Group C: Japan | Switzerland | Cameroon | Ecuador
Switzerland is not your average Women's World Cup rookie team. With talent and confidence, the Swiss could make a decent debut run.
The journey
Switzerland is making its first World Cup appearance but staked its claim as more than a typical rookie with a dominant qualifying effort. The Swiss totaled 28 of a possible 30 points and were the first European team to qualify for Canada. Grouped with Denmark and Iceland, two recent Euro qualifiers, the Swiss turned a potentially difficult path into a rout by winning nine matches, outscoring opponents 53-1 and finishing nine points clear of second place to match France for the biggest margin among European group winners.
World rankings
Switzerland peaked at No. 19 in last year's FIFA world rankings:
The rep
The World Cup might be new for Switzerland, but it isn't for its coach, Martina Voss-Tecklenburg. The boss played in three tournaments for Germany and won the European championship for the national squad an incredible four times. After three years under Voss-Tecklenburg's watch, there is a certain familiarly German consistency to this Swiss side. But its core identity is wrapped up in its flair play and goal production. Since March 2013, Switzerland has been held without a goal just once in 24 matches.
Projected formation
The Swiss are expected to use a 4-2-3-1 lineup:
The question
Are they serious contenders? The Swiss enter the Women's World Cup with intriguing credentials on paper, much like the Swiss men's team in Brazil, which was a popular dark-horse choice for pundits. But the women have even less in the way of an on-field résumé. For all the goals in qualifying, they still finished 2014 ranked No. 19 in the world and lost to Ireland, the Netherlands and the United States that year. More importantly, without any World Cup experience, the squad must depend on the guidance of Ramona Bachmann, a squad mainstay since 2007, to calm nerves and motivate.
Players to watch
Here are three Swiss players who should be on your radar:
• Caroline Abbe, D: The captain and cornerstone of the back line is one of a number of Swiss players who play abroad. Abbe, who has been in Bundesliga for four years, played every minute of the first 14 games in her first year on Bayern Munich.
• Ramona Bachmann, F: Bachmann's disappointing year in the WPS as a 19-year-old is the outlier in a career that continues to feature inventive play and goals by the bushel -- 11 in 19 games for Swedish team Rosengard last year.
• Lara Dickenmann, M: Dickenmann starred at Ohio State before returning to play professionally in Switzerland and then in France, where she has averaged a goal every other game in seven seasons with Olympique Lyonnais.
Group-stage schedule
Switzerland's first two matches will be held at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver, while the third match will be at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton:
• June 8: Japan, 10 p.m. ET
• June 12: Ecuador, 7 p.m. ET
• June 16: Cameroon, 5 p.m. ET
Foudy's take
Switzerland clearly benefited from the expanded Women's World Cup field. For decades, this team has come close but never qualified for a major senior women's tournament. Swiss star Lara Dickenmann, who has won four French League titles and two UEFA Championships with Lyon, is the team's engine and an excellent playmaker. With its talent and newfound confidence (thanks to German coach and former player Martina Voss-Tecklenburg), Switzerland could make a run to quarterfinals. If the Swiss finish second in Group C, which I predict will happen, they would face the No. 2 team from Group A, and all those teams are beatable on a good day.
Social scene
#FNTA #SUI #WM #Kanada2015 Alle Videos unter: http://t.co/3RZWuDNIEA #FollowUsToCanada #YouCanPlayToo pic.twitter.com/eJwQ6Ko58Z
- nationalteams_SFVASF (@SFV_ASF) May 13, 2015