Lady Vols Soccer ⚽️ SEC TOURNAMENT 11/3-11/10

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Odds going into next week.

2023 Women's World Cup odds

United States +225
England +375
Germany +650
Spain +700
France +800
Australia +1200
Sweden +1400
Netherlands +1800
Canada +2500
Brazil +2500
Japan +3000
Norway +6500
Denmark +8000
South Korea +10000
Portugal +10000
Italy +15000
New Zealand +15000
China +15000
Haiti +15000
Colombia +15000
Ireland +20000
Zambia +25000
Switzerland +25000
Argentina +30000
South Africa +50000
Costa Rica +50000
Jamaica +50000
Nigeria +75000
Morocco +75000
Vietnam +100000
Panama +100000
Philippines +100000
 
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#3,959
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mad4vols said:
Odds going into next week.

2023 Women's World Cup odds

United States +225
England +375
Germany +650
Spain +700
France +800
Australia +1200
Sweden +1400
Netherlands +1800
Canada +2500
Brazil +2500
Japan +3000
Norway +6500
Denmark +8000
South Korea +10000
Portugal +10000
Italy +15000
New Zealand +15000
China +15000
Haiti +15000
Colombia +15000
Ireland +20000
Zambia +25000
Switzerland +25000
Argentina +30000
South Africa +50000
Costa Rica +50000
Jamaica +50000
Nigeria +75000
Morocco +75000
Vietnam +100000
Panama +100000
Philippines +100000
Click to expand...

I think those odds for the USWNT might be overly optimistic. First, winning three in a row is a task but also, the US had some good fortune to win in 2019. Several nations have caught or surpassed the US on the technical side and more and more nations can match them athletically.

In 2019, if Spain had not lost their top striker to an ACL, I think they would have won. They were by far the best team technically but could not convert their possession advantage into goals.

However, in the US favor, England has lost some top players to injury (though the US is down their more most dangerous player in Mallory Swanson) and the France team seems to be in disarray but that still leaves Netherlands, Sweden, Germany, Australia, Denmark, and Brazil

The US is going to be relying on a lot of young players who will be making their WC debuts while the old guard legends like Rapinoe, Morgan, and Ertz will have limited roles.
 
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madtownvol said:
I think those odds for the USWNT might be overly optimistic. First, winning three in a row is a task but also, the US had some good fortune to win in 2019. Several nations have caught or surpassed the US on the technical side and more and more nations can match them athletically.

In 2019, if Spain had not lost their top striker to an ACL, I think they would have won. They were by far the best team technically but could not convert their possession advantage into goals.

However, in the US favor, England has lost some top players to injury (though the US is down their more most dangerous player in Mallory Swanson) and the France team seems to be in disarray but that still leaves Netherlands, Sweden, Germany, Australia, Denmark, and Brazil

The US is going to be relying on a lot of young players who will be making their WC debuts while the old guard legends like Rapinoe, Morgan, and Ertz will have limited roles.
Click to expand...
You are 100% right about Spain. I’m wondering why are so many top players having ACL injuries?
 
#3,961
#3,961
Sophia Smith is the most dangerous U.S. player---she is a very talented forward who is very quick with the ball at her feet and an excellent
shooter off the dribble. If any U.S. player has a breakout WC, it could be her. She can score goals. She and Trinity Rodman are very athletic young forwards for the U.S.--and they could end up being the team's strength in this tourney. I'll be interested to see how the U.S. midfield and back four play. The U.S. was rather fortunate to beat Spain and England in the last World Cup, and there are probably five European teams who could win the tournament--and I too would put Spain at the top of the non-U.S. contenders list. They've had some injury issues, but at their best they dominate the ball and make their opponent chase them around all game. They are the ultimate possession team and very hard to play.

England has lost two of its starters to injuries, but that team still has a ton of talent and will challenge if its centerbacks can hold up. Germany and Sweden should be strong. France and The Netherlands have had key injuries to top scoring forwards and I'm not sure how they'll fare. I expect both to get out of their groups and get to the knockout stage, but after that there is uncertainty.

Japan and Brazil are dark horses. The former tends to over-achieve and the latter (big and technical and talented) tends to under-achieve. Australia has an outside shot, playing at home.
 
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https://www.wate.com/sports/tennessee-lady-vols-at-the-womens-world-cup/

4 Lady Vols to watch at the FIFA Women’s World Cup

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — The best women’s soccer players in the world have descended on Australia and New Zealand for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Four current and former University of Tennessee athletes will represent their respective nations at the prestigious event.

