On Track
At the 2011 Cup, U.S.-born Ali Riley led New Zealand with 219 touches and 101 completed passes from right back. Riley led the squad with five successful crosses, one for an assist against Mexico.
Group-stage schedule
The Kiwis' first two matches will be played at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Alberta, while the third will be held at Winnipeg Stadium:
• June 6: Netherlands, 9 p.m. ET
• June 11: Canada, 9 p.m. ET
• June 15: China, 7:30 p.m. ET
Foudy's Take
New Zealand will prove to be an interesting matchup for Canada, which is led by former Kiwi coach John Herdman. In the end, though, I think China will take the third spot in that group to advance, with New Zealand exiting in the group stage.
Social Scene
Embracing the St. Louis spirit before the big game tomorrow #FootballFerns vs #Usa @NZ_Football pic.twitter.com/jAY8dBDfsd
- betsy hassett (@betsyhassett12) April 3, 2015
