Women's World Cup notes: England confident it can handle Japan - STLtoday.com
Coach Mark Sampson would prefer to see that decided on the field Wednesday, when his upstart Lionesses face the defending champion Nadeshiko in a Women’s World Cup semifinal. Pausing for five seconds after being told what Sasaki had said earlier Tuesday, Sampson began by saying he expects a game of contrasting styles. “We’ll have to appreciate and respect the quality they’ve got technically,” Sampson said. “But we’ve got some half-decent players technically ourselves. “We’ve upset the apple cart so far,” Sampson said, in noting how sixth-ranked England has won four straight, and coming off a 2-1 win over host Canada. And that includes a 2-0 win in the 2011 World Cup preliminary round in Germany. “They are the world champions, and we have to respect that,” midfielder Jill Scott said. Sasaki is aware Japan has never beaten England since he took over as coach in 2008. And yet, he believes that’s about to change. But it seems that the coach is overconfident because we lost last time,” Sasaki said, referring to himself, through a translator. Blatter avoiding final • FIFA President Sepp Blatter will skip the Women’s World Cup final in Canada, avoiding a visit to North America at a time when U. S. officials are pursuing a criminal investigation into the game’s ruling body. Source: www.stltoday.com
