The 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup draw takes place Saturday in Ottawa and from that point on, Canada will know exactly what they’re up against when they host the globe’s top nations. Watch the drama unfold in the 2015 FIFA Womens World Cup Draw LIVE NOW on TSN1, TSN3 and TSN4. Canada will undoubtedly be watching the draw closely, since it was largely a stroke of luck – bad luck – that helped derail their 2011 World Cup aspirations. Heading into the 2011 draw as CONCACAF champions, the Canadians found themselves in the second seeding pot for the draw and wound up in one of the toughest groups in the tournament. The Canadians were handed the two-time defending champions from Germany, the top African qualifiers from Nigeria and a French team that went on to finish fourth at the tournament. Of course, scoring just one goal in three group stage matches was the true death knell for Canada, but the stiff competition did the team no favours. So, what does Saturday’s draw have to offer the Canadian women in terms of hope? Well, a lot, it turns out. The first helping hand comes from an expanded field. The tournament has expanded from 16 to 24 total teams for the 2015 World Cup, with 16 of those advancing to the knockout stage. The top two teams in each group will automatically qualify for the knockouts as will, the top four third-place teams. In simple mathematical terms, the odds of advancing just improved from 50/50 to a two-in-three chance. The other bounce the Canadians will be getting is that they automatically fall into the top seeding group as tournament hosts, meaning they are guaranteed to be free of the top five teams in the world during the group stage. This advantage can not be stressed enough, since two of those five teams wound up in their group last time around. The other five nations emerging as top seeds include: Japan, the United States, Germany, Brazil and France. In order, that’s: the reigning Champions, the reigning Olympic gold medalists, a two-time World Cup champion, a team that has won all but one South American title ever handed out, and the fourth-ranked team in the world. With a two-in-three chance of advancement, the likelihood of a true Group of Death at this tournament is diminished. That said, there is no shortage of scenarios that could make a team’s opening round uncomfortable and – by proxy – make their potential road through the knockout stage a nightmare. The first land mine for any tough group draw will likely come from the European pot: Pot 4. Teams in that group include: Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, England, Norway and the Netherlands. For those unaccustomed to the recent history of women’s soccer, that’s a group that includes: a Norwegian team that has made at least the semifinals in four of five previous World Cups including winning the 1995 title, a Swedish team that has made two of the last three semifinals and an England team that went unbeaten in European qualifying and outscored their opponents 52-1. Pot 3, which houses the remaining Asian and African qualifiers, also has its share of tough draws. Its six teams are: Australia, China, Korea Republic, Thailand, Colombia and Ecuador. The strength of the Asian qualifying tournament displays just how tough three of these teams are. Keep in mind that Japan enters this tournament as defending champions and Olympic silver medalists. Australia tied Japan in Asian qualifying, and China and Korea drew on the other side of the tournament. Japan needed extra-time to get by China in the tournament semis and beat Australia by a 1-0 margin in the Asian Cup Final. Three of these teams can hang in there with the champs and could make life very difficult for one of the top seeds. The least threatening pot is likely Pot 2, which houses the African and Oceanic qualifiers as well as the remaining CONCACAF teams: Nigeria, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Costa Rica, Mexico and New Zealand. That said, it’s a group that still includes a Continental Champion in Nigeria and a New Zealand team that comes in just outside the top 16 teams at the tournament according to the latest FIFA rankings. But what does all this mean for Canada and the top contenders? The possibilities for Canada are vast, since the only guarantees they have are that they will not be drawn with Mexico or Costa Rica out of Pot 2. Since the rules dictate that no team in Pots 2 or 3 can be drawn with a team from their own confederation, Canada will get either New Zealand or one of the African nations in their group. The best news is for Japan. Under the aforementioned confederation rules, they are guaranteed to avoid Australia, Korea Republic and China in the group phase. Brazil, meanwhile, has a 75 per cent chance of getting one of the three. For the other five teams, however, the possibilities are nearly endless. With all due respect to the 24 qualified teams for their achievements in advancing to the Women’s World Cup, here is a best- and worst-case scenario for Team Canada heading into Saturday’s draw based on FIFA’s World Rankings. Best case (FIFA rankings in parentheses): Canada (8), Switzerland (18), Ecuador (49), Ivory Coast (64). Worst case (FIFA rankings in parentheses): Canada (8), Sweden (6), Australia (10), New Zealand (19). Watch the drama unfold in the 2015 FIFA Womens World Cup Draw live Saturday at Noon et/9am pt on TSN1, TSN3 and TSN4. See below for a full table of the seeding pots. Womens World Cup Seeding Pots POT 1 POT 2 POT 3 POT 4 Brazil Cameroon Australia England Canada Costa Rica China Netherlands France Ivory Coast Colombia Norway Germany Mexico Ecuador Spain Japan New Zealand Korea Republic Sweden United States Nigeria Thailand Switzerland Draw rules: No team from Pot 1 may be drawn with a team from their own conference from Pots 2 or 3. Every group will have at least one European qualifier. . Simon (10-3) allowed three runs on five hits and three walks in 6 1-3 innings to break a tie with the Dodgers Zack Greinke and Cardinals Adam Wainwright for the NL lead in victories. Simon went to spring training as a relief pitcher and moved into the starting rotation when Mat Latos was recovering from elbow and knee surgeries. .com) - James Harden had 32 points, including a tying layup late in regulation, and the Houston Rockets scored eight of their 13 points in overtime at the foul line to beat the Memphis Grizzlies 117-111 on Friday night.
http://www.brownsrookiestore.com/Browns ... tt-Jersey/. Messis father, Jorge Horacio Messi, is apparently still under investigation for an alleged 4 million euros ($5.3 million) in unpaid taxes from Messis image rights from 2007-09. Messis public relations firm confirmed Spanish media reports that the state prosecutor has asked for Messi to be dropped from the investigation that began in June 2013. . The shortstop still grieves, but it will be nights like the one Segura had in a 5-2 victory Monday over the Cincinnati Reds that will provide some distraction. .com) - The disappointing Ottawa Senators hope to record consecutive wins for the first time since early November, as they visit the Boston Bruins on Friday for the opener of a home-and-home series.ANKARA, Turkey -- Galatasaray says it has hired former Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini to replace Fatih Terim as coach. Galatasaray said in a statement on its website Monday that Mancini signed a three-year contract and will be paid 3.5 million euros for the upcoming season, with his salary upped to 4.5 million euros foor the next two campaigns.dddddddddddd Terims contract was terminated by the club last week after he rejected a two-year extension. One of Turkeys best known coaches, Terim last month started his third stint as manager of Turkeys national team. Galatasaray plays Juventus on Wednesday in the Champions League. ' ' '
