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Group A

Canada remains perfect after 1-0 victories over Scotland and Italy. Carolina Morace’s squad currently hold sway over Group A. Jonelle Filigno converted a Christine Sinclair pass to secure victory over Ital while Emily Zurrer’s goal made the difference against Scotland. A win or draw against England on Wednesday will take the 2010 Cyprus Cup holders one step closer to retaining their title. Stephanie Labbe appeared in net in the Italy match and she earned her fourth career clean sheet. She’s also unbeaten in six starts for Canada.

Next game: England on Monday

Prognosis: Sometimes a single goal is all it takes. The team is headed upwards and onwards after a tumultuous past three weeks. A result against a shaken England team will see Canada through to the final, presumably against the Netherlands. For the record, Canada defeated Holland 5-0 in the Torneio Internacional Cidade de Sao Paolo three months ago.

Scotland’s 2-0 victory against England is a massive lift for a team on the rise (Video here). Scotland reportedly played well against Canada but were undone by Emily Zurrer’s late header. Anna Signeul’s side built on that momentum and used to comprehensively defeat their southern neighbors. Hope Powell’s decision to drop eight players from England’s first match looks foolish and even arrogant in retrospect but respect must be paid to the dynamic strike partnership of Arsenal star Kim Little and defender-by-trade Jennifer Beattie. The pair caused England’s patchy back line problems it couldn’t cope with. It’s an immense result for a team that just missed out on progressing from the WWC Qualifying group stages.

Next game: Italy on Monday

Prognosis: The fact that Scotland could achieve such a historic result – this is the first time the team has defeated England in 34 years – without the services of Julie Fleeting is a triumph in itself. The team has a wonderful crop of FA WSL bound young players coming through. Scotland will likely not advance out of the group but another big result against a lethargic Italy side will see the Scots finish above England in Group A. And if that’s the case, who needs a trophy?

Few people are likely to remember the Cyprus Cup in month or so, especially given the World Cup is three and half months away. Still, big losses to big teams by small teams in small tournaments hurt. Hope Powell may have made eight changes on Friday, but the England squad that lost to Scotland was composed of many players who were part of England’s final run in Euro 2009. England were well and truly beaten.

Next game: Canada on Monday

Prognosis: The team will need to re-discover the energy earned from the 2-0 victory over Italy in the opening game of the tournament. With that result, England avenged its loss Euro 2009 loss to Italy and Kelly Smith earned her centenary cap. Canada will be tough opponents and another demoralizing loss will be disconcerting for a team expected to advance out of the mixed bag that is Group B of the World Cup.

Italy’s result may suggest the team has been stale but The FA’s match report after the England game offers praise to an Italian team possibly experiencing burnout. Pietro Ghedin’s team endured a grueling World Cup qualifying campaign that consisted of eight matches – all of which were in vain after Italy’s 2-0 aggregate loss to the U.S. last November. Perhaps it’s fair to say the team’s Cyprus Cup matches have transpired in a similar way to the U.S. playoff games: plenty of tactical maneuvering that result in promising attacking spells and good chances but zero goals.

Next game: Scotland on Monday

Prognosis: Exhaustion. A year-long break ahead of Euro qualifying will do the team good. Spritely Scotland could run insipid Italy ragged.

Group B:

The Netherlands were somewhat unlucky to end up in a WWC qualifying alongside Norway in Group 2. Undeterred, the Dutch put forth some cracking performances in the Torneio Internacional Cidade de Sao Paolo in December. Some shoddy New Zealand defending resulted in two of the goals scored in the Netherlands’ big 4-1 win on Wednesday. The Dutch earned an even bigger result against France two days later as goal machine Manon Melis broke the deadlock and propelled her side to a 2-1 win. The Netherlands look primed to win Group 2 and make one last push for the final.

Next game: Switzerland on Monday

Prognosis: An ever-improving Dutch side could be the real beneficiaries of FIFA’s decision to expand the World Cup field for 2015. A victory over a listless Swiss team seems inevitable, as does a high-flying finish in this tournament. The Netherlands could very possibly win it all.

