Round 2 is in the books, including some creative WWC scheduling that saw Round A conclude before two Group H teams had played their second match. Apologies for the delay on posting – for future reference, Kiwi Rail does NOT have wifi.
I’m back in Auckland after attending USA-Netherlands and Italy-Sweden in Wellington, and Kiwi Rail did get me back in time to see the second half of the Group A matches at the Fan fest. I was even able to finally find a Ferns jersey for my NZ souvenir! Also, shout out to Italy defender Lisa Boattin, who held the elevator/lift door open for me at the hotel in Wellington – thank you Lisa!
How do we address the absence of star players?
One of the biggest disappointments of the World Cup so far has been Sam Kerr’s calf injury, but she’s not the only star player that hasn’t logged many minutes. Ada Hegerberg missed Norway’s final group match with an injury, preventing her from joining in on the six goal outburst. Marta has played in both of Brazil’s games, but only as a late substitution and has only logged seven fantasy points.
In the meantime, some lesser-known (and lower-cost!) players have stepped up for those teams. Brazilian midfielder Ary Borges ($450k) has logged 41 fantasy points already (helped by a hat-trick in Round 1). Norwegian FW Sophie Roman Haug ($400k) has scored 40, also including a hat-trick. Also, don’t forget about Colombia’s Linda Caicedo ($450k), who has two goals and has already booked a spot in the knockout stages.
What do we do about the USA team?
For any of our ShePlays USA fans, you’re probably already familiar with the controversy regarding the lack of substitutions made in the Round 2 match. The US used the same starting XI from Round 1 vs. Vietnam, and other than replacing Savannah DeMelo (who we did list as the USA’s player to watch in the tournament preview) with Rose Lavelle in the second half, the same XI finished the match. Considering the lack of offensive production from the US so far, it seems that we will probably finally see some significant changes in Round 3.
It seems that the most likely change will be Lynn Williams replacing Trinity Rodman at forward. Williams is expensive ($700k), but should the USA defeat Portugal and advance out of Group E, she could provide massive value in the knockout stages. The other USA player to consider is Lavelle, who appears to be back at full fitness and is heavily involved in set pieces. We have yet to see her play a full 90, but she and DeMelo have been the primary takers of corner and free kicks so far.
How do we take advantage of Sweden’s set pieces?
Speaking of corner kicks, Sweden looked absolutely lethal from the corner against Italy in Round 2. Though the Italians were dominating possession early in the game, Sweden rapidly took control and scored two of their five goals in corner kicks. DF Jonna Andersson takes most of the corners and only costs $450k – she should definitely be in consideration for your team in future rounds. Any of the big-name Swedish goal scorers are good options too (Rolfo, Blackstenius, Jakobsson), and remember that Amanda Ilestedt costs only $400k and scored both set piece goals.
Will England find their footing?
Though England has won both games, the goalscoring has been somewhat suspect. Both matches ended 1-0, and the goal against Haiti was from a penalty kick. However, England has dominated possession in both games, and the FBRef xG calculation for the game against Haiti was 2.6. This suggests that England should start scoring more goals, though it may be difficult for you to justify the high price of most England attackers until we have a better idea of who will score.
In the meantime, don’t forget about England defenders! Their two clean sheets have resulted in solid fantasy performances for the Lionesses’ back line. Of the teams that have played two matches, three of the top 11 defenders are on England: Alex Greenwood, and Millie Bright. All three should have high upside in Round 3, as China has only scored one goal in their first two games. The same goes for GK Mary Earps.
What are your thoughts on Round 2? Comment or tweet @MansersAnswers!