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More somewhat arbitrary power rankings. Again, take note of the spacing.

1.) Germany – And they’re back. The Germany that defeated France 4-2 could very well be the team that shows up in the knockout round, too. It wasn’t a flawless game, but even despite conceding those two goals, the two-time defending champs never seemed like they had conceded control of the match. Germany’s attack looked particularly potent and was well balanced by Simone Laudehr’s tireless defensive work in midfield. Inka Grings and Lira Bajrmaj must start from here on out.

But wait…let’s hope they sorted out the zonal marking situation, particularly given how many goals have come off of set pieces this tournament.

2.) Brazil – Marta. And the fact that Brazil might be the only team in the tournament capable of killing off games in a matter of a couple mad minutes. Brazil’s marvelous front line has the ability to petrify (or, okay, foul) opposing defenders with its sublime skill and swift movement. That’s a unique advantage of theirs.

But wait…those habitual slow starts are going to bite them eventually. And the function of the formation still isn’t entirely convincing.

3.) France – I’m stubbornly holding on to the fact that France didn’t truly show up against Germany until the second half. They were missing some of their most integral players, after all. Bruno Bini then inserted some of his stars and told them to play and play they did. France’s body of work has arguably been the most impressive of the tournament given the early expectations and the hyper-competitive group and all. Marie-Laure Delie has liven up to, if not exceeded, the hype. A bona fide goal poacher.

But wait…again it’s the slow starts thing. France won’t have the luxury of using the first 45 minutes to rev up in the latter stages.

4.) Australia – Tom Sermanni has been the coach of the tournament and here’s why: the crafty Scotsman has tailored his team selections and formations around each and every opponent. There’s a genuine strategy behind his squad rotation. Australia may have taken longer than expected to finally take it to Norway, but boy, that second half was exhilarating. He’s also gotten the most out of a very, very young squad which requires great man management. His young players are playing with confidence and guile, which reflects nicely on the coach. He’ll know how to beat Sweden.

But wait…Servet Uzunlar can’t seem to get that she must release the ball quickly rather than trying to dribble out from central defense. She’s been culpable for Australia’s last three conceded goals. Her naiveté has had a negative ripple effect across Australia’s back line. How long will Sermanni’s patience last?

5.) Japan – Again, it’s the body of work argument. Japan never showed up against England – either because they were flat-out beaten or because they couldn’t get the upper hand at the beginning and didn’t bother after that. Still, Japan’s comprehensive victories against New Zealand and Mexico can’t be forgotten. Nobody has played prettier or more efficient football than Japan. Not even France.

But wait…The defense and goalkeeper are undersized. Also, Homare Sawa is more important to that team than perhaps previously thought. Japan’s success is almost entirely dependent upon her ability to orchestrate the attack. Good luck doing that when you have Simone Laudehr and Kim Kulig tracking your every move.

6.) USA – Sigh, it had to come to this, didn’t it. Obviously, the U.S.’s performances against North Korea and Colombia can’t be chucked out just because of one poor result that included a fluky own goal. But lest we forget, North Korea and Colombia are the only two teams that will leave Germany without having scored a goal. They’re also the two worst teams in the tournament. It was just the manner in which the U.S. lost. The defense hasn’t looked that porous in ages (sometime in September 2007, maybe?). Shannon Boxx and Carli Lloyd were…not good. And it was against our Swedish friends, too; a team that had only scored two goals and missed a hundred chances prior to meeting the U.S. The Americans are only going to face better teams in the Knockout Round and the issues that arose in that match were nothing new.

But wait…Not so fast. The U.S. could afford to lose that game. And what happened to all that mental fortitude and stuff? The U.S. couldn’t have lost all that it in the course of one match. Lauren Cheney and Ali Krieger will likely be candidates for the World Cup Best XI once the tournament is done. It was just one game.

7.) Sweden – Thomas Dennerby exploited the U.S.’ areas of weakness and it paid dividends. It’s going to be difficult researching a team like Australia that has tried out different players and tactics each match. Regardless, Josefine Oqvist is a speed demon, Lotta Schelin looks to be hitting form at the right time, Nilla Fischer is a hell of a holding midfielder, Caroline Seger (WPS’s best player ahead of the World Cup) will be back, and Sweden’s defense is still one of the best organized in the tournament.

But wait…There are still the underwhelming performances against Colombia and North Korea who, as we just established, are the worst teams in the tournament. Can Sweden do to Australia (meaning pick them apart limb by limb) what they did to the U.S.?

8.) England – Versus Japan, Hope Powell’s new-look line-up clicked in no time and England were off to the races. Jill Scott and Anita Asante absolutely locked up the midfield and prevented Japan from playing its pretty passing game. It was a wonderful performance topped off by Ellen White’s wonderful chip and Karen Bardsley’s wonderful performance in goal.

But wait…then there are England’s two other performances. Not so wonderful. And Kelly Smith still hasn’t lived up to the “best attacking midfielder in the world” tag. And France’s midfield is unlike anything seen in Group B.