France enters the team’s first international competition since running away with Group 1 in UEFA WWC qualifying with a perfect record of 10 wins, zero losses or draws, 50 goals and none conceded. Les Bleues’ efforts were cruelly rewarded with a date in WWC Group A alongside the likes of Germany, Canada and Nigeria. Bruno Bini has fielded a strong side thus far with the likes of Sonia Bompastor, Camille Abily, Sandrine Soubeyrand and Louisa Necib. Gaëtane Thiney and Abily came good for the team’s opening match against Switzerland. France then stumbled against the Netherlands, conceding the decisive goal in the last 15 minutes of the match. France will meet New Zealand tomorrow in a game that could foreshadow a WWC quarterfinal match-up.

Next game: Monday against New Zealand

Prognosis: Switzerland caused few problems for a team eager to validate its WWC dark horse credentials. The late slip-up to the Dutch is more worrying. France will hope New Zealand isn’t too high on momentum – momentum the French could certainly use ahead of June.

New Zealand got walloped 4-1 by the Netherlands in the first match as two defensive gaffes cost John Herdman’s team dearly. Herdman made six adjustments to his side – including slotting Ali Riley back in defense – and they paid off against Switzerland. Kirsty Yallop and Betsy Hassett scored two quick goals in succession. It was enough to secure the 2-1 win. A win over France would guarantee a third consecutive top four finish in the Cyprus Cup.

Next game: Monday against France

Prognosis: France will be the Football Ferns’ biggest test in months. It appears Herdman is still trying to figure out his preferred starting line-up and formation. A quality opponent like France will be good practice for New Zealand’s WWC Group B fixtures.

It’s wild to think Switzerland was one win away from facing the United States in the CONCACAF-UEFA play-off. The Swiss got stomped by Italy in the second leg of the final UEFA play-off match and have seemingly not recovered. The team will be up against it when they face the Netherlands tomorrow.

Next game: Monday against the Netherlands

Prognosis: More retooling needed before Euro 2013 qualifying.

Group C

After a stellar 2010 that included a semifinals appearance at the 2010 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup and a title run at the 2010 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, South Korea’s seniors will be expected to keep the momentum going. The team upped Northern Ireland 4-1 thanks to a Lee Sea-Eun hat-trick – the first in Cyprus Cup history. The team then misfired against Mexico and only came away with a 1-1 draw.

Next game: Russia on Monday

Prognosis: Tomorrow’s match will mean everything. A championship game appearance isn’t totally out of the realm of possibility but a top four finish is much more likely. It will be an important step that will help transition the success earned by South Korea’s youth teams to its seniors.

Russia got past Mexico with a scoreless draw on Monday before squeezing by Northern Ireland with a penalty early in the second half. The team is undoubtedly taking advantage of the international experience on offer.

Next game: South Korea on Monday

Prognosis: The team will hope to make a statement in its match against South Korea tomorrow. For a squad still searching for an identity, a big win over a rising Asian nation will help in its quest.

Mexico has been surprisingly slack this tournament, much like Leo Cuellar’s team was in the Torneio Internacional Cidade de Sao Paolo. Two draws have ended Mexico’s chances of getting out of the group stage. Dinora Garza has scored the team’s only goal so far. Nothing short of mediocre.

Next game: Northern Ireland on Monday

Prognosis: The team still has time to come together before the World Cup but anything less than a positive result against Northern Ireland will be disappointing. Mexico’s post-CONCACAF WWC Qualifying stock will continue to fall if the team leaves Cyprus with little to show for itself.

Northern Ireland has been hard done by penalty kicks in both group matches. A penalty shout in the opening match against South Korea turned the tide for the team and Northern Ireland was not able to recover. Despite the two losses, the Brits haven’t done too poorly for themselves. Ashley Hutton has scored both of her team’s goals. It should also be mentioned that this is the first set of international matches for the team since August 2010.

Next game: Mexico on Monday

Prognosis: Northern Ireland will hope to get the rub of the green against Mexico tomorrow. And in the very least, the team will earn great experience for its slew of talented young players.

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