Tag Archives: FIFA

EA nods at the women’s game

July 21, 2015 Jason Kurylo

For the first time, women will be given some serious play in the world of sports gaming. In the wake of record viewing numbers for the FIFA Women’s World Cup, Christine Sinclair and Alex Morgan will grace the Canadian and American covers of EA’s flagship soccer title FIFA 16 alongside some guy named Lionel Messi. Not bad company to be in, even if they do call him La Pulga, which is Spanish talk for the Flea.

ICYMI: Sinclair to share @EASportsFIFA #FIFA16 cover with Lionel Messi in Canada http://t.co/34byt5jqsx #canWNT pic.twitter.com/0q2nFOkcYb

— Canada Soccer (@CanadaSoccerEN) July 21, 2015

This marks the first time that women have been included in the artwork of an Electronic Arts sports title. What’s more, the game will also include the opportunity for gamers to play as women — 12 different women’s national teams appear in the gameplay options, allowing customised FIFA Women’s World Cup scenarios.

Christine Sinclair and Alex Morgan appear on the cover of EA's new soccer title, which bodes well for the 2015 Young Player Award recipient Kadeisha Buchanan. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head. — Christine Sinclair and Alex Morgan appear on the cover of EA’s new soccer title, which bodes well for the future of 2015 Young Player Award recipient Kadeisha Buchanan. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.

Sinclair has been the face of Canadian soccer for more than a decade. As the most decorated player of any gender in the country’s history, she’s a no-brainer to receive this honour. It’s only a matter of time, however, before up-and-coming players like impressive defender Kadeisha Buchanan take her place. Buchanan was flat out the best Canuck in the tournament, even if you include Canadian-born U.S. roster player Sydney “They’re Saying LeBoo” Leroux in the mix.

On that American side, Morgan is a good player, but make no mistake: she’s an aesthetic choice. Alex Morgan is as likely to sell to young males as females — she’s probably more popular among the swimsuit model folks as she is among soccer aficionados.

Sydney Leroux and Ngozi Ebere chase a ball during the women's world cup. — Sydney Leroux was born in Surrey, BC, but plays the beautiful game for the dirty rotten stinkin’ US. Here she is chasing down a forward ball against Nigeria in the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.

Then again, Christine Sinclair’s American counterpart Abby Wambach will almost certainly retire now that she has finally won a World Cup title. Keeper Hope Solo, thrust front and centre in the championship photos while ol’ Abby stood back to enjoy the view, is mired in a domestic abuse case that advertisers don’t want to touch. And so, as easy as it is to pooh-pooh EA’s choice of the comely visage of Alex Morgan, who else should be on the cover? Carli Lloyd turned in a performance for the ages in the final game against Japan, but frankly not enough people in the public at large know who she is.

Alex Morgan keeps tabs on a Japanese throw in during the final of the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head. — Alex Morgan keeps tabs on a Japanese throw in during the final of the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.

Not surprisingly, U.S. media are by and large reporting only Morgan’s appearance on the brand. Ignoring Sinclair is nothing new for the Yanks, however — even when she scored a hat trick against them at the Olympics, they only had eyes for the Scandinavian referee and her mysterious pro-U.S. whistle.

In a move that was long overdue, #EASports has finally put a female player on the cover of #FIFA16. http://t.co/LCRTRZSZIk

— WJZ | CBS Baltimore (@cbsbaltimore) July 21, 2015

If this Twitter user has his way, however, future editions of games north of 49 will be even heavier on the CanCon.

Why are Canadian FIFA 16 players stuck with a second-rate athlete on the cover? I fix. pic.twitter.com/BGbJEvpAzc

— Benjamin Massey (@Lord_Bob) July 20, 2015

Elsewhere, the game will still allow players to select female teams, but the cover will be a boys’ club. In England, for example, Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson appears next to Messi. [Editor’s Note: We’ve just been made aware that another EA FIFA 16 cover will also include a woman: Steph Catley of the Matildas will join Lionel Messi on the Aussie cover.]

All snark aside, this is a huge leap forward for the women’s game. The 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup shattered viewing numbers, both at the turnstyles in Canada and on TVs around the world. The semis between the States and Germany drew more eyes than the NBA finals, and the atmosphere in BC Place for the seven games I attended was phenomenal.

Now, stepping outside the electronic game for a minute, where the hell are the Lady Whitecaps? Surely they would draw as many or more fans than the Whitecaps II are getting at Thunderbird Stadium?

Articles, Podcast, Soccer

Episode 071: The dirty rotten stinkin’ Americans totally deserved to win the Women’s World Cup

July 20, 2015 Jason Kurylo 1 Comment

Russell and Jason discuss the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup, warts and all. The States didn’t show up until it mattered, when they put beatdowns upon the Germans and Japanese. Do we have to like Wambach, Solo and Leroux? No. Do we have to live with the fact that they’re the class of the joint when it comes to women’s soccer? Sigh.