The tournament kicks off Thursday, July 20 with the U.S. Women’s National Team aiming for a historic World Cup three-peat.

Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw – Jamaica
At just 26 years old, Shaw is already one of the most accomplished soccer players to attend Tennessee. She earned All-SEC first-team honors in both of her two seasons and won SEC Offensive Player of the Year as a senior.
She has blossomed into one of the world’s best strikers as a professional and became the first Caribbean player to be named the CONCACAF Female Player of the Year in 2022. She is already Jamaica’s all-time top goalscorer and helped the island become the first Caribbean nation to qualify for the Women’s World Cup in 2019.

Kameron Simmonds – Jamaica
The 19-year-old forward is the only active Tennessee player on a World Cup roster. She appeared in 16 games as a freshman in 2022, notching four goals and four assists.
Simmonds was first called into the senior Women’s Jamaica National Team in September 2022 and scored her first international goal against the Czech Republic in February. She is the third generation of her family to represent Jamaica after her grandfather Patrick and father Gregory.

Hannah Wilkinson – New Zealand
The forward who played at Tennessee from 2012 to 2016 is no stranger to representing her country on the biggest stages. She has represented New Zealand at three Olympic Games and three World Cups. She has appeared in over 100 international games since her debut in 2010, putting her in the top 10 most-capped players in the team’s history.
Wilkinson, who currently plays professionally for Melbourne City, finished her Tennessee career as the program’s second all-time goalscorer. She will join an elite list of players who have been named to four Women’s World Cup Squads.

Michelle Alozie – Nigeria
The 26-year-old California native transferred to Tennessee from Yale ahead of the 2019 season and made 17 appearances for the Volunteers. She currently plays for the Houston Dash in the National Women’s Soccer League, America’s top flight for women’s soccer.
Alozie earned a spot on the Dash after beginning as a preseason trialist in 2021. She signed a two-year contract extension in December 2022. She made her international debut for Nigeria in June 2021.
 
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madtownvol said:
I think those odds for the USWNT might be overly optimistic. First, winning three in a row is a task but also, the US had some good fortune to win in 2019. Several nations have caught or surpassed the US on the technical side and more and more nations can match them athletically.

In 2019, if Spain had not lost their top striker to an ACL, I think they would have won. They were by far the best team technically but could not convert their possession advantage into goals.

However, in the US favor, England has lost some top players to injury (though the US is down their more most dangerous player in Mallory Swanson) and the France team seems to be in disarray but that still leaves Netherlands, Sweden, Germany, Australia, Denmark, and Brazil

The US is going to be relying on a lot of young players who will be making their WC debuts while the old guard legends like Rapinoe, Morgan, and Ertz will have limited roles.
Click to expand...


Spain just hasn't been able to show it at a big tournament yet, but they did have some injuries to stars at inopportune times like many others. Not sure they have a deep run in them this time either, but we shall see. They have a lot of question marks surrounding them but hey does the US and others.

Hopefully, the US can play themselves into a championship caliber team like they have the last two World Cups. I really hate we won't be able to see Swanson and especially our next big time star, Catalina Macario. We still have some great young talent on this squad, and hoping the team can gel during the group stage. It will be interesting to see what Ertz can bring coming off the long layoff, and Morgan can still bring it on the big stage and deliver goals. Even if the US doesn't win or make the semis, I think this could really set up the next generation for great things.

I'm just so excited. This is my favorite sporting event to watch (only very slightly ahead of the NCAA Women's Final Four).
 
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Simmonds, Three VFLs Headed To 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup

IMG_2964.png

Tennessee will be well-represented at the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup as sophomore Kameron Simmonds and three former UT standouts are set to compete on soccer's grandest stage. The month-long tournament will be hosted by Australia and New Zealand and begin July 20.

Simmonds makes her World Cup debut as a forward for Jamaica alongside Bunny Shaw, while Hannah Wilkinson plays for host-country New Zealand, and Michelle Alozie represents Nigeria.

UT has had a player active in every Women's World Cup dating back to 1999. The Lady Vols had three players active in both the 2011 and 2015 World Cups, but the four in 2023 marks a program best. This year's foursome brings the number of VFLs appearing in a World Cup to seven, joining Kendyl Michner (Mexico), Rhian Wilkinson (Canada), and Marie-Eve Nault (Canada).