9.) New Zealand – Again, if the World Cup had wildcard spots, the Football Ferns would be most deserving of one. New Zealand ditched the stereotypical long ball tactics, and actually played soccer against England and Mexico. The team has some truly gifted players (Ali Riley, Rebecca Smith, and a quartet of forwards to be exact). New Zealand’s fight back to claim two late goals against Mexico was class. As John Herdman said in his post-game comments, if the match went on for a minute longer, the Football Ferns probably would have won. We salute you, Football Ferns. And now, the haka:

10.) Nigeria – See what a little bit of technical skill and tactical organization can do for a team? Nigeria had its best World Cup in a generation despite being in a tough group. And I know I’d be remiss to not make mention of the anti-lesbian idiocy and MMA-like tactics once more so there.

11.) Norway – Ingvild Stensland did the best she could against Australia, and should be recognized for her fine work in midfield. Norway looked more adventurous against the Matildas and didn’t resort to the typical with long balls and whatnot. The defense just lost it at the end, and here they are: eliminated at the group stage for the first time ever. If this tournament marks the last before Norway’s oft-predicted decline, at least they tried to change it up at the very end.

12.) Mexico – The mazy solo runs that led to goals by both Stephany Mayor and Maribel Dominguez against New Zealand were vintage Mexico. As was Monica Ocampo’s screamer. All three were goals that looked similar to the ones scored in World Cup qualifying back in the fall. It’s just a shame Mexico couldn’t find consistency to go with the occasional moments of creativity. The defense disappointed, too.

13.) Equatorial Guinea – Genoveva Anonma is a real talent. She carried an incomplete team on her shoulders against both Australia and Brazil but it (of course) was not enough. It was a pleasure to watch her try, though.

14.) Canada – So sad and strange. Diana Matheson tried her damndest and Christine Sinclair played with a broken nose. It was the rest of the team that failed to live up to the expectations Big Red had set for us – and themselves.

15.) North Korea – Fine technical ability and organization etc. etc. etc. but little end product and no goals.

16.) Colombia – Colombia has a handful of tricky attackers, but the team itself looked disjointed. Las Cafeteras were out of their depth for most of the competition. Then again, at least they weren’t Argentina ca. 2003 and 2007.

Lots more after the jump.

There have been several historic moments in this World Cup, both good and bad. Here is one per team:

Canada finishes this tournament with just one goal scored. The team’s previous total for in fewest goals socred at a Women’s World Cup stood at five.

France earned two consecutive Women’s World Cup victories for the first ever.

Germany conceded two goals in a Women’s World Cup match for the first time this century.

Nigeria collected its first Women’s World Cup win since June 27, 1999.

England are group leaders for the first time in three total FIFA Women’s World Cup appearances.

Japan posted its best group stage goal differential in a FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Mexico earned its first ever points (2) in a FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Similarly, New Zealand also recorded its first points (2) in a FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Colombia won its first point in the team’s debut FIFA Women’s World Cup appearance.

North Korea failed to score a goal for the first time ever in a Women’s World Cup.

Sweden tops its group for the first time in six total FIFA Women’s World Cup appearances.

The United States had its first group stage loss in World Cup history.

Easily the coolest factoid of the bunch: Austalia’s Kyah Simon became the first indigenous Australian to score in a senior World Cup.

Marta becomes the first Brazilian player to score in three separate World Cups.

Equatorial Guinea recorded two goals in its first ever FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Norway were eliminated before the knockout round for the first time in World Cup history.

Some stats, of course:

• At 17 years old, Australia’s Emily Van Egmond is the youngest player with a goal in the tournament. There are four three teenaged goal scorers in the tournament: Hannah Wilkinson, Stephany Mayor, and Emilie Haavi; all of whom are 19.

• Like in the 2007 FIFA Women’s World Cup, Brazil is the only team in the tournament that has yet to concede a goal by the group stage.

• The tournament has attracted a total of 597,644 people to 24 group stage matches. That’s a per match average of 24,902 attendees. That figure makes this the second-best attended World Cup behind the 2007 edition that drew 36,155 people per match. Total ticket sales should surpass the 800,000 mark as well.

And this:

It’s sometimes easy to forget how spoiled American TV audiences are when it comes to women’s soccer. For the past two weeks we’ve had the luxury of waking up to find wall-to-wall coverage on the self-purported (and widely accessible) worldwide leader in sports. Every single match has been broadcast live and there have been replays at night, too.

That’s apparently not the case in Great Britain. The BBC were not planning to the quarterfinals match between England and France, citing contractual obligations to airing the Scottish Open and not wanting to show sports on both BBC1 and BBC2 simultaneously. The company eventually reneged after being flooded with viewer complaints. The BBC also just announced that should England advance to the semifinals, the match will be broadcast live on BBC 2.

It’s nice that the BBC finally let down, but it’s a shame that such a football obsessed culture still has such little time for its women’s national team. Doesn’t do much for England’s image of patronization.

And some reading material:

The above being said, SI.com’s Georgina Turner examines the less-than-brilliant viewing figures the World Cup has logged in the States and Jennifer Doyle explores women’s soccer’s sinister history over at FoxSoccer.com.

Thank you for the continued support. With a little over a week left in the tournament, there’s still time to check out The Equalizer and All White Kit’s Guide to the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup. It’s an 82-page e-magazine with in-depth previews, exclusive interviews, and more. Check out a 16-page preview here and click here to purchase the PDF file for $5.95.

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