England will be looking to brush off recent warm-up defeats when they open their women's World Cup campaign against Mexico in Group B here on Monday. Hope Powell's team lost to fellow World Cup participants North Korea and Australia last week in warm-up matches, but the England coach insists she has brought the strongest possible side to Germany 2011.
Having impressed in qualifying and finished as runners-up at the 2009 European Championships, the England squad under Powell has a healthy mix of experience and fresh talent, but will be tested by the Mexicans.
"I think there is more depth in the squad than we have ever had, which is a fantastic position for me to be in as coach," said Powell.
"It's the first time I have had that luxury and the girls have all worked hard to be selected. "Now it's about getting the first game under our belts." England were unbeaten in their qualifying group, dropping just two points and conceding only two goals in eight matches, while Mexico qualified by finishing second to Canada in the Gold Cup, the north American tournament.
After 15 years in the white shirt of England, forward Kelly Smith has scored 42 goals and won nearly a century of caps, while box-to-box midfielder Fara Williams is another of England's consistent goalscorers. But Mexico inflicted a shock 2-1 defeat on former World Cup winners the USA last year and they will be looking to open their campaign by claiming England's scalp.
Comments
Comments are closed.