"It's an incredible honor to play in a World Cup, and we wish the best of luck to our current and former players representing their countries later this month," said Tennessee head coach Joe Kirt. "We are excited to watch each of them compete on the world stage and take pride in the part Tennessee Soccer has played to aid in their development. These four women are a testament to the level of talent coming to Tennessee to win championships here while preparing for what lies ahead."

Simmonds attended her first camp with the senior squad last fall during her rookie season at UT. She was called into camp again in January of 2023 and netted her first international goal for the senior team against the Czech Republic at the 2023 Cup of Nations. She has previously taken the field with the Jamaican U-20 and U-17 teams, scoring a goal last year at the 2022 CONCACAF U-20 Championship. As a freshman on Rocky Top, Simmonds appeared in 16 contests and netted four goals, including the game-winner in a crucial 1-0 victory on the road against Auburn.

Shaw is making her second World Cup appearance, having led Jamaica as the Reggae Girlz qualified for their first-ever World Cup in France in 2019. The 2022 CONCACAF Women's Player of the Year is at the top of her game, having scored 31 goals across 30 competitions during the 2022-23 season to set the record for most goals scored by a woman during a single season, surpassing the previous highest total of 25 goals set by Nikita Parris. Twenty of those goals came during Manchester City's WSL campaign, setting a new club record. She played a key role in Jamaica qualifying for the 2023 Women's World Cup, amassing three goals during the 2022 CONCACAF W Championship, including the game-winner in Jamaica's 1-0 opening-round victory over Mexico. A 2018 All-American at Tennessee and two-time All-SEC First Team nominee, Shaw tallied 27 goals during her two seasons on Rocky Top and owns UT career records for points per game (1.86) and goals per game (0.77). Fourteen of those goals were game-winners, with her seven in both 2017 and 2018 ranking first in single-season records.

A long-time staple on the Ferns' frontline, this will mark the fourth World Cup appearance for Wilkinson. She posted a standout career for the Big Orange from 2012-16, finishing her time in Knoxville as the No. 2 goal scorer in program history with 33. The Whangarei, New Zealand native was a two-time First Team All-SEC performer and became UT's fifth All-American with a third team nod from the NSCAA in 2012.

Alozie joined the Houston Dash in 2021, the same year in which she made her senior debut for Nigeria, entering as a sub in the 65th minute in a June friendly against Jamaica. A 2019 grad transfer from Yale, she finished her lone season on Rocky Top with three goals in 17 appearances.

See below for a group play schedule and TV listings.

GROUP A (New Zealand – Hannah Wilkinson)
Thursday, July 20 | New Zealand vs. Norway | 3 a.m. ET | Fox Sports/Peacock
Tuesday, July 25 | New Zealand vs. Philippines | 1:30 a.m. ET | FS1/Peacock
Sunday, July 30 | New Zealand vs. Switzerland | 3 a.m. ET | Fox Sports/Peacock

GROUP B (Nigeria – Michelle Alozie)
Thursday, July 20 | Nigeria vs. Canada | 10:30 p.m. ET | Fox Sports/Peacock
Thursday, July 27 | Nigeria vs. Australia | 6 a.m. ET | FS1/Peacock
Monday, July 31 | Nigeria vs. Republic of Ireland | 6 a.m. ET | FS1/Peacock

GROUP F (Jamaica - Bunny Shaw/Kameron Simmonds)
Sunday, July 23 | Jamaica vs. France | 6 a.m. ET | Fox Sports/Peacock
Saturday, July 29 | Jamaica vs. Panama | 8:30 a.m. ET | Fox Sports/Peacock
Wednesday, Aug. 2 | Jamaica vs. Brazil | 6 a.m. ET | FS1/Peacock
 
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CoryDallasLV said:
Spain just hasn't been able to show it at a big tournament yet, but they did have some injuries to stars at inopportune times like many others. Not sure they have a deep run in them this time either, but we shall see. They have a lot of question marks surrounding them but hey does the US and others.

Hopefully, the US can play themselves into a championship caliber team like they have the last two World Cups. I really hate we won't be able to see Swanson and especially our next big time star, Catalina Macario. We still have some great young talent on this squad, and hoping the team can gel during the group stage. It will be interesting to see what Ertz can bring coming off the long layoff, and Morgan can still bring it on the big stage and deliver goals. Even if the US doesn't win or make the semis, I think this could really set up the next generation for great things.

I'm just so excited. This is my favorite sporting event to watch (only very slightly ahead of the NCAA Women's Final Four).
Click to expand...
I’m so excited too.
 
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