Strangers Without Borders Women’s World Cup quarterfinals…the team that will rise to the top is

By Park Dae-Ro = The quarterfinals of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia-New Zealand will be played on Nov. 11 and 12. With two-time defending champions the United States out of the competition, the quarterfinalists are hungry to win.

The quarterfinals are Spain-Netherlands, Japan-Sweden, Australia-France, and England-Colombia.

It’s notable that the United States didn’t make the quarterfinals. The U.S. is currently ranked No. 1 in the world by FIFA Women’s Soccer and is the reigning champion, having won back-to-back titles in 2015 and 2019. In the eight Women’s World Cups prior to Australia-New Zealand, the U.S. has won half of them, four.

In their quest for a third straight Women’s World Cup title, the Americans were upset by Sweden (No. 3 in the FIFA rankings) in the round of 16. After a scoreless first half and overtime, the U.S. packed up after losing in penalty kicks.

With the perennial favorites gone from the tournament, the quarterfinalists have a golden opportunity to make a run at the title.

Spain (No. 6) and the Netherlands (No. 9) will take on each other in the first quarterfinal matchup at 10 a.m. on Nov. 11, with the Spaniards ahead in the standings, but the Dutch also have the edge.

The Netherlands, who reached the final of the 2019 tournament before falling to the United States, will be looking to repeat as runners-up. The Dutch proved they are not the same team they were four years ago when they drew 1-1 with the United States in the group stage. Their high-flying attack is led by midfielder Il Roort, who has four goals.

Spain had an up-and-down group stage. They beat Costa Rica 3-0 and Zambia 5-0, but lost to Japan 0-4. The Spaniards will need to overcome their inexperience in the Netherlands with a win.

Spain is a soccer powerhouse with one World Cup title in men’s soccer, but this is the first quarterfinal appearance for the women’s team. Spain will need to rely on Bonmati, Hermoso, and Redondo, who scored three goals apiece.

Between Japan (No. 11) and Sweden, who will play at 4:30 p.m. on the same day, the odds favor Japan. Japan is a women’s soccer powerhouse, having won the 2011 tournament and finished runner-up to the United States in 2015.

Japan swept through the group stages of the tournament without conceding a goal and advanced to the round of 16 with a 3-1 victory over powerhouse Norway. Hinata Miyazawa is the top scorer with five goals.

Sweden is another powerhouse with one runner-up and three third-place finishes at the Women’s World Cup. In the last edition in 2019, they reached the quarterfinals. Sweden leads the all-time series against Japan 2-1. However, Sweden failed to reach the final in the 2011 tournament, losing to Japan in the quarterfinals.

Sweden is a team that uses their overwhelming height and strength to push their opponents. The defensive prowess of goalkeeper Zekira Musovic is impressive, as she made a stunning save against the United States in the Round of 16. The fact that they had to go to overtime and penalty kicks in the Round of 16 against the United States and had one less day of rest than Japan didn’t help their cause.

Australia (No. 10) and France (No. 5), who will face off at 4 p.m. on Dec. 12, are hard to beat in terms of experience and power.

France finished fourth at the 2011 tournament and reached the quarterfinals in both 2015 and 2019. France went 2-1-1 through the group stage and thrashed Morocco 4-0 in the round of 16.

Their dynamic attack centered around striker Khadidiatou Diani is a threat. The leadership of head coach Hervé Renard, who moved to the French women’s national team after leading the Saudi Arabia men’s team at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, will also be of interest.

Co-hosts Australia will be looking to capitalize on the one-sided support of their home crowd. Like France, the quarterfinals is their best finish at the Women’s World Cup. The Socceroos have shown consistency, reaching the quarterfinals in three consecutive tournaments from 2007, 2011, and 2015.

This time around, they were stunned by Nigeria, but breezed through the group stage before knocking out Denmark in the round of 16. With three goals, Haley Laso’s pace and finishing are a threat.

The England-Colombia match on Dec. 12 at 7:30 p.m. also has a lot of variables that make it hard to pick a winner. England (No. 4) has been a consistent performer, reaching the quarterfinals in 2007 and 2011, finishing third in 2015 and fourth in 2019.

This time around, they reached the round of 16 with three wins out of three, but there are question marks over their performance. In the round of 16, they played Nigeria to a goalless draw and only won on penalties. In addition, ace Lauren James, the team’s top scorer with three goals, will miss the quarterfinals after receiving a straight red card for stepping on a Nigerian player’s back.온라인카지노

Colombia (No. 25) is making its first-ever Women’s World Cup quarterfinal appearance. Colombia had a strong group stage, beating South Korea and Germany. Although they were upset by Morocco, Colombia proved themselves to be a force to be reckoned with by upsetting surprise team Jamaica in the Round of 16.

If Colombia is to pull off the upset against England, they will need to rely on the offensive prowess of Catalina Usme and Linda Caicedo, who scored a brace each against South Korea.