The next stretch of games in the Women’s World Cup will see several favorites to win the tournament look to build some momentum — or, in Canada’s case, find some — and display the dominance for which they’re known.
Canada, which left the field frustrated after playing a scoreless tie with Nigeria in its first game, will look to rebound against Ireland. Japan and Spain, who both cruised in their openers, will look to repeat the feat.
And then on Thursday afternoon in New Zealand (Wednesday night Eastern time), the United States will try to set aside an uneven performance against Vietnam and produce the kind of authoritative victory its fans expect.
Japan vs. Costa Rica
Japan and Spain can lock up places in the knockout round with a repeat of the winning performances they turned in to start the tournament.
Japan’s five goals were the headline from its opening win against Zambia, but beneath that was another promising statistic: Japan did not allow a single shot.
If the Japanese turn in a similarly one-side performance against Costa Rica, which struggled to contain Spain, it may restart conversations about their status as true championship contenders.
To do so, Japan…
