England 2, New Zealand 1

England came from behind to edge a game New Zealand team by a 2-1 margin. It was the first come-from-behind victory of the 2011 World Cup and it put England in control of their own destiny as far as advancing to the quarterfinals. Meanwhile, it erased any possibility of New Zealand making the quarters.

England got the first good chance of the match in the 12th minute. Ellen White stole the ball from Rebecca Smith and dribbled toward the goal, but Abby Erceg was able to block White's shot. A minute later, a 30-yard effort from Fara Williams was saved by Bindon.

But it was New Zealand that would draw first blood in the 18th minute. Ali Riley sent the ball into space deep on the left side and Amber Hearn was the first to track it down. Hearn crossed the ball from the left side, just shy of the end line. Sarah Gregorius was able to work her way between Casey Stoney and Rachel Unitt to somehow get her foot on the ball and put it by English keeper Karen Bardsley. A stunned English team had watched the Ferns take a one nil lead.

New Zealand probably should have been up by two in the 38th minute. A beautiful was sent through to Gregorius, who had a four yard lead on the nearest defender. Unfortunately, she made a bit of a mess of the dribble, allowing Rachel Unitt to catch up to her and defend her just before she could release a good shot.

In the 44th minute, England threatened but Kelly Smith's shot was deflected by a defender and Bindon easily covered on the play.

New Zealand came close again to start the 2nd half. Gregorius crossed the ball from the right side to Hearn whose header went mere inches over the bar and landed on top of the netting. England had to feel quite lucky not to be down by two or three goals at that point.

England starting to gain mementum after the 60th minute. Finally, Alex Scott's cross from the right side was perfect for Jill Scott, who easily skied over the defender and headed the ball into the upper left corner of the net. England had drawn even and New Zealand had to be kicking themselves for the missed opportunities.

England continued to pressure in next few minutes. Another Alex Scott cross led to another Jill Scott header. Ferns' goalkeeper Jenny Bindon made the saved, bobbled the ball a bit, but was able to secure it just ahead of Ellen White who was making a run at the goal. A minute later, a Kelly Smith shot was deflected just wide right of the goal.

New Zealand regained the momentum as the game moved into the final 20 minutes. Ali Riley's cross was just behind Rosie White, who had perhaps gotten in too close to the goal. White couldn't quite get her foot solidly on the ball and another chance slipped away.

England seemed determined to get the winner in the 80th minute, but Bindon made a diving save on Ellen White's shot from 12 yards to keep her team even.

However, in the 81st minute, Rachel Unitt sent a long ball into the box. Bindon came out to attempt to punch the ball away, but didn't get enough to clear it out of trouble. The ball came to Jill Scott, who touched the ball across to second half substitute Jess Clarke and she made no mistake on her finish. For the first time of the day, England held the advantage.

Bindon kept her team close with a fantastic kick save on Fara Williams in the 88th minute. Williams' low shot from 18 yards out appeared to be headed just inside the right post, but Bindon kicked her left leg out just in time to deflect the ball away from the net. England was able to waste away the final minutes and hold on for the victory.

For England, it was a great comeback win when it looked like they were in deep trouble in this match. They now have the inside track on the second position out of Group B and could win it if they are victorious over Japan on Tuesday.

Sadly, New Zealand has been eliminated from any chance of the quarterfinals. They have put forth two solid efforts against very good teams and came away empty. They can somewhat play the role of spoiler against Mexico, who still is in the running for the quarterfinals.

England 1, Mexico 1

England and Mexico battled for 90 minutes to a hard-fought draw in Wolfsburg. The match was well contested throughout, with both sides having several good chances to score, but the match ended in a 1-1 tie.

This is a much improved side we are seeing from Mexico these days and they stayed with the tough English team blow for blow in this match. They nearly went on top in the opening minutes as Maribel Dominguez was given a nice through-ball that put her temporarily behind the English defense, but veteran defender Faye White made a nice recovery and Dominguez was unable to get a shot off.

For England, early on, it was shots from distance that seemed to be the order of the day. Kelly Smith's near miss just past the right post was the first of many that England would try in the first half. Apparently, the English were trying to test 16-year old Mexican keeper Cecilia Santiago early and often.

