FOX Sports FIFA Women’s World Cup Morning Highlights – Sunday, June 28
FOX Sports’ coverage of the FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP 2015™ continues tonight with a special edition of FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP TONIGHT at 10:00 PM ET on FOX Sports 1. FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP TONIGHT host Kate Abdo, co-host Eric Wynalda and analyst Leslie Osborne join FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP TODAY’s Rob Stone, Kelly Smith Alexi Lalas, Heather Mitts and Ariane Hingst to preview the FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP 2015™ semifinals, as the USA faces Germany and Japan takes on England.
See below for FOX Sports’ upcoming FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP 2015™ schedule and for highlights of last night’s FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP TONIGHT.
SUNDAY’S SCHEDULE
7:00 PM ET – Portland Timbers vs. Seattle Sounders FC, FOX Sports 1
10:00 PM ET – FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP TONIGHT, FOX Sports 1
MONDAY’S SCHEDULE
1:00 PM ET – FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP 2015™ Semifinals Preview Press Call
Analysts Tony DiCicco and Heather Mitts and FIFA WORLD CUP™ on FOX Executive Producer David Neal
12:00 AM ET – FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP TONIGHT, FOX Sports 1
SEMIFINALS SCHEDULE
Tuesday, June 30: USA vs. Germany / Montreal / Coverage at 6:00 PM ET on FOX
Wednesday, July 1: Japan vs. England / Edmonton / Coverage at 6:00 PM ET on FOX Sports 1
FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP TONIGHT Highlights:
Eric Wynalda said France showed how to beat Germany in the quarterfinals, even though Germany got the victory:
“The best defense is a great offense, and that’s the way it has worked for Germany. The U.S. got a blueprint of what to do in that game against France. The German side had to defend the other day and you could see some holes in that group. Going into this game, the United States can look at that, can build off what they did against China and go into this game with a little bit of confidence.”
Former USWNT player Leslie Osborne praises the USWNT defense, but says the U.S. needs offense to beat Germany:
“The backbone of this team has been the defense, and I love what Julie Johnston, a rookie, has brought to this team. She’s contributing offensively and she’s holding it down [on defense].
“We saw more attack, more creativity and more freedom from Carli Lloyd and some of these players. It’s a good position for them to be in, and I think it’s going to be a true test. They have to score goals. You have to beat this German team by [scoring] at least two. They cannot win this game, 1-0.”
England coach Mark Sampson joined the show and talked about his team’s process:
“We’ve been in place 18 months now, and the team has gone through a real extensive process of developing different styles and different ways of playing. We’ve had to be resilient and strong when we get the opportunity. Some of our creative players have really stepped up in the final third, so credit the players again. They are the ones who show up on match day and have to have that confidence, that football arrogance to take the ball in the most intensive pressure and find the pass or find a shot, so I’m really proud with what the players are doing here.”
Former Canadian international Christine Latham says Lauren Sesselmann should not have started for Canada in the team’s loss to England today:
“Lauren Sesselmann – her name has been repeatedly brought up in this tournament. She consistently has been playing poor.
“It’s disconcerting that John Herdman continues to start her when she was continuously having problems in the back line, and teams were scouting it out and targeting her.”
Eric Wynalda disagrees with decisions made today by Canada coach John Herdman:
“There’s a coach who feels that he’s such a good motivator that he can make his players better than they sometimes are. I think he got this one wrong.
“The guy’s a showman. He knows the camera’s on. He loves it. But some of his tactics were wrong, and what let him down is this belief of, ‘I can make a player better than what they are.’”
Latham agrees:
“He has mismanaged this World Cup for his team.”
Rules expert Dr. Joe Machnik says the Japan’s goal vs. Australia was offside, but given the angle, it’s hard to criticize the referee:
“The Japanese player takes a position just slightly ahead of the second to last defender and therefore is offside at the moment the ball is played, and she plays it, and it becomes a goal.
“It’s very difficult to criticize [the referee]. She doesn’t have this angle; there’s no replay in soccer, and they don’t review every goal. If they did review every goal and they had this replay, they would have to say no goal.”
