Lagos to Host Two Key Showdowns in Algarve Cup

By Kara McDermott

The last round of group play in this year’s Algarve Cup on March 11 will feature the top two teams of the top two groups sparring with each other for a spot in the final. You couldn’t plan a better way to determine the final round draws and create competitive tension for teams and fans alike.

GROUP A: Germany vs. Norway

Surprisingly, Norway goes into the final match against Germany with a slight advantage in goal differential, which means technically a tie could send them through to the final round. However, playing for a draw against Germany will be dangerous. The second-ranked team in the world is defending the Algarve title this year, and with both teams set to play in the European Championships this July, this tournament takes on particular meaning for preparing players and sending messages.

Group A has been the more competitive group of the tournament. Three out of the four will be at the Euros, and Japan is coming off of a World Cup Championship and Olympic silver medal, making the blowouts of group B less likely. Both Norway and Germany will be looking to finally distinguish themselves in this tournament by putting points on the board and winning a definitive place in the final.

GROUP B: United States vs. Sweden

The US currently has the best record among all the teams of group A and B. They are the only team to win all of their games so far and have done so without conceding a goal (only Denmark has also had two clean sheets after 0-0 draws with Germany and Norway). They play their last group match against Sweden on Monday, in which a tie will send them through to play for the cup.

Despite their comfortable position atop the standings, the US has so far played much weaker opponents in Iceland and China, and struggled to set up dominance early, which had previously been a trademark of this squad.

Against China, they played disorganized for about 15 minutes before starting to gain ground, against Iceland it took an entire first half.

On the other side of the pitch, Sweden has been inconsistent in this tournament. While clearly the dominant team against China, they dropped an early goal against run of play that set them back and was only answered in the second half.

Their scoring issues cleared up in time to play Iceland, whom they steam rolled 6-1. That shut-out stealer came in the 86th minute. Against a stronger team like the US, a full 90 minutes of fitness and focus will be crucial.

Sweden, now under the direction of former UWSNT coach Pia Sundhage,has been playing very aggressively this tournament, and has boasted standout performances by the stalwart Lotta Schelin. Sweden also boasts the two top goalscorers from group A and B in Sara Thunebro and Kosovare Asllani.

Interestingly enough, the US has scored more goals than any other team, and all eight have come from different people, a strong indication of the scoring depth on the squad and the difficulty of defending this offensively-focused team, particularly on set pieces. With coach Tom Sermanni using different line-ups, the team has not found its perfect chemistry yet, which could give Sweden a chance to crack the powerhouse.

Both teams have a similar fluid, attack-minded style punctuated by confident physicality which should lead to a hard-fought and equally-matched game.

Kick-off is at 15:00 local time in beautiful Lagos (10:00 EST,7:00 PST). Germany and Norway will play first at 12:20 local (7:20 EST, 4:20 PST).