Our Game Magazine Editorial Calendar UPCOMING ISSUES NCAA 2017 NWSL Photo Issue Issue 35 OUR GAME MAGAZINE Euro 2017 Editorial Rachael Caldwell CONTENTS JJ Duke Ruth Moore INTRODUCTION 4 Brandi Ortega TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE 8 @OURGAMEMAGAZINE GROUP OVERVIEWS GROUP A 15 GROUP B 29 GROUP C 43 Subscription Info: [email protected] or GROUP D 57 http://www.ourgamemag.com/subscribe Customer Service: Address changes or billing inquiries to [email protected] REFEREES 70 Advertising Info: VENUES 71 [email protected] VERO BOQUETE: Reprints and Permissions: [email protected] PRESENT IN HISTORY 72 Letters to the Editor and other submissions: [email protected] Our Game Magazine (ISSN 2328-093X) is published four times a year by Our Game LLC. All content (unless otherwise noted) is Copyright ©2017 Our Game LLC. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. UEFA Women’s Euro 2017 The UEFA European Women’s Championship is currently held every four years between countries represented by the UEFA continental confederation. The first three finals competitions (1984, 1987, 1989) were known as the UEFA European Competition for Representative Women’s Teams. After the 1989 tournament, the competition was given status as the European Championship and given the name it holds today. In 1991 and 1995, the competition was used as the European qualifying tournament for the World Cup. The competition has expanded since its beginnings in 1984 as a four-team tournament and biennial event. In 1997, eight teams competed and the competition thereafter became a quadrennial event. The tournament again expanded in 2009 to 12 teams and in 2017 was expanded to 16 teams. 4 | WWW.OURGAMEMAG.COM QUALIFICATION UEFA The Euro 2017 tournament is European the culmination of a years-long Women’s competition that features a preliminary round, qualifying group Championship stage, and playoffs. 2013: Germany 1-0 Norway Qualification for the finals tournament 2009: Germany 6-2 England begins with a preliminary round in 2005: Germany 3-1 Norway 2001: Germany 1-0 Sweden (aet) which lower-ranked national teams 1997: Germany 2-0 Italy compete in mini-tournaments. The 1995: Germany 3-2 Sweden winners progress to a qualifying 1993: Norway 1-0 Italy group stage and joined by the 38 1991: Germany 3-1 Norway (aet) highest-ranked national teams to compete in eight groups of five sides. From there, the group winners and six best runners-up advance to the finals tournament along with the UEFA host country. A playoff for the final European spot is held between the next best Competition for runners-up. Representative PAST WINNERS Women’s Teams Germany has dominated the tournament, winning eight of the 1989: West Germany 4-1 Norway nine competitions, including the last 1987: Norway 2-1 Sweden 1984: Sweden 1-1 England; a six competitions. home-and-home series and Sweden won, 4-3, on penalties Prior to 1991, the competition was in the final leg. known as the UEFA European Competition. EURO 2017 | ISSUE 35 | 5 UEFA Women’s Euro 2017 FORMAT The group stage consists of 16 teams in four groups playing in a round-robin format. The group winner and runner-up will advance to the quarterfinal stage. In the event teams tie on points, the following tiebreakers will be used to determine which team advances: points goal differential in head-to-head matches goals scored in head-to-head matches goal differential through all group matches goals scored through all group matches disciplinary points (reds = 3 points; yellows = 1 point; two yellows in one match = 3 points) UEFA coefficient for the final draw. Penalty shootouts will determine which team advances if both teams meet in the last round of the group stage and are tied on the above tiebreaker criteria. 