Just watched Canada v Sweden. Average compared France who are playing now and bloody mean. Up there with brazil. Colombia a bit minging though
Go to vipbox.tv. HT NZL 1 - 0 CMR
LOL, Cameroon try to start the second half with 12 players. :D
Ramming liberal dribble down your throat since 2009
This forum needs less angst and more Kate Bush threads
NZL 2 - 0 CMR. Hilarious OG from Cameroon. The CMR keeper was great in the first half but she really had a rush of blood to the head there.
Why are the CMR ladies so much shorter than us? Don't they feed the womenfolk in Cameroon?
Ramming liberal dribble down your throat since 2009
This forum needs less angst and more Kate Bush threads
That OG was a minty's moment alright
Cameroon are pretty nasty. There's been a lot of late challenges and flailing arms out there
People like Coldplay and voted for the Nazis. You can't trust people.
Tony Readings looks pretty styly in his suit jacket and designer shirt. "Yep... I'm here in charge of 18 very fit and toned young women. Ain't no big thing."
NZ 3 - 0 CAM. Screaming header from Gregorious who looked half-crocked a few minutes ago!
Ramming liberal dribble down your throat since 2009
This forum needs less angst and more Kate Bush threads
18 very fit, toned and attractive young women playing very good football..
"Who ate all the pies"
2 games away from a medal! 
People like Coldplay and voted for the Nazis. You can't trust people.
Well three really but yeah, close.
People like Coldplay and voted for the Nazis. You can't trust people.
I only just got home in time to see Gregorius' goal. Good result again after some narrow losses. Time to dump the USA out of the Olympics now and we're good for gold 
Dino11 Prime will be most likely showing delayed coverage but it's usually during work hours for late games.
Well three really but yeah, close.
OK you got me.
Great stuff, the haka was a nice touch too.
You'll never beat The Salmon!
Well three really but yeah, close.
Is there a 3/4 playoff or do they just give both teams a bronze?
Ramming liberal dribble down your throat since 2009
This forum needs less angst and more Kate Bush threads
Yep, there is a 3/4 playoff for the bronze.
Mission achieved for the Football Ferns by getting to the quarters, USA should be much too strong for us. But one can always hope.
I rate our chances el. We were good value in our two losses and now that we have found the back of the net who knows. I'll be there no matter what anyway (already in Newcastle for the men).
Supporter world's best and worst football teams: Waikato/WaiBop, Kingz, Knights, Phoenix, The Argyle, The Whites & the All Whites
Hmm, I think USA is a big step-up from what we've done so far. Beating Cameroon was a must as they're probably the weakest team at the tournament (along with Colombia probably), and neither Great Britain nor Brazil are looking like top medal contenders.
I mean, upsets are always possible, but think the USA would be justified in feeling they're very heavy favourites to win this one.
Gonna make it toon for the quarters. Ain't seen USA here yet but they beat France who were class
Founder
Yeah, they scored two goals in injury time to beat us 2-1 in a friendly.
Congrats to Football Ferns. We really can compete with the US . Will be glued to the screen. 9.30 pm Malaysia time ,Friday August 3 .... Kia Kaha ladies !!
FOOTBALL FERNS V USA OLYMPIC WOMEN'S QUARTERFINAL
From US media interview with US coach Sundhage yesterday: 'She wants her players to take the term "knockout" more literally. "This is when we knock them out," said Sundhage, pounding her first into her palm. "Still finding the rhythm and keep your playing style, and don't let too much up.'
Mmmmm....
The match kicks off at 1.30am Saturday morning (NZT) and is live on Sky Sport 1.
Women’s Olympic Football Tournament
Quarterfinal
New Zealand v USA
St James’ Park, Newcastle
2.30pm August 3 (1.30am, August 4 NZT)
Live on Sky Sport 1
New Zealand: (from) 1-Jenny BINDON (GK), 2-Ria PERCIVAL, 3-Anna GREEN, 4-Katie HOYLE, 5-Abby ERCEG, 6-Rebecca SMITH (captain), 7-Ali RILEY, 8-Hayley MOORWOOD, 9-Amber HEARN, 10-Sarah GREGORIUS, 11-Kirsty YALLOP, 12-Betsy HASSETT, 13-Rosie WHITE, 14-Kristy HILL, 15-Rebekah STOTT, 16-Annalie LONGO, 17-Hannah WILKINSON, 18-Rebecca ROLLS (GK).