The United States won their third Women's World Cup title with a 5-2 thrashing of the defending champion Japanese at the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head. — The United States won their third Women’s World Cup title with a 5-2 thrashing of the defending champion Japanese at the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.

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Articles, Soccer

Putting your favourite sports team’s troubles in perspective.

July 7, 2015 Chris Withers 2 Comments

Because we all need, from time to time, to feel like hey, at least we aren’t that guy, Pucked in the Head is pleased to bring you some news from the Oceania region.

The Federated States of Micronesia recently decided, for the first time in their history, to try and qualify for the Olympics in the sport of men’s football. For those unfamiliar with the tiny island nation, it’s, well, tiny. My garden shed is bigger than this country, as the Voyageurs’ chant goes, and I live in an apartment. The country has a total land area smaller than Metro Vancouver and a population base in the neighbourhood of Maple Ridge. The players had in most cases never left their own island prior to the tournament, and in some cases had never played 11-a-side football before. You might expect this qualification attempt to go poorly. You might be correct.

Micronesia, not a member of FIFA, was put into a group with Tahiti (182nd), Fiji (195th) and Vanuatu (200th) at the Pacific Games, an Olympic qualifying tournament. They lost to those teams 0-30, 0-38 and 0-46 respectively. That’s what happens when you use goal differential as a tie breaker. Here are some highlights, if you can bear to watch.

Articles, Soccer

US women capture third World Cup title

July 5, 2015 Jason Kurylo 1 Comment

Love ’em or hate ’em, you can’t deny the fact that the American women have dominated women’s soccer for more than 20 years. Their last meaningful loss came at the 2011 Women’s World Cup in Germany, when Japan shocked them with late tying goals in both regulation and extra time, then ultimately won on penalties.

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The 2015 team started this tournament in lacklustre fashion, but turned it on in the semis and final game. They struck four times in the first 16 minutes in Vancouver, embarrassing the Japanese defense with intense play and raw will in the box. The fourth goal, which capped a hat trick for midfielder Carli Lloyd, was a cheeky chip shot from centre field, as keeper Ayumi Kaihori was caught well off her line shouting directions at her team when they turned over the ball.

It was an odd performance by the Japanese, who looked uncharacteristically rattled by the raucous US-dominated crowd.

More later, notably when Russell and I chat the Women’s World Cup this upcoming Wednesday on the radio show. Check out CIVL Radio, or the podcast later in the week for that riveting discussion!

Soccer

Comma’n You Girls!

June 25, 2015 Russell Arbuthnot

Not too long ago, an article appeared on the beloved Pucked in the Head spotlighting a rather odd request made by the Seattle Sounders. Jason, being the man that he is, took it upon himself to broadcast the faux pas to the masses, not because he wanted to embarrass the Sounders and their supporters, but because it was the right thing to do.

EatsShootsLeaves441x640 — Must have been served meatloaf.

Surely this was merely an oversight on the Sounders’ marketing and design teams’ parts, and really, who can blame them? Most of us here in North America speak English and Seattle happens to be located approximately 2469.6 miles from the birthplace of the language. That’s a lot of space in which to lose a comma or two during transport. It happens.

But there’s no excuse for the fabricators of this little gem:

06c5c4c739ec54692c529ddd464fdba7 — PUNCTUATION OPTIONAL!

With England set to take on our beloved Canadians in the quarter-finals at the Women’s World Cup, the cast of the “Bend it like Beckham” musical decided to counsel us to “Come on [their] girls.” My favourite part of the whole thing is the exclamation point, suggesting their message isn’t merely a prompting, but rather a full-fledged directive with authority.

They probably would have been better off sending their well wishes via show tune and skipping the whole “writing” thing altogether.

Articles, Soccer

Canada into the quarters

June 22, 2015 Jason Kurylo

Most everyone in the media were calling for the Swiss to upset the Canadian national soccer team at the Women’s World Cup. Kudos, then, to the ladies in red, who gutted out a 1-0 win against two of the most dangerous individual threats in the game.

More to come, but here’s a taste:

Josée Belanger of Canada and Caroline Abbé of Switzerland. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head. — Josée Belanger heads the ball past Caroline Abbé in FIFA Women’s World Cup action. Canada advanced to the quarter finals with a 1-0 victory over Switzerland. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.

Articles, Soccer

So which team are you cheering for again?

June 18, 2015 Jason Kurylo

The Americans brought 50,000 of their closest friends to help defeat Nigeria 1-0 at the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup. — The Americans brought 50,000 of their closest friends to help defeat Nigeria 1-0 at the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.