With no score in the 21st minute, England gained a corner kick on the right side. Karen Carney took the kick with the ball going high to the right side of the box, about 15 yards away. English midfielder Fara Williams was able to get height over the Mexican defender and headed the ball into the upper right corner of the net, while Santiago watched helplessly. England led 1-0.

Santiago appeared unfazed just a few minutes later as she was able to make a diving stop on Williams' attempt from 22 yards and smother it without rebound.

Then, what appeared to be a very innocuous play from Mexico resulted in a goal. The Mexicans gained possession in the midfield and after a couple of passes the ball came to Monica Ocampo, a good 35 yards away from the goal.

Ocampo touched the ball to the center of the field and then ripped a shot that curled under the bar and beyond a very stunned Karen Bardsley to tie the match at one. Bardsley appeared to be deceived by both the pace and spin on the shot and attempted to catch it two-handed instead of punching the ball away. As it turned out, it was just out of her reach and the match went into intermission tied at one.

Although they didn't score, the two great strikers in this match, Kelly Smith and Maribel Dominguez did not disappoint anyone with their play. Dominguez seemed to be perpetually on the run and menacing the English back line. Smith, as usual, controlled the center of the field, distributing well to teammates and taking a shot or two herself when the opportunity presented itself. Dominguez eventual developed a cramp late in the contest and was substituted out, but not before she threw a few scares into the English team.

While England had the better of chances and possession in the first half, Mexico gained confidence after Ocampo's goal. They nearly took the lead in the 49th minute as Dominguez struck her free kick from 22 yards just wide of the left post.

England took their turn just five minutes later as Rachel Yankey's cross to the back post was headed to the middle by Karen Carney, but Eni Aluko's swing at the ball from directly in front of the net produced nothing.

The English might have been a tad lucky in the 60th minute as Rachel Unitt's late challenge on Alina Garciamendez in the penalty area did not result in a call and the English defense were able to clear.

In the closing minutes of the game, both teams were presented with golden chances on free kicks. Smith's attempt from 25 yards went over the bar, while Ocampo's try from similar distance was even closer, just inches over the crossbar.

It appeared that Mexico had plenty of energy in the last few minutes, while England appeared to be worn out. Two minutes into stoppage, Mexico pressured inside England's penalty area, but Stephany Mayor's blast was blocked by Ellen White just yards in front of the goal to avert disaster.

While the result was a tie, the young Mexican squad had to be very happy with their performance and should gain confidence for the road ahead. They were able to strike back within minutes of falling behind in the match and showed more energy and greater possession as the match wore on.

Perhaps, a disappointing result for England, but their task against a very tough Mexican team was not that easy. England next faces New Zealand, a team that tied them in the Peace Cup last fall. Mexico will now face Group B leaders Japan. A victory against the Japanese would put Mexico in very good shape to advance to the quarterfinals.

Group B Preview: England

England (#10)
Region: UEFA
Coach: Hope Powell
How They Qualified: Won UEFA Group Stage, then defeated Switzerland in playoff.
Prior Cups:
2007: Lost in Quarterfinals
2003: DNQ
1999: DNQ
1995: Lost in Quarterfinals
1991: DNQ
Returnees from 2007 WWC: (13) Brown, A. Scott, Stoney, F. White, Williams, Aluko, K. Smith, Yankey, Asante, J. Scott, Chamberlain, Carney, Unitt.

Roster (Average Age: 26.56)

