2019 Women’s World Cup Day 8: Match thread and discussion

The World Cup never disappoints - usually it never does. Even if the games aren’t stellar the narrative the is penned by the teams playing in the matches usually makes up for it. In 2019, the play on the field has kept up with the stories off of it. Today several teams will write a new chapter in the history of the World Cup with some intriguing matchups that may seal the fate of teams Groups C and D.

While narratives around the teams might take some paying attention to in order to develop, something that’s carrying over from the Fox coverage in 2018 is lazy stereotyping of players and teams by announcers.

That’s an exaggeration but it gets Zito’s point across. Not only is it not good to reduce people to stereotypes, but it also takes away from more interesting aspects of the game like... tactics and underlies the general lack of effort that seems to go into analyzing and commenting on games. Presenting sports in a way that is inclusive and doesn’t resort to stereotyping is also a way to make it more attractive to more people, an important thing to do if the sport is going to continue growing and expand beyond the suburbs in the US. As described below, finding diverse perspectives is one way to deal with this kind of thing.

Anyway - here’s the previews for the matches, the kickoff times, and further reading.

Japan and Scotland will kick things off as each side looks for their first win in the tournament. For Japan, it will be a chance to show that they are still contenders after failing to score against big-time underdogs Argentina in the first match. The team showed that it is still working things out in the performance and it will be interesting to see if manager Asako Takakura changes things up and starts some of the young talent like Jun Endo. For Scotland, they will go as Kim Little goes. The midfielder can play just about any role asked of her and she may have more defensive responsibilities if Scotland wants to frustrate Japan in an upset.

Next up will be Jamaica vs. Italy with the Italians coming off of a surprise victory against contenders (if they can figure out their defense or keep taking advantage of their opponents’ misfortune) Australia. A win likely puts Italy through on six points in the group. For Jamaica, they’ll have a shot in this game if Bunny Shaw can step up on the world’s biggest stage. The team managed 14 chances against Brazil and if the defense can hold Barbara Bonansea at bay, they might make the group very interesting going into the final day.

Then England and Argentina will wrap things up as England are coming off of a solid win against Scotland and will be looking to finalize their trip to the second round. For their part, Argentina is coming off of a resounding 0-0 draw. That might sound a little funny, but for a team that was listed as inactive by FIFA in 2015 and has been completely neglected by its federation, getting a point off of Japan was a huge deal. They’ll ride that momentum into another tough game where the organized defense will be once again a feature for the South Americans. These are two countries that are steeped in history on the soccer field and the chapter they write in the Women’s World Cup in 2019 may just add to that lore.

How To Watch

Match 1

Who: Japan v. Scotland

Where: Roazhon Park, Rennes

Kickoff: 9 a.m. ET

TV: FS1

Streaming: Free Fubo TV trial

Match 2

Who: Jamaica v. Italy

Where: Stade Auguste-Delaune, Reims

Kickoff: 12 p.m. ET

TV: Fox

Streaming: Free Fubo TV trial

Match 3

Who: England v. Argentina

Where: Stade Océane, Le Havre

Kickoff: 3 p.m. ET

TV: Fox

Streaming: Free Fubo TV trial

Related Reading

Group D Preview

Group C Preview

Bunny Shaw is the transformational talent that could lift Jamaica to its first World Cup - An oldie but a goodie about Shaw

How Argentina stole the heart of a Nadeshiko fan

Just in case you’re interested in more of a discussion about how stereotypes are lazy and bad - here’s a story by Zito Madu from 2018 about the Senegal men’s team.