Fox Sports is reporting that the game between the United States and Nigeria this week garnered the largest viewing audience of any Women’s World Cup Group Stage match in history, and the third largest of all time. Only the finals in 1999 and 2011 have drawn bigger American television audiences.

The game itself was less than stunning, a statement with which my Pucked in the Head compadre Chris Withers will be happy to concur. With a berth in the knockout rounds almost guaranteed, the US played a conservative, defensive game. They were more content to limit Nigeria’s forward movement than to create any of their own. Consequently, keeper Hope Solo had little to do but wave at her adoring fans and glare at the officials.

Continue reading So which team are you cheering for again? →

Articles, Soccer

The Missing Villains of the Women’s World Cup

June 18, 2015 Chris Withers 1 Comment

The Globe and Mail’s Cathal Kelly has been making a lot of friends lately.

The sports columnist for the national rag has raised the hackles of more than a few with his coverage of the Women’s World Cup. He began on June 4th, with a mildly amusing and utterly harmless hit piece on the city of Edmonton in which he suggested that Toronto would have been a more appropriate host with the eyes of the world watching the opening ceremonies. He was half right. Edmonton wasn’t the best choice. Yesterday, Kelly continued to aggravate women’s soccer fans when he panned the entire tournament to date as boring and dreary. Once again, he wasn’t wrong.

The Americans brought 50,000 of their closest friends to help defeat Nigeria 1-0 at the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup; they didn't seem to think it was boring or dreary. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head. — The Americans brought 50,000 of their closest friends to help defeat Nigeria 1-0 at the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup; they didn’t seem to think it was boring or dreary. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.

Continue reading The Missing Villains of the Women’s World Cup →

Articles, Soccer

The Women’s World Cup is underway

June 11, 2015 Jason Kurylo 1 Comment

Defender Ingrid Rodriguez has some choice words for the refereeing during Ecuador's 6-nil loss to Cameroon. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head. — Defender Ingrid Rodriguez has some choice words for the refereeing during Ecuador’s 6-nil loss to Cameroon. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.

On the eve of Vancouver’s second double header of the tournament, we revisit the first. Cameroon spanked Ecuador 6-nil despite the teams sitting just five spots apart in the FIFA world rankings. I suppose that’s what you get when an African country plays far fewer meaningful international friendlies in the months leading up to the Women’s World Cup — Cameroon is far better than its 53rd place ranking would suggest. Check 33rd ranked Nigeria shocking the fifth ranked Swedes with a hard fought 3-3 draw in their first game.

BC Place looks good in red. Here’s the #SWI training session before tomorrow’s #FIFAwwc match vs #JAP. http://t.co/ZVdULiGZYl

— Jason Kurylo (@PuckedInTheHead) June 8, 2015

The clear choice for Woman of the Match was Gaelle Enganamouit, who galloped into the box with abandon, scoring from the run of play and the penalty spot with equal ease. She put the ball into the back of the net three times, in fact, in 90 minutes equalling the entire offensive output of Group A’s four teams over the course of four games.

Gaelle Enganamouit of Cameroon was the class of opening day, scoring thrice to lead her team to a 6-nil victory. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.

In the second match of the day, Switzerland did everything but score on the defending champion Japanese. Most impressive were their lauded stars, numbers 10 and 11, Ramona Bachmann and Lara Dickenmann. Bachmann made one run in particular that left four Japanese defenders and their behemoth goaltender flailing on the turf — more than one observer compared the play to something Lionel Messi might put together. If she hadn’t slipped on the end line, she would no doubt have danced the ball into the net for the goal of the tournament.

Romana Bachmann did her best to give Switzerland the glory, but Japan won 1-nil in their first group match at the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head. — Romana Bachmann did her best to give Switzerland the glory, but Japan won 1-nil in their first group match at the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.

While Canada has struggled to score in Group A, they’ve also managed consecutive clean sheets against China and New Zealand to remain atop their group standings. Thankfully, the Germans, Cameroonians, Norwegians and Nigerians, to name a few squads, have put some impressive highlight reels together.

Brazil, despite only having two goals to their credit, now have on their roster the Women’s World Cup all-time leading goal scorer in Marta. She scored her 15th FIFA WWC tally in their 2-nil win over Korea Republic, to give her sole possession of the title over German superstar Birgit Prinz. Abby Wambach of the United States is two behind with 13, while Canadian Christine Sinclair scored her eighth World Cup goal in Monday’s tournament opener.

Why can't we be friends? These fans enjoyed the opening game despite having rather different affiliations. Japan beat the Swiss 1-nil in their first group match at the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head. — Why can’t we be friends? These fans enjoyed the opening game despite having rather different affiliations. Japan beat the Swiss 1-nil in their first group match at the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.

