Representing the host nation is 22-year-old Adriana Leon who made her professional debut for Canada under-20’s in 2009 before making her senior debut 2 and a half years ago at the age of 20. The occasion was extra special for her as she grabbed the winner in a 1-0 friendly win over China. However this is just a result of Leon’s hard work and dedication growing up as a teenager that saw her take part in two sports which were hockey and of course football, where she settled for the latter. In 2010 she earned a scholarship to the University of Notre Dame and duly impressed for the University in her debut season in the NCAA championship. During that season she finished as Notre Dame’s second highest scorer in the league. After her successful season there, Leon transferred to the University of Florida where she juggled playing for the University side and her beloved Canada under-20’s. Despite missing a number of games due to international duty she managed to help Florida win the South-eastern Conference in 2012 by contributing a number of match winning goals along the way. Leon made the professional step up by joining the Boston Breakers for the 2013 NWSL (National Women’s Soccer League) season, but was traded halfway through 2013 to Chicago Blue Stars, resulting in her record for Boston finishing (6/1). So far for Chicago Leon has played over 30 times, scoring twice. Leon is highly rated by her country due to her many attributes including her goal scoring and finishing ability, pace and her mobility on and off the ball. Given the fact that she has been allocated the number 19 jersey it seems as though Canada will utilise her skill set from the bench as opposed to starting games, however she is more than capable of holding down a starting 11 place. She heads into the World Cup hoping to add to her 5 goals in 33 caps for her country. Despite Leon being fairly young she doesn’t lack experience having already participated in a number of youth World Cup’s and tournaments and I feel this will set her in good stead to have an excellent tournament and she has the potential to be the home nations hero.
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A figurehead of the team, despite her young age of 20-years-old, having made her senior international debut back in 2011 a month prior to the World Cup in Germany. She then went on to participate at the 2011 World Cup and became the youngest ever player to play at a World Cup at the age of just 16. The attacking player from New South Wales kicked off her professional club career at Central Coast Mariners back in 2009, although she did not make a single appearance for the club before leaving in 2010 due to the club withdrawing from the A-League. Foord then went on to sign for fellow A-League side Sydney where she spent 3 years there playing 35 and scoring 6 goals. After her time at Sydney came to an end Foord made the move to the NWSL in America signing New Jersey team Sky Blue where she failed to find the net, however she was deployed more as a wing back. A loan spell in Sydney followed (5 in 11) before moving back to her home country to sign for Perth Glory last year. Before making the step up to play for the national team’s senior side, Foord started off at under-16 level and was influential in Australia under-17’s winning the AFC championship. In this tournament she scored a hat-trick against Philippines as well as helping Australia remain unbeaten throughout the tournament. Foord then progressed to the under-17 team where she made five appearances, scoring the once. She made her senior debut a month before the 2011 tournament in a 3-0 win over neighbours New Zealand. Her impressive performance got her a place on the team roster where she played 2 of the 3 group games and demonstrated her top attributes including pace and ability to play in a number of positions. During the 2011 World Cup, Foord played at right-back as well as right wing and her form here contributed to her winning the young player of the tournament. Regarding Canada 2015 I feel Foord's versatility will be a massive beneficiary to the Matildas as they look to advance from a tough group containing Sweden and the United States.
The Swedish international who is originally from Kosovar and is of Kosovar-Albanian descent, but moved to Sweden at a young age where she developed a growing passion for sport. She played both football and ice hockey, but it was the path of football that Asllani chose to pursue and it has proved to pay diligence. Asllani made her club debut 10 years ago when she was just 15 for Swedish second division Vimmerby where she established herself as a highly rated prospect by scoring 49 goals in 48 games. This overwhelming form earned her a move to Damallsvenskan (Swedish top division) side Linköping’s in 2007 where she won the Swedish Cup along with the clubs first league title in her yeah and a half with the club. During her first season there Asllani was mainly used as an impact player from the bench, netting 9 goals in the process, before becoming a pivotal figure in the second season. After her spell in Sweden she moved to America to play for NWSL side Chicago Red Stars for one season where she improved her game further, despite only scoring twice. In 2010 Asllani returned to Linköping where she provided a welcome boost for the clubs Champions League campaign. However her second spell with the club proved less successful and subsequently joined Damallsvenskan counterparts Kristianstad in her hometown. Her goal record here made for good reading with a goal every other game (7 in 15). She made her big break in 2012 signing for Feminine Division 1 side Paris Saint-Germain where she helped PSG finish runners-up behind dominant Lyon by contributing 17 goals in 19 games. Asllani’s current goal record reads 37 in 50 games. Her success at club level played a massive role in her integration into the national setup. Asllani has drawn a comparison by some plaudits to her men’s counterpart Zlatan Ibrahimović due to their similar technique and pace. She made her senior debut in 2008 and earned her place at the Euro’s in 2009. However Asllani is still yet to play at a World Cup having failed to make the squad for Germany in 2011 to the surprise of many. So taking this into account, Asllani will be sure to make up for lost time and add to her 21 goals she currently has. If Sweden are to have a successful World Cup expect Asllani to be a major factor in that.
The Colombian international has had an interesting career so far despite her young age. Rincon, 21-year-old is highly rated in her own country having risen through national ranks from a very young age. She started playing football at the age of 6, before making the step up at the age of 12 to play in the local league with side Tolima where she managed to win a league title with them. However it was two years later at the age of 14 where her career really took off after making her professional debut in 2006 for Bogota. Her form for the club in the capital saw her receive a call up to the national side at the age of 17 which resulted in her receiving offers from Palmeiras in Brazil and offers from Greece and the United States too. At 18 Rincon did sign for a Brazilian club based in the state of Sao Paulo before signing for Swedish side Malmo in 2013 where playing time was limited which led to her being released after one year. She then went on to have a spell in America and had experience with Western New York at their training camp before returning to Europe with successful Italian side Torres. So far in Rincon’s international career she has gained 45 caps scoring 9 goals which isn’t too bad going from a midfielder, albeit a creative one. As taking into account the majority of the squad won’t be up to Rincon’s standards thus making certain statistics seem less favourable. Nevertheless a quality talent who has similarities with her number 10 male counterpart James Rodriguez, and if she has a successful tournament her dream move to play in the NWSL (National Women’s Soccer League) in America may be back on.
Crnogorcevic has played a crucial part in the Swiss qualifying for their first ever World Cup. The 24-year-old has seen her stock grow over recent years and has been part of what some could refer to as the ‘golden girls’ in Swiss football alongside Lara Dickenmann and Ramona Bachmann. Her career to date has seen her play in her home country before various spells in Germany, working her way up the ladder to one of the best sides in Europe, if not the women’s game. She started her career at her home town team, Steffisburg before moving Rot-Schwarz Thun where she won the Swiss Cup. Her career took off when she moved to FC Thun where she thoroughly impressed, finishing the 2009 season as the national championships (Nationaliga A) top scorer with 24 goals. This earned her a move to Germany with Northern side Hamburg and her form there after just one season led FFC Frankfurt to sign her in 2011 where she remains today. Regarding her international career, Crnogorcevic burst onto the scene at under-19 level where she scored an impressive 25 goals in 29 games, including ones that helped the side reach the 2009 UEFA championship. Later that year she made her debut for the senior side where she has fully established herself by scoring 35 goals in 69 appearances. For this upcoming World Cup Crnogorcevic has the chance to show her huge potential in a group which the Swiss have a reasonable chance of finishing top, playing group favourites Japan, Ecuador and Cameroon. Her opponents throughout the tournament will have to be wary of her pace to get in behind defenders as well as her ability to score goals with her head.
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