Name	Pos	Club	Age	Caps/Goals
Karen Bardsley	GK	Sky Blue FC	26	13/0
Rachel Brown	GK	Everton	30	73/0
Siobhan Chamberlain	GK	Bristol Academy	27	18/0
Sophie Bradley	DF	Lincoln Ladies	21	5/0
Claire Rafferty	DF	Chelsea	22	4/0
Alex Scott	DF	Boston Breakers	26	77/12
Casey Stoney	DF	Lincoln Ladies	29	74/4
Dunia Susi	DF	Birmingham City	23	13/0
Rachel Unitt	DF	Everton	29	89/7
Faye White	DF	Arsenal	33	99/13
Anite Asante	MF	Sky Blue FC	26	49/1
Laura Bassett	MF	Birmingham City	27	19/0
Stephanie Houghton	MF	Arsenal	23	16/1
Jill Scott	MF	Everton	24	45/6
Fara Williams	MF	Everton	27	92/34
Eniola Aluko	FW	Sky Blue FC	24	55/11
Karen Carney	FW	Birmingham City	23	60/11
Jessica Clarke	FW	Lincoln Ladies	22	25/6
Kelly Smith	FW	Boston Breakers	32	104/43
Ellen White	FW	Arsenal	22	14/5
Rachel Yankey	FW	Arsenal	31	109/14

Recent Matches:

Date	Opponent	Competition	Result
5/17/11	Sweden	Friendly	W 2-0
4/2/11	USA	Friendly	W 2-1
3/9/11	Korea Republic	Cyprus	W 2-0
3/7/11	Canada	Cyprus	L 0-2
3/4/11	Scotland	Cyprus	L 0-2
3/2/11	Italy	Cyprus	W 2-0
10/21/10	New Zealand	Peace Cup	T 0-0
10/19/10	Korea Republic	Peace Cup	T 0-0
9/16/10	Switzerland	UEFA Playoff	W 3-2
9/12/10	Switzerland	UEFA Playoff	W 2-0
8/21/10	Austria	UEFA WC Qualifier	W 4-0
7/29/10	Turkey	UEFA WC Qualifier	W 3-0
6/19/10	Spain	UEFA WC Qualifier	T 2-2
5/20/10	Malta	UEFA WC Qualifier	W 6-0
4/1/10	Spain	UEFA WC Qualifier	W 1-0

Hope Powell’s squad may have the best chance ever for England to advance far into the tournament. They have twice reached the quarterfinals, including 2007, when they were beaten by the US 3-0. They are a very experienced, with 13 players returning from that team.

But which team will show up in Germany, the team that just defeated Sweden and the United States in back-to-back friendlies or the team that played two scoreless ties at the Peace Cup and lost to Canada and Scotland at the Cyprus Cup?

One of the players from the 2007 team, Fara Williams, did not get a chance to play in that quarterfinal match. She received two yellow cards and was forced to sit and watch from the side. Williams is a true organizer for the English team, excellent at possession and pin point on free kicks. She will surely be hungry for this World Cup.

The English have a multitude of scoring options. Kelly Smith, a perennial Player of the Year candidate, is their main target. She just recently passed the 100 cap milestone in her career and has scored 43 goals. She is tough and healthy after suffering through some injuries in 2009 and early 2010.

As for who will be her striking partner, that’s anybody’s guess. Eni Aluko looked to be the odds on favorite after the 2009 Euros in which she played brilliantly. However, she has scored just twice in her last 11 appearances for England. Karen Carney usually plays more of a wing and has been injured for the early part of 2011. Rachel Yankey is the experienced veteran and scored against the US in that recent friendly. Then there are young talents like Ellen White and Jess Clarke to be considered.

An American-based goalkeeper, Karen Bardsley, now appears to be their number one keeper. She has started six of their last seven matches, while Rachel Brown had received the lion’s share of the starts before that.

Perhaps the most suspect part of their lineup might be their back line, where Faye White has also been nursing an injury as of late. The English defense is experienced with Alex Scott, Rachel Unitt, and Casey Stoney. While their defense has been better lately, they did give up 14 goals in six games at their last major competition, the 2009 Euros. Goal differential could be very important in this tournament and their defense had better be more defiant than that.

England did appear to get a favorable draw and should be the odds on favorite to advance and possibly win the group. Japan will likely be their stiffest competition and they did not look sharp in a pair of recent matches against the United States. Mexico is relatively inexperienced team and New Zealand, while improving, should not be a problem for England if they play well. However, it must be said that New Zealand played a well-earned tie against England last fall.

If this team plays well and puts it all together, they could make a run deep into this tournament, perhaps all the way to the finals. This might be their best chance yet to place among the top teams in the world.

Note: Some information in this article was obtained from www.fifa.com and www.thefa.com.