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What is there to make of France? On the surface they seem to just be another team that is capable of winning it all — a lame, but none the less accurate description. Like many of the other top seeds in each group, they were undefeated in group play, and, again, like many of the other top seeds, they weren’t just undefeated, they were unchallenged: averaging over 5 goals a game, and conceding just 3 in 900 minutes of soccer. These are all impressive stats, and France is an impressive team, and it is tempting to simply lump the French into an umbrella, “contender” category, dismissing them as we give them their due. Do not fall for the bait, France is the up-and-coming team of Canada 2015, and they will look to prove it this Summer.
France fields an incredibly experienced team with Camille Abily, Elise Buscaglia, Louisa Necib, Elodie Thomis, Laura Georges, Gaetane Thiney, and Eugenie Le Sommer all having earned 115 caps or more. Gaetane Thiney was the top scorer in all of World Cup qualification, and Louisa Necib was the top assister. Hardly a surprise, given that Necib is routinely considered one of the best attacking midfielders in the world.
These players will look to continue the steady upward curve of French Women’s soccer in the 21st century. After an introduction to the women’s game that can only be described as disappointing — France didn’t qualify for the World Cup, Olympics, or the European Championships until 1997 — the nation is coming off respective 5th, 4th, and 4th place finishes at the European Championships, Olympics, and World Cup. They have cut their teeth, and are ready to take the next step in 2015.
France has given the United States its only loss of the calendar year, and beat #1 ranked Germany for the first time in French history this past fall. They are starting to believe in their ability to do what has never been done before, which is a scary proposition for the rest of the field. France has an absolutely world-class backbone in Thiney, Necib, and the towering center-back pairing of Laura Georges and Wendie Renard. There are few players that can physically put Abby Wambach off of her game, and Georges and Renard are part of that select few; there is not a forward in the world that will enjoy fighting for possession or winning arial duels over them.
France will undoubtedly be challenged by 6th ranked England for the top spot in their Group, F, but outside of England, Mexico (25th) and Colombia (28th) should hardly pose a problem. Whether or not France wins its group or comes in second, it has been gifted one of the easiest routs to the quarterfinals in the entire tournament. Should it win, it will play any of one of Korea (18th), Spain (14th), or Costa Rica (37th). Should it come in second, it will face either the Ivory Coast (67th), Norway (11th), or Thailand (29th). There is just no reason, baring mental collapse, why France should lose to any of those teams
From the quarterfinals on, however, France’s fate is as up in the air as any team. Depending on where it finishes in its group and how the rest of the knockout bracket plays out, fans of France should not be surprised to see their team line up against Germany, Canada, China, or the Netherlands in the quarterfinals. They would only draw Germany with a Group F win and subsequent Round-of-16 win, which means coming in second in Group F could be to France’s advantage.
That being said, even Germany would not enjoy running into the French in the quarterfinals. I fully expect France to be a team on a mission to prove to themselves and the world that they are not done ascending the ranks of soccer’s elite. Good luck to anyone who gets in their way.
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