Tag: Jamaica

The five biggest surprises of the 2023 Women’s World Cup

Several unheralded teams have over-performed at the tournament in Australia and New Zealand

The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup is down to its final four teams: Spain, England, Australia, and Sweden. It’s been a long, grueling set of games for those squads to get to this point, but all four teams are ranked within the world’s top 10. But what about the squads that entered the tournament as underdogs?

While none of the true tournament underdogs ended up making it all the way to the semifinals, it was still a great World Cup for upsets and surprises. Plenty of teams exceeded expectations, especially when it came to their performances in the group stage of the event.

Let’s take a look at five of the biggest surprise teams of this year’s World Cup.

The five most shocking results of the 2023 World Cup (so far)

The World Cup has already seen its share of stunners as we get ready for the quarterfinals

The knockout stage of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup is officially underway, and the tournament is down to eight teams. It’s been a wild ride to get here thus far, with the two top teams (according to the world rankings) having already been eliminated – Germany in the group stage and the United States in the first round of knockouts.

Needless to say, this World Cup has enjoyed its fair share of shocking results, which always makes for great television. It’s always more fun to root for the underdog (unless you’re a fan of the team that’s expected to win).

So, as there are no games to recap today, let’s take a look at five of the most shocking results of the tournament thus far.

2023 Women’s World Cup Knockout Stage Day 4 Recap: France, Colombia advance

France and Colombia managed to avoid upsets on the final day of last-16 action

The fourth day of knockout stage games at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup was a bit more straightforward than the first three. There were no major upsets, and the teams that were supposed to win did so comfortably.

But before we get into the action, here is your daily reminder that you can follow the entirety of the World Cup right here at Pro Soccer Wire! Make sure to check out the full TV/streaming schedule, a power ranking of all 16 knockout stage teams, and the rankings in this year’s race for the Golden Boot.

Let’s see how the games played out.

World Cup knockout round power rankings: Evaluating all 16 teams

Evaluating the hopes of the 16 teams left at this World Cup

A World Cup group stage full of surprises has resulted in a truly intriguing set of 16 teams going through to the knockout rounds.

Some favorites have looked the part, but the list of big teams that have underachieved is significantly longer (it’s not just the U.S. women’s national team, folks). A couple of second-tier teams have stepped their game up, while some unheralded sides have shown that while no one was watching, they were making major strides.

The result is a round of 16 where it feels like nearly anything could happen. Could the USWNT join the likes of Germany, Brazil, and Canada in being out? What about the possibility of teams like Jamaica, Morocco, and South Africa getting to the quarterfinals?

It’s been completely unpredictable, so all of these things are distinctly possible. Still, Pro Soccer Wire tried to sort out the likelihood of any one team making a run to the final. Somewhere between their results in this tournament, past track record, and overall talent level, we’ve settled on a power rankings list that everyone everywhere will surely have no problems with.

2023 Women’s World Cup Day 14 Recap: South Africa and Jamaica make history

South Africa and Jamaica have reached the knockout stage of the Women’s World Cup for the first time

Day 14 of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup marked the second-to-last day of the group stage, as the final pieces of the puzzle have begun to fall into place.

However, before we get into all the action from Day 14, here is your daily reminder that you can follow the entirety of the World Cup right here at Pro Soccer Wire! You can get the full TV/streaming schedule, an updated list of the group stage standings, and the rankings in this year’s race for the Golden Boot.

Now, let’s see how the games played out on Day 14.

Jamaica’s head coach did a perfect celebratory summersault after his team upset Brazil

The perfect reaction to your team upsetting Brazil and moving on at the World Cup.

Making the round of 16 in the World Cup is a big deal. The Jamaican Women’s National Team experienced that joy for the first time ever on Wednesday with an impressive and unexpected 0-0 draw with global powerhouse Brazil.

Thanks to the tie — and coupled with a tie against France and a win over Panama — the Reggae Girlz are moving on from the group stage. Jamaica’s defense was stalwart, getting crucial stops late to hold onto their spot in the knockout stage.

MORE: Jamaica goalkeeper withstands 94th minute flurry to knockout Brazil in stunning World Cup run

As the final whistle blew, the celebrations from the Jamaican squad started, led by head coach Lorne Donaldson. While it’s not entirely clear if his double summersault was planned, it certainly is perfection.

While Jamaica has never progressed to the round of 16, don’t think for a second that they don’t belong. Draws against two top-8 teams in the world — No. 5 France and No. 8 Brazil — show that the Reggae Girlz are not just a fun story. They’ll try and continue this magical run against the Group F winner (which could be Colombia) on Tuesday, August 8.

Until then, we’ll be rolling in celebration.

