Time really does fly. After two weeks of play and 28 games, only four teams remain at the FIFA Women's World Cup in China. Just five days from now, the captain of either Germany, Norway, Brazil or the United States will raise the World Cup trophy in jubilation with her teammates.
But which side will earn that honour? Here are this writer's observations:
Nerves are rising in China and it's not just because Typhoon Wipha is on her way.
Four berths in the quarter-finals are on the line when Group C and D wrap up play on Thursday.
Norway, Australia and Canada are fighting for the top two spots in Group C, while Brazil, China and Denmark are battling for the same honour in Group D.
Canada must win its final match against Australia Thursday (CBC, 4:45 p.m. ET) in order to move on, while the Aussies only need a draw. Norway plays Ghana on Thursday (4:45 p.m. ET). All games are streamed live on CBCSports.ca.
Most goals in elite soccer are scored on set pieces (free kicks, corner kicks). Just watch any highlight reel on TV. One reason for this is teams practice these situations over and over and over again in training (and people wonder how soccer players get those great quads and hamstrings!). But another less obvious reason is because stoppages in play can affect a team's psyche.
Coaches remind their players that almost all goals in soccer are scored in the opening and final minutes of each half (when adrenaline is high or when players are tired), after an injury (when players may emotionally lose their focus) and on the aforementioned set pieces.
Case in point: Tuesday’s Group B match between North Korea and the United States.
Signa Butler is the senior editor of our 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup site. She joined CBCSports.ca in 2000 as a senior writer and since then has covered multiple Stanley Cups, Olympic Games and Grey Cups. Over the past two years, she has captained our Grey Cup and Hockey Day in Canada websites. A graduate of Ryerson's broadcast journalism program, Signa also holds a bachelor of arts in English and political science from Saint Mary's University in Halifax, where she was an all-Canadian with the Huskies soccer team.
