World Cup Cheat-Sheet: Ladies Edition (Group E: Switzerland, Ecuador, France & Honduras)

Wow what an opener! What did you think of the Brazil vs Croatia game? Think the Ref made the right calls? And by any chance, have you noticed any valuable players on.... or off screen? ;)

Remember: Every week I'll give you WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW which is a mash-up of 1) the team's playing style, 2) my opinion on their chances of moving forward at the World Cup, 3) some team stats, 4) top plays, 5) names of vital players, 6) stories from the frontline, and most importantly, I'll showcase each team's most "valuable" player(s). Please feel free to add to the conversation in the comments section

So with just a few hours left before the next match, we now move our gaze towards group E: Switzerland, Ecuador, France & Honduras

Switzerland :

Chocolate, cheese, watches... what cant this tiny country do? ah yes, football! But wait! that's changing quite quickly. There's a new Swiss in town & they're ranked 6th.. in the world! And with half the squad eligible to play for other countries it says a lot about modern Swiss culture

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

- Team nickname: La Nati, meaning The National Team

- Playing style: Today's squad is becoming quite good at a mix of defense and stellar counter attacks

- Players to watch: Granit Xhaka & Fabian Schar

- How far can they go: The Swiss have gotten so good that they ended Spain’s 11-match winning streak at the last WC & beat Brazil 1-0 recently, but a top scorer still eludes them so I think they'll be ousted at the QF once they meet DE or ESP

- Lastly, here is one of Switzerland's most 'valuable' players for reference purposes ;)

Yann Sommer wants you to feel his guns

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Ecuador:

Ecuador isn't just home to the beautiful Galapagos islands (where Darwin began to study evolution), it's also home to one of the greatest densities of volcanoes in the world. Oh and many love to eat guinea Pig.... I hear it tastes like rabbit?

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

- The team's nickname: La Tri for the 3 colors of the Ecuadorian flag

- Playing style: a great attacking squad who often lack good defense & sharp organization

- Players to watch: Felipe Caicedo & Luis Valencia

- How far can they go: This team will be interesting to watch because their striker Christian Benítez passed away suddenly last year leaving a void in the team both physically & emotionally so this team is fighting to get to the top in honor of Benitez but even with the likes of Valencia I'm afraid they won't get passed the group stage due to their defense

- Lastly, here is one of Ecuador's most valuable players, for reference purposes ;)

Antonio Valencia wants to show you his new towel

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France :
I may be a bit biased but this is one of those countries where I can't help but wonder what's in the water. From Mulhouse to Bordeaux, from Paris to my beloved Marseille, France is a country full of romance, wonderment & intriguing rendezvous ;)

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
- The team's nickname: Les Blues (or for some, FIFA's pet)
- Players to watch: for this entry let's just stick to Giroud.. let's stick oh so very close to Giroud. Actually they've got several great players; Pogba, Valbuena & Lloris
- Playing style: Giroud's playing style.. oops, I meant France's playing style is being molded by former '98 champ & amazeballs coach Didier Deschamps who's tasked with making sure France plays pure french football; solid plays with a lot of flair, and it's working.
-How far will they go: France has always been FIFA's golden child and this grouping is no different. France should be able to make it out of the group but for their sake they'll have to come out 1st in the group because I doubt they'll make it past ARG in the R16 if they come out 2nd in their group.
- Lastly, here is one of France's most 'valuable' players for reference purposes ;)

Olivier Giroud... All Day & All Night!

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Honduras

Third time is the charm? It's their 3rd time at the WC & although they aren't going up against Spain or Argentina, the term "group of death" is all relative so their main objective is to FINALLY win at least ONE game in their group.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
- The team's nickname: La Bicolor & Los Catrachos, which is the name for native Hondurans, derived from General Florencio Xatruch who fought an American insurrectionist's attempts to reintroduce slavery. Xatruch's men were called "xatruches," which then became "catruches,"
- Playing style: diamonds in the rough who, at times, create scattered but decent plays
- Players to watch: Carlo Costly & Emilio Izaguirre
- How far can they go: This team is in Brazil......on vacation :(

- Lastly, here is one of Honduras' most 'valuable' players for reference purposes ;)

Noel Valladares

thanks to headbandsandheartbreak.wordpress.com for some of the OG visuals