Jamaica goalkeeper withstands 94th minute flurry to knockout Brazil in stunning World Cup run

An iconic moment for the Jamaican team as they make history.

Jamaica has stunned the world and is moving on to the knockout stage of the 2023 Women’s World Cup thanks to a 0-0 draw against Brazil in its final game of group play. The Reggae Girlz have impressed through three games, notching ties with No. 5 France — the other team moving on from Group F — and No. 8 Brazil and defeating Panama 1-0.

The tie with long-time football powerhouse Brazil meant Jamaica would earn the second spot in the round of 16, but things got dicey late as Brazil had a flurry of chances in the 94th minute.

MORE: Carli Lloyd rips USWNT for dancing, smiling with fans after World Cup draw against Portugal

In desperate need of a goal with time dwindling, Brazil lined up for a corner kick. The service went right into the center of the box with Brazil getting two excellent chances before Becky Spencer nabbed the ball and pulled it to safety.

The final whistle would sound shortly after, making history for Jamaica as it is the team’s first time in the round of 16.

2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup Day 10 Recap: France sneaks by Brazil

France got a late winner against Brazil in one of the marquee matchups of the group stage

On Day 10 of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, things got interesting. From late winners to dominant blowouts, the three-game slate had it all. The day featured Sweden taking on Italy, France facing off against Brazil, and Panama playing Jamaica.

But before we get into all that, here is your daily reminder that you can get all of your World Cup content right here at Pro Soccer Wire! We have the full TV/streaming schedule, an updated list of the group stage standings, and the rankings in this year’s race for the Golden Boot.

Let’s see how the games played out on Day 10 of the event.

2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup Day 4 Recap: Jamaica earns shocking draw

Jamaica’s surprising draw against mighty France highlighed the fourth day of action

On Day 4 of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, there was plenty to get excited about. From marquee matchups to surprising finishes, there was a lot of intrigue. In the opening match, Sweden took on South Africa. That was followed by Netherlands against Portugal, while France and Jamaica wrapped up the day.

But before we get into the games, here is a quick reminder that you can keep up with the entirety of the World Cup right here at Pro Soccer Wire. Make sure to check out the TV/streaming schedule, an updated list of the group stage standings, and a look at the race for the Golden Boot.

Now, let’s see how Day 4 went down.

USMNT salvages late Gold Cup draw as second-choice side struggles vs. Jamaica

The USMNT really missed its big names vs. the Reggae Boyz

The U.S. men’s national team was hoping to keep the good times rolling in the Gold Cup, but the party rarely lasts in CONCACAF.

With almost no overlap between the squad that won the recent Nations League final with ease and the roster for the Gold Cup, a largely second-choice USMNT struggled through a sloppy Group A opener against Jamaica, saving a 1-1 draw thanks to a late Brandon Vazquez goal.

While the USMNT will take some positives from the performance of its substitutes, the overall showing at Chicago’s Soldier Field made it clear that this tournament won’t be the cakewalk seen in the Nations League.

The USMNT took some exception to Damion Lowe only collecting a yellow card after a knee-high challenge on James Sands. They were probably a bit more upset ten minutes later, as the Philadelphia Union center back’s flying header gave the Reggae Boyz the lead.

A stagnant USMNT was getting nowhere near threatening Andre Blake, and seemed set to receive even more bad news in the 27th minute. Aidan Morris clearly caught Kevon Lambert with a clumsy, flailing kick, gifting Jamaica a penalty kick.

However, Matt Turner would come up big, saving Leon Bailey’s effort from the spot, and the Aston Villa midfielder would inexplicably send the rebound wide of an empty net.

A halftime break to sort out a disjointed performance made no real difference, as the USMNT’s build-up patterns ran into a wall of yellow shirts at midfield time and again.

Finally, with Cade Cowell, Cristian Roldan, and Djordje Mihailovic entering as second-half substitutes, the U.S. started to find ways into the final third. At long last, a lifeless game had some kind of momentum.

However, even when they opened Jamaica’s defense up, it just wasn’t the USMNT’s night. Mihailovic, Cowell, and Jesús Ferreira combined on a 71st minute chance, only for Blake to somehow deny Roldan. The follow-up? Aidan Morris got there, only to blast a shot straight into Roldan’s head.

At long last, with interim coach B.J. Callaghan throwing all of his weapons into the fray, the last gamble paid off. Brandon Vazquez, not long after entering the match as the final U.S. sub, calmly finished from seven yards after Ferreira’s delicate cross was blocked into his path.

Snatching a draw will keep the USMNT in position to win the group, but the overall performance may hurt the case for many individual players in terms of breaking into the full-strength squad.

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