Coach: Tony READINGS
USA: (from) 1-Hope SOLO (GK), 2-Heather MITTS, 3-Christie RAMPONE, 4-Becky SAUERBRUNN, 5-Kelley O’HARA, 6-Amy LE PEILBET, 7-Shannon BOXX, 8-Amy RODRIGUEZ, 9-Heather O’REILLY, 10-Carli LLOYD, 11-Sydney LEROUX, 12-Lauren CHENEY, 13-Alex MORGAN, 14-Abby WAMBACH, 15-Megan RAPINOE, 16-Rachel BUEHLER, 17-Tobin HEATH, 18-Nicole BARNHART (GK).
Coach: Pia SUNDHAGE
http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/olympics/football/7404449/Football-Ferns-believe-they-can-upset-USA
The 23rd-ranked Football Ferns head into tomorrow morning's quarterfinal against the world No 1 at St James' Park in Newcastle as underdogs, but spurring them on are the results of two friendly matches in Texas in February.
The Ferns led the US 1-0 until the 89th minute, but they lost 2-1, courtesy of two late goals from star striker Alex Morgan.
The two teams then played a closed-door match. Both coaches agreed the details of the second match would not go public, but Fairfax Media was told at the time the result was 0-0.
Much water has gone under the bridge since then and the US, last year's losing World Cup finalists, certainly have better form here at the Olympics.
They were unbeaten in group play, beating France 4-2, Colombia 3-0 and North Korea 1-0, while New Zealand were disappointing in a 1-0 loss to Britain, but bounced back with a gutsy 1-0 loss to Brazil and a 3-1 victory over Cameroon.
“We think we've taken a step up every game and we'll need to do that in the quarterfinal,” Ferns coach Tony Readings said.
“Normally, the team that wins it is not necessarily the team that starts with a bang, they are the ones who grow slowly through the tournament.”
Sweden play France, Brazil face Japan and the hosts play Canada, coached by former Ferns mentor John Herdman, in the other quarterfinals. Should New Zealand cause a boilover, they'll face either Britain or Canada.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Hard to predict how it wil turn out - I watched the USA-France first group game and France went to a 2-0 lead early on with the US defence a little frail. However, the awesome US offensive firepower soon told and they ended up winning 4-2.
Ferns are more capable in defence than attack so could restrict the US, but lack the firepower to overcome the US probably...
From the Guardian on US team: " The US women like the Olympics. Since soccer was added to the line up in 1996 they've won 3 of the 4 tournaments - the only blemish being their losing out to Norway in the 2000 final. Not a bad record then...
If there's been a knock against them recently it's been an over-reliance on the combative center forward Wambach - though there's always a case for building a team round a weapon that's that effective. With some of the better technical sides finding ways to close down her supply lines from out wide though, the emergence of 23 year old Alex Morgan onto the scene has come just at the right time. Close down the US and she blows right past defenders, at speed, to score from acute angles. Back off them and those supply lines to Wambach open right up again - as the strikers' two goals apiece against Japan demonstrated amply.
Their defense can be a little more suspect, and the loss of Ali Krieger doesn't help. Nor too, perhaps does the demise of the women's professional league in the US. But as coach Pia Sundhage has pointed out, it's made it easier for the national team to get practice time together - and as Japan can ruefully testify, they're hitting form at just the right time."
Note: Abby Wombach: 140 goals for the USA (closing in on retired Mia Hamm's 158)
Big Pete 65, Christchurch
Our keeper has a big problem knowing when to come off the line and she is ultra slow at it when she decides to.
hopefully we got a better goalie for the future. i am pleased with the rest of the team.
If we build it, they will come...
Getting dominated as expected but dodgy US finishing has kept us in it.
Ok. i take it back. great commitment Bindon.
If we build it, they will come...
The ref is crap...although making crap decisions for both teams
That penalty is about as crap as it gets though.
Allegedly
Was at the game and thought the ferns competed very well. Didn't conjure much up top unfortunately. The don't play with any width so needed one of the through balls to come off. Though bindon needed to close down that second
Founder
Very unlucky. If that deadset penalty was given it would likely have been 1-1 with 5 to go, we wouldn't have necessarily been caught pushing and conceded the second, and from there anything could have happened.