The day is finally here! It's Day 1 of the FIFA Women's World Cup. There are two matches today for the four teams in Group A: Canada, China, New Zealand and Netherlands.
At 3 p.m. PT, hosts Canada kick off the World Cup with their first group game against China. Canada comes into the tournament as one of the favorites and will be gunning for 3 points against a tough, yet relatively unknown, China squad. Those who attended the Seattle Reign match against China might recall a young, quick, disciplined and aggressive China team.
At 6 p.m. PT, it will be a battle between New Zealand and the Netherlands. New Zealand has never made it past the group stage, and Netherlands are a dark horse pick to make it out of the group stage in second place.
Players to Watch
- Canada: While Christine Sinclair is the most well-known Canadian player, for good reason, keep your eye on 26-year-old midfielder Sophie Schmidt. After transitioning into more of an attacking role, she led Canada in goals last year. She can distribute and score — check out this goal she scored against England for evidence.
- China: With forward Yang Li injured, China will need goals from Ma Jun, who leads the Chinese squad heading to the World Cup in national team goals, with 15. At 26, and with 50 caps, she is one of China's oldest and most experienced players.
- New Zealand: New Zealand is led by defender and captain Abby Erceg of the Chicago Red Stars. Despite being just 25 years old, Erceg already has over 100 caps for her country (she was the first player, male or female, to pass this milestone for New Zealand).
- Netherlands: 18-year-old forward Vivianne Miedema is one of the most gifted forwards in Europe, and she's still a teenager! Miedema made her senior national team debut at 17 and scored a hat-trick in only her second appearance -- after subbing on in the 75th minute. She can score with both feet and is clinical in front of the goal. Some have called her the "Arjen Robben of the women's game." Her 85 goals in 85 club games certainly back that up.
How to Watch
Match #1 - Canada v. China
Date/Time: Saturday, June 6, 3:00 p.m. PT
TV: Fox Sports 1, Telemundo (Spanish)
Online: FOX Sports Go. There's also FOX Soccer 2 Go, a paid service that requires no TV subscription. Telemundo also offers a Spanish-language streaming service.
Match #2 - New Zealand v. Netherlands
Date/Time: Saturday, June 6, 6:00 p.m. PT
TV: Fox Sports 2, Telemundo (Spanish)
Online: FOX Sports Go. There's also FOX Soccer 2 Go, a paid service that requires no TV subscription. Telemundo also offers a Spanish-language streaming service.
This is your Day 1 Women's World Cup gamethread. You're going to watch. Watch with us.