Articles, Soccer

Meet your Team Canada — 2015 Women’s World Cup

June 4, 2015 Jason Kurylo

The 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup is set to get underway in a few days’ time. For those new to the game, as they say, you can’t tell the players without a program — so here’s the Team Canada roster, including social media info for your tweeting pleasure.

Team Canada, the host team of the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup. Photo courtesy of Soccer Canada. — Team Canada, the host team of the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Photo courtesy of Soccer Canada.

#	Pos	Name	Age	Twitter	Recent photo
9	F	Josée Bélanger	29	@joseebelanger9	Team Canada forward Josée Bélanger moves the ball upfield during an international friendly. Photo courtesy of Soccer Canada.
3	D	Kadeisha Buchanan	19	@keishaballa	Kadeisha Buchanan communicates with her teammates during international friendly action. Photo courtesy of Soccer Canada.
15	D	Allysha Chapman	26	@allyshachapman	Team Canada defender Allysha Chapman during international friendly action. Photo courtesy of Soccer Canada.
16	F	Jonelle Filigno	24	@JFiligno	Forward Jonelle Filigno in her official Team Canada portrait. Photo courtesy of Soccer Canada.
17	M	Jessie Fleming	17	@_jessiefleming	Team Canada midfielder Jessie Fleming during international friendly action against England earlier in 2015. Photo courtesy of Soccer Canada.
5	D	Robyn Gayle	29	@RobynGayle5	Team Canada defender Robyn Gayle moves the ball upfield during international friendly action against Sweden. Photo courtesy of Soccer Canada.
18	M	Selenia Iacchelli	28	@syacc	Team Canada midfielder Selenia Iacchelli takes stock of the situation during training for the 2015 Women's World Cup. Photo courtesy of Soccer Canada.
6	M	Kaylyn Kyle	26	@KaylynKyle	Team Canada midfielder Kaylyn Kyle in international friendly action against England in May 2015. Photo courtesy of Soccer Canada.
21	GK	Stephanie Labbé	28	@stephlabbe1	Keeper Stephanie Labbé leaps for a ball during Team Canada training in Germany. Photo courtesy of Soccer Canada.
22	M	Ashley Lawrence	19	@A_Lawrence99	Team Canada midfielder Ashley Lawrence lays her right foot into the ball during an international friendly against England. Photo courtesy of Soccer Canada.
23	GK	Karina LeBlanc	35	@karinaleblanc	Keeper Karina Leblanc blocks a shot during Team Canada training. Photo courtesy of Soccer Canada.
19	F	Adriana Leon	22	@LeonAdriana9	Team Canada forward Adriana Leon pushes upfield during international friendly action. Photo courtesy of Soccer Canada.
8	M	Diana Matheson	31	@dmatheson8	Team Canada midfielder Diana Matheson scoots along the flank during international friendly action against Germany. Photo courtesy of Soccer Canada.
1	GK	Erin McLeod	32	@erinmcleod18	Keeper Erin McLeod in her official Team Canada portrait. Photo courtesy of Soccer Canada.
4	D	Carmelina Moscato	31	@cmoscato4	Team Canada defender Carmelina Moscato looks to clear a ball during an international friendly against the USA. Photo courtesy of Soccer Canada.
20	D	Marie-Eve Nault	33	@menault20	Team Canada defender Marie-Eve Nault pushes the ball upfield during international friendly action against Italy. Photo courtesy of Soccer Canada.
13	M	Sophie Schmidt	26	@sophieschmidt13	Team Canada midfielder Sophie Schmidt crosses the ball during international friendly action against the Republic of Ireland. Photo courtesy of Soccer Canada.
11	M	Desiree Scott	27	@MsDScott11	Team Canada midfielder Desiree Scott steals the ball during international friendly action against the USA. Photo courtesy of Soccer Canada.
10	D	Lauren Sesselmann	31	@lsesselmann	Team Canada defender Lauren Sesselmann keeps position during an international friendly against France. Photo courtesy of Soccer Canada.
12	F	Christine Sinclair	31	@sincy12	Team Canada striker Christine Sinclair closes in on yet another scoring opportunity during an international friendly against South Korea. Photo courtesy of Soccer Canada.
14	F	Melissa Tancredi	33	@MelTancredi14	Canadian forward Melissa Tancredi chests down a forward ball during an international friendly against Japan. Photo courtesy of Soccer Canada.
7	D	Rhian Wilkinson	33	@rhirhi8	Team Canada defender Rhian Wilkinson directs traffic prior to a throw-in during an international friendly. Photo courtesy of Soccer Canada.
2	D	Emily Zurrer	27	@emme_z	Team Canada defender Emily Zurrer tracks down a ball during an international friendly against Germany. Photo courtesy of Soccer Canada.

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