Women's World Cup 2015 USA Games: 5 Facts To Know Including Hope Solo Drama, 'Group of Death' & More
The FIFA Women's World Cup 2015 is already underway, so here are a few facts you need to know before jumping right into the action.
Canada is hosting the Women's World Cup this year, with soccer teams around the world currently vying for the championship. The tournament, which has occurred every four years since 1991, begins with 24 countries' teams, the largest amount in history.
As of Monday, Canada, Netherlands, Germany and Norway have already won their opening games while China PR, New Zealand, Thailand and Ivory Coast have lost. There is still hope for the losing teams, however, since they still have to play the other teams in their specialized group.
Heading into the first full week of competition, here are a few things you need to know for the U.S. team in regard to the FIFA Women's World Cup 2015.
-United States hasn't won in 16 years
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While the United States team was runner-up to Germany in 2011, they have not actually won a championship since 1999. However, they are the only team to come in at least third place every year since the World Cup's inception. It remains to be seen how well they will do this year.
-Underdog Julie Johnston
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At 23 years old, Johnston is the second youngest player on the U.S. team and she has quite the story. During the CONCACAF tournament she was left off the squad but she worked to improve her game and now she is the first defender off the bench heading into the Women's World Cup. She should be one to watch.
-Hope Solo drama
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Solo is one of the most recognizable soccer players in the world, but she's also one of the most notorious. The goalkeeper for the U.S., Solo was charged with domestic violence against her half-sister and nephew last June and a new report claim that she was belligerent with police officers at the time. While this shouldn't affect anything on the field, some may be interested to see if she cracks under media pressure.
-The Group of Death
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This year's Group of Death, named after the group of teams that seems to be the toughest in terms of competition, is going to be a doozy. The United States team is in this group, Group D, which also features Australia, Nigeria and Sweden. The U.S., Australia and Sweden are all in the top 10 FIFA rankings, so this should make for some healthy competition to see who survives.
-Live streaming is available!
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There are many (questionable) options for streaming the Women's World Cup, but those who want to see matches on their mobile device can do so through Fox Sports Go. The U.S. versus Australia game taking place Monday night at 7:30 p.m. will air on Fox Sports 1.
