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Women's World Cup, Day 9 - USA vs. Nigeria

Day 9 of the 2015 Women's World Cup features the final group stage games from Groups C and D, including the match between the United States and Nigeria. With a win, the United States can clinch the top position in Group D and a favorable matchup in the opening round of the knockout stage of the competition.

By Bruinette88
Bruce Fedyck-USA TODAY Sports

Day 9 of the 2015 Women's World Cup features three terrific matches, starting with a showdown between Switzerland and Cameroon for second place in Group C. But the attention of most of us at Bruins Nation will be on the Group D game in which the United States will battle Nigeria. With a win, the United States will top Group D and face a second or third place team in their first game of the knockout stage. Even with a loss, the United States will advance, but will certainly face a much more difficult opponent in the first round.

In the other Group D match, Sweden desperately needs at least a draw to have a chance of qualifying for the knockout stage, while Australia won't feel particularly secure without gaining another point. According to the SB Nation preview of this match, "[i]t's likely that both Sweden and Australia progress to the knockout stage of the World Cup, but it's not obvious what's better -- second place or third." In fact, Sweden simply can't afford to bank on a third place finish; their current position with two points won't see them qualify as a wild card team.

The SB Nation preview of the United States-Nigeria match is also off-base, in my opinion. It's based on the false premise that the USWNT is similar to a basketball team coached by Steve Alford (i.e., in need of an easy path through the early stages of the knockout stage). Make no mistake about it--the USWNT is one of the world's elite teams, so getting to the semifinals should not be seen as a great accomplishment, nor should the team worry about getting a good opponent in the early rounds of the knockout stage. If you are going to be the best, and if your objective is to win a knockout tournament, you need to beat elite teams along the way. Therefore, facing a top-5 team in the opening round of the knockout stage shouldn't be a concern at all. Rather, what should be a concern are the performances which might lead the team to fail to win its group.

At the start of the tournament, Group D was identified as the "group of death" because of the presence of three top-10 teams. However, what really makes Group D difficult is the absence of a significantly weaker side. Nigeria can't be taken lightly, and unlike several of the teams that played yesterday (e.g., Thailand, Ivory Coast), the Nigerians won't be beaten by four goals or more.

The SB Nation match preview lists former UCLA standout Lauren Holiday as the key player for the United States, but unfairly criticizes her for her performances in the first two group stage games:

Of the United States' two central midfielders, Holiday is supposed to be the better passer, but she hasn't been able to create much. Carli Lloyd's always been more of a direct threat and goal-scorer than technical playmaker, so it's up to Holiday to unlock defenses with her passing. So far, she's just produced simple passes and turnovers.

Although it's true that Lauren Holiday hasn't created a lot of scoring chances for the USA, that's primarily because her role has changed--she's been asked to play more of a holding role for this team which requires more simple passes and fewer forward runs. While it is fair to criticize the quality of Holiday's performances, and it's also fair to criticize the tactical wisdom of changing her role on the pitch, it's not fair to criticize her for sticking to the assigned task.

Another former UCLA star--Sydney Leroux--has started in both of the USA's previous group stage matches, but her impact has been somewhat limited so far. It will be interesting to see if Coach Jill Ellis continues to pair Leroux with Christen Press, reverts to starting Leroux and Wambach up front, or starts Alex Morgan today. The midfield was solidified against Sweden by replacing Press with Morgan Brian on the right side, but Coach Ellis generally seems to prefer an attacking player opposite Megan Rapinoe, so don't be surprised to see Press move back to the right flank.

Finally, I recommend that all Bruin fans check out ESPN's "What Makes Us" segment featuring Sydney Leroux:

Day 9 Matches - Group C

Place Country
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Japan 2 2 0 0 3 1 +2 6
2 Switzerland 2 1 0 1 10 2 +8 3
3 Cameroon 2 1 0 1 7 2 +5 3
4 Ecuador 2 0 0 2 1 16 −15 0

FIFA Day 9 Preview

Game 1: Ecuador vs. Japan

Kickoff: 2:00 PM PDT

Location: Winnipeg

Live Streaming and International Coverage

United States Coverage: Fox Sports 1 USA, Fox Sports GO, SiriusXM FC, NBC Deportes En Vivo Extra, Fox Soccer 2Go USA, NBC UNIVERSO NOW, NBC UNIVERSO, SiriusXM FC

SB Nation's Ecuador-Japan Preview

Game 2: Switzerland vs. Cameroon

Kickoff: 2:00 PM PDT

Location: Edmonton

Live Streaming and International Coverage

United States Coverage: Fox Sports 2 USA, Fox Sports GO, SiriusXM FC, NBC Deportes En Vivo Extra, Fox Soccer 2Go USA

SB Nation's Switzerland-Cameroon Preview

Day 9 Matches - Group D

Place Country Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 United States 2 1 1 0 3 1 +2 4
2 Australia 2 1 0 1 3 3 0 3
3 Sweden 2 0 2 0 3 3 0 2
4 Nigeria 2 0 1 1 3 5 −2 1

FIFA Day 9 Preview

Game 1: Nigeria vs. USA

Kickoff: 5:00 PM PDT

Location: Vancouver

Live Streaming and International Coverage

United States Coverage: Fox Network, NBC Deportes En Vivo Extra, Fox Soccer 2Go USA, NBC UNIVERSO NOW, NBC UNIVERSO, SiriusXM FC

SB Nation's Nigeria-USA Preview

Game 2: Australia vs. Sweden

Kickoff: 5:00 PM PDT

Location: Winnipeg

Live Streaming and International Coverage

United States Coverage: Fox Sports 1 USA, Fox Sports GO, NBC Deportes En Vivo Extra, Fox Soccer 2Go USA, SiriusXM FC

SB Nation's Australia-Sweden Preview

Day 8 Results - Group A

Canada 1, Netherlands 1 - FIFA Match Report - Match Highlights

China 2, New Zealand 2 - FIFA Match Report - Match Highlights

Group A Standings

Place Country Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Canada 3 1 2 0 2 1 +1 5
2 China PR 3 1 1 1 3 3 0 4
3 Netherlands 3 1 1 1 2 2 0 4
4 New Zealand 3 0 2 1 2 3 −1 2

Day 8 Results - Group B

Germany 4, Thailand 0 - FIFA Match Report - Match Highlights

Norway 3, Ivory Coast 1 - FIFA Match Report - Match Highlights

Group B Standings

Place Country Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Germany 3 2 1 0 15 1 +14 7
2 Norway 3 2 1 0 8 2 +6 7
3 Thailand 3 1 0 2 3 10 −7 3
4 Ivory Coast 3 0 0 3 3 16 −13 0

Please enjoy this Day 9 tournament thread with your fellow Bruins.

Go USA! Go BRUINS!

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