NORWAY

INJURY TAKES LEADER. Norway should encounter few problems conquering the tournament’s easiest group. The loss to injury of Gro Espeseth will be felt later in the tournament.

Espeseth, a physical marker, was the team’s inspirational leader, having started for Norway in China ’91 and winning the Silver Ball as the second-best player in Sweden ’95, where the Norwegians took the crown.

Espeseth suffered a career-threatening knee injury in late April. But 1995 Golden Ball winner Hege Riise remains the boss of the midfield and is still one of the premier playmakers in the world.

PETTERSEN COMES ON STRONG: Either Silje Jorgensen or veteran Anne Nymark Andersen will fill in at left back for Espeseth, while Norway boasts one of the world’s best goalkeepers in Bente Nordby, who was spectacular in Sweden.

Linda Medalen, formerly a striker and the scorer of more than 60 international goals, has made a smooth switch to central defender.

Ann Kristin Aarones, the leading scorer in Sweden ’95, is the main target up front. Marianne Pettersen, who led Norway with four goals in World Cup qualifying, is a fast, strong, lethal finisher who could prove to be Norway’s most valuable player.

Norway powered through the first round in 1995 by outscoring opponents, 17-0. The ’99 numbers probably won’t equal those, but three solid wins is a strong possibility.

RUSSIA

UP AND COMING. Russia, whose national team has only been around since the late 1980s, qualified by sweeping Finland in a two-leg playoff in European World Cup qualifying.

Coach Yuri Bystritsky’s team has improved by leaps and bounds over the squad that finished without a point in the 1997 European Championship.

Russia’s hopes of reaching the quarterfinals of the World Cup rest on midfielder Irina Grigorieva, forward Natalya Barbashina, keeper Svetlana Petko and sweeper Marina Burakova.

AIR ATTACK. Grigorieva is the field general of a hard-working midfield that includes 5-10, 165-pound Tatyana Egorova and right-sided midfielder Galina Komarova. All three play for Red Army club CSK VVS.

The Russians play best when they go through Grigorieva, but they make much use of the long ball to exploit their height advantage. Petko likes long punts aimed at Barbashina (5-9), who scored five times in qualifying.

CANADA

HOOPER POWER. Canada’s Charmaine Hooper is one of most dangerous attackers in the world. Once a star up front for North Carolina State, she plays as an attacking midfielder in Coach Neil Turnbull’s system.

The Guyana native, who now resides in Chicago and plays in the W-League, wowed the world when she scored two wonderful goals to down the United States in this year’s FIFA World All-Star Game. She has played for two clubs in Japan’s L-League.

WHERE’S THE PROGRESS? Despite benefiting from Hooper and other U.S. college products, the CONCACAF region’s No. 2 team has shown little improvement since its national team’s inception in 1986.

Hooper criticized the lack of training time and financial support from the Canadian Soccer Association both at the World Cup draw and just before the Canadians’ pre-tournament training camp in May that marked only its second 1999 gathering.

“This could be the last time Canada qualifies for a World Cup,” Hooper said.

In addition to Hooper, who has scored 30 international goals (as of June 1), Canada’s attack depends on forwards Silvana Burtini (14 goals in qualifying) and Shannon Rosenow (8 goals).

Canada fell to Norway, 7-0, four years ago in the first round, but garnered a point by tying Nigeria, 3-3.

U.S. CONNECTION. Assistant coach John Walker is the head coach at the University of Nebraska, where defender Isabelle Morneau plays. Midfielder Isabelle Harvey stars at USC.

JAPAN

IN DECLINE. Japan, which has held a women’s national championship since 1980 and inaugurated a full-fledged league in 1989, curiously finds itself in decline.

The promise shown in a quarterfinal finish in Sweden ’95 has not been met, and North Korea has replaced Japan as Asia’s No. 2 team behind China.

Top foreign players once flocked to the L-League from Norway, the United States, China and elsewhere, but the door was closed to foreigners last year. The native players seem to be suffering from this dearth of quality from abroad.

INEXPERIENCED SQUAD. With the retirement of several stars, the current squad is less experienced than the ’95 team, and lacks a big-time goalscorer to replace Akemi Noda.

Forward Tamaki Uchiyama has moved to midfield, while Nami Otake and Mito Isaka spearhead a struggling attack.

Though technically and tactically sound, Japan’s strength in midfield is not matched up front or in back. Playmaker Homare Sawa, at 17 the youngest player at Sweden ’95, is a bright spot.

Its 2-1 win over Brazil in Sweden is Japan’s only victory in seven World Cup matches.


GROUP C IN BRIEF

NORWAY

ò Colors: Red, blue and white.
ò Coach: Per-Mathias Hogmo.
ò Past: 1991 – 2nd; 1995 – 1st.

JAPAN

ò Colors: Blue and white.
ò Coach: Satoshi Miyauchi.
ò Past: 1991 – 12th; 1995 – 8th.

CANADA

ò Colors: Red and white.
ò Coach: Neil Turnbull.
ò Past: 1991 – did not qualify; 1995 – 10th.

RUSSIA

ò Colors: White, blue and red.
ò Coach: Yuri Bystritsky.
ò Past: 1991 – did not enter; 1995 – did not qualify.

Scouting Report


NORWAY. Coach Per-Mathias Hogmo has his team playing more of a possession game than former boss Even Pellerud. They still like the long ball, and have one of the best headers in the game in Ann Kristin Aarones.

By Soccer America associate editor Dean Caparaz