World Cup loaded with star power
If you can tear your eyes away from the Canadian stars expected to sizzle at this summer’s World Cup — Sinclair! Buchanan! Schmidt! — these international talents are worth a watch: ASISAT OSHOALA Age: 20 Country: Nigeria Position: Forward Club: Liverpool Ladies At only 20 years old, this will be Oshoala’s first senior World Cup. If last year’s U20 tournament is any indication of how the 2014 African Women’s Footballer of the Year will fare in her second World Cup on Canadian soil, defenders beware: Oshoala nabbed both the Golden Ball and the Golden Boot award in Canada last summer.
And she continued her scoring ways as the Super Falcons again dominated the African Women’s Championship, winning all five of their World Cup qualifying matches and scoring 16 goals along the way.
Oshoala netted four of those; the only player to best her tally was strike partner Desire Oparanozie with five. On May 26, Oshoala was named the BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year. MARTA Age: 29 Country: Brazil Position: Forward Club: FC Rosengard The only five-time FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year winner, Marta Vieira da Silva — more commonly
known just as Marta — has been a stalwart on “players to watch” lists for more than a decade, and this year is no exception. Though she missed out on Brazil’s title-winning run at the Copa America due to club commitments, Marta played with the squad at a Four Nations tourney in Brasilia in December, where she scored a hat trick against United States. Still young at only 29 but now consid-ered a veteran, Brazil’s coach Vadao said Marta “is just as important to us as Neymar is to the men’s team.” She will be crucial to the country’s World Cup challenge, a rare trophy she has yet to win.
ABBY WAMBACH
Age: 34 Country: United States Position: Forward Club: Portland Thorns FC American great Wambach may be one of the older players coming into summer’s tournament, but the striker, who has scored more interna-tional goals than any other female soc- cer player in history, remains a threat in front of the net.
You don’t have to look much farther than Wambach’s record in qualifiers — she scored seven times in four appearances throughout the tournament, including a hat trick against Costa Rica in the CONCACAF final — to see it would be foolish to overlook her on age alone.
And with Alex Morgan still coming back from a long-term knee injury, Wambach could be the key to inspiring the squad to best their runner-up spot from Germany 2011.
FARA WILLIAMS
Age: 31 Country: England Position: Midfielder Club: Liverpool Ladies Like Wambach, 31-year-old Williams is a seasoned professional; she’s the most capped player in England’s history regardless of gender.
Though she’s recently made headlines after revealing she was homeless for six years during her career, it’s Williams’ on-field play that will take cen- tre stage come June. Williams, who can be cutting going forward or hold back and protect her defence, is a workhorse at the heart of England’s midfield and is often compared to male counterpart Steven Gerrard. Her leadership could prove vital to England’s plight.
VERONICE BOQUETE
Age: 28 Country: Spain Position: Midfielder Club: FC Bayern Munich As captain of the Spanish squad, Boquete will lead her team by example with her attacking talent and crisp passing style as La Rojas embark on their first World Cup tournament.
Boquete, known as Vero, will be a familiar face to many Canadian and American players, having previously played for the Buffalo Flash, the Chicago Red Stars, the Philadelphia Independence and the Portland Thorns.
Her recent form earned Boquete a place on the shortlist for the 2014 FIFA Women’s Player of the Year, a first for a female Spanish player.