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World Cup Draw
Good News Day For World Cup-Bound Women
by Jeremy Ruane
It was a good news day for both the Women’s World Cup-bound Junior Ferns and Young Ferns squads on May 6, with noteworthy fixtures being confirmed for the respective age-group national teams.
The Young Ferns earned a fairly favourable draw at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Finals in Trinidad & Tobago, where coach Dave Edmondson witnessed the names of Japan, Venezuela and the yet-to-be-determined European champions appearing alongside New Zealand in one of four groups which will contest the Finals in September.
Both Japan and Venezuela finished third in their respective qualifying tournaments, with the Asian team thrashing Australia to confirm their place at Trinidad & Tobago, while the South American combination put Paraguay’s prospects to the sword in their play-off.
The identity of the Young Ferns’ European opponents won’t be known until June 26, when the winner of the semi-final between Holland and Spain meets the other semi-final victor, either Eire or Germany, in Nyon, Switzerland.
The Germans have won the two previous UEFA U-17 Women’s Championships, so will be favoured to meet New Zealand on September 9 in Couva, three days after the Young Ferns open their account against Venezuela at the same venue, the Atto Boldon Stadium in Trinidad.
On September 13, the New Zealand squad will cross the water to Tobago, where they’ll take on Japan in the Dwight Yorke Stadium in Scarborough. A top-two finish will see the Kiwis heading back to Trinidad for a quarter-final against one of the teams from this Finals’ "Group of Death", comprising Brazil, Canada, Ghana and the European runners-up.
Host nation Trinidad & Tobago will have their work cut out to make the quarter-finals, given they face North Korea, Chile and Nigeria in their group, while Mexico and Korea Republic are the only confirmed teams in Group B at this stage.
They will be joined by the third-placed teams from both Europe and Africa, with Tunisia and South Africa to play-off before the end of May for the right to participate in the second FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Finals, initially held in New Zealand two years ago.
A swathe of the squad members who made up the Young Ferns that year have been named in the Junior Ferns squad which is heading to Los Angeles on May 9 to take on their USA counterparts in a two-match series at the Home Depot Centre.
The series, key games in a training camp Team USA is conducting as they finalise their squad for the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Finals, offers New Zealand ideal match preparation as Tony Readings considers his options ahead of July’s finals in Germany.
What is a very impressive squad on paper will head to America looking to make a favourable impression on their coach, while taking on opponents every bit as strong as Brazil, North Korea and Sweden, the trio the Junior Ferns will encounter in Germany.
Captain Anna Green will lead into battle a squad (listed right) boasting two new caps in Katie Rood and goalkeeper Erin Nayler, while Renee Leota has earned a recall to the Junior Ferns after an eighteen-month absence from the national scene - the last time she donned the silver fern was at the 2008 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Finals.
The first match against the USA kicks off at 11am on Friday, May 14, NZ time, with the second clash two days later, at 7am NZ time.
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