6 | WWW.OURGAMEMAG.COM # Euros in Numbers EURO 2017 | ISSUE 35 | 7 GroupGroup StageStage NETHERLANDS ITALY VS VS DENMARK NORWAY GERMANY RUSSIA VS VS BELGIUM SWEDEN AUSTRIA SPAIN VS VS FRANCE SWITZERLAND ENGLAND PORTUGAL VS VS ICELAND SCOTLAND 8 | WWW.OURGAMEMAG.COM NORWAY SWEDEN VS VS NETHERLANDS BELGIUM GERMANY RUSSIA VS VS DENMARK ITALY ICELAND SCOTLAND VS VS FRANCE SWITZERLAND ENGLAND PORTUGAL VS VS AUSTRIA SPAIN EURO 2017 | ISSUE 35 | 9 GroupGroup StageStage NORWAY SWEDEN VS VS BELGIUM DENMARK RUSSIA ITALY VS VS NETHERLANDS GERMANY ICELAND SCOTLAND VS VS SWITZERLAND AUSTRIA PORTUGAL SPAIN VS VS FRANCE ENGLAND 10 | WWW.OURGAMEMAG.COM QuarterfinalsQuarterfinals QF1 WINNER B VS RUNNER-UP A WINNER A VS RUNNER-UP B QF2 QF3 WINNER D VS RUNNER-UP C WINNER C VS RUNNER-UP D QF4 EURO 2017 | ISSUE 35 | 11 Semifinals AUG 3 WINNER QF1 VS WINNER QF4 WINNER QF2 VS WINNER QF3 12 | WWW.OURGAMEMAG.COM Final AUG 6 WINNER SF1 VS WINNER SF2 EURO 2017 | ISSUE 35 | 13 14 | WWW.OURGAMEMAG.COM A Netherlands Norway Denmark Belgium Group Stage Featuring three teams ranked in Predictions FIFA’s top 20, this is probably the most evenly matched group. Points 1. Norway will be at a premium so expect a tight group stage. Group A boasts 2. Netherlands formidable strikers with the likes of Vivianne Miedema, Ada Hegerberg, 3. Denmark Pernille Harder, Nadia Nadim, and 4. Belgium Tessa Wullaert. —Brandi Ortega EURO 2017 | ISSUE 35 | 15 Netherlands IQRemix from Canada; FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015 - Edmonton; CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons 16 | WWW.OURGAMEMAG.COM Roster GOALKEEPERS Angela Christ (PSV/FC Eindhoven) Loes Geurts (Paris Saint-Germain) Current FIFA Sari van Veenendaal (Arsenal LFC) DEFENDERS Ranking: 12 Mandy van den Berg (c) (Reading FC) Sheila van den Bulk (Djurgårdens IF) Kika van Es (Achilles ‘29) Stefanie van der Gragt (AFC Ajax) Group Stage Dominique Janssen (Arsenal LFC) Desiree van Lunteren (AFC Ajax) Matches Liza van der Most (AFC Ajax) JULY 16 MIDFIELDERS vs. Norway Anouk Dekker (Montpellier Hérault SC) in Utrecht Daniëlle van de Donk (Arsenal LFC) Sisca Folkertsma (AFC Ajax) Jackie Groenen (1. FFC Frankfurt) JULY 20 Vanity Lewerissa (PSV/FC Eindhoven) vs. Denmark Jill Roord (FC Bayern München) in Rotterdam Sherida Spitse (FC Twente) Kelly Zeeman (AFC Ajax) JULY 24 FORWARDS vs. Belgium in Tilburg Lineth Beerensteyn (FC Bayern München) Renate Jansen (FC Twente) Lieke Martens (FC Rosengård) Vivianne Miedema (Arsenal LFC) Shanice van de Sanden (Liverpool LFC) COACH Sarina Wiegman EURO 2017 | ISSUE 35 | 17 Make or Break Game Norway As hosts, the Netherlands open the tournament against a strong Norwegian side in a sold- Tournament History out match. The Netherlands made its first Euros tournament finals appearance in 2009 and advanced to the semifinals Player to Watch where the Oranje lost to England, Vivianne Miedema It’s 1-2. In the 2013 tournament, the easy to forget that Miedema is Netherlands finished at the only 20 years old given her first bottom of Group B and failed to cap came in 2013. Since then, advance out of the group stage. Miedema has found the back of the net for the Dutch 34 times, including scoring all three against Italy in a qualification playoff Road to Euro 2017 series to send the Netherlands to its first women’s World Cup in As hosts of the tournament, 2015. The Arsenal striker has an the Netherlands automatically excellent instinct for goal and if qualified for the finals when the she can find service early and country was chosen as hosts in often, will make life difficult for 2014. Since then, the Netherlands any back line. made it to the Round of 16 of the 2015 World Cup in Canada but lost to Japan, 1-2. More recently, the Oranje defeated Japan, 3-2, at the 2017 Algarve Cup and finished fifth. 18 | WWW.OURGAMEMAG.COM Norway G.Garitan, own work; CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons EURO 2017 | ISSUE 35 | 19 Roster GOALKEEPERS Ingrid Hjelmseth (Stabæk Fotball) Cecilie Hauståker Fiskerstrand (LSK Kvinner) Current FIFA Oda Maria Hove Bogstad (Klepp IL) DEFENDERS Ranking: 11 Ingrid Moe Wold (LSK Kvinner) Maria Thorisdottir (Klepp IL) Nora Holstad Berge (FC Bayern München) Anja Sønstevold (LSK Kvinner) Group Stage Stine Pettersen Reinås (Stabæk Fotball) Tuva Hansen (Klepp IL) Matches Kristine Bjørdal Leine (Røa Fotball Elite) Elise Hove Thorsnes (Avaldsnes IL) Maren Nævdal Mjelde (Chelsea LFC) JULY 16 vs. Netherlands MIDFIELDERS in Utrecht Ingvild Landvik Isaksen (Stabæk Fotball) Andrine Stolsmo Hegerberg (Birmingham City) JULY 20 Ingrid Marie Karlsen Spord (LSK Kvinner) vs. Belgium Ingrid Schjelderup (Eskilstuna) in Breda Frida Leonhardsen Maanum (Stabæk Fotball) FORWARDS JULY 24 vs. Denmark Caroline Graham Hansen (VfL Wolfsburg) in Deventer Lisa-Marie Karlseng Utland (Røa Fotball Elite) Emilie Haavi (Boston Breakers) Guro Reiten (LSK Kvinner) Ada Stolsmo Hegerberg (Lyon) Kristine Minde (Linköping FC) COACH Martin Sjögren 20 | WWW.OURGAMEMAG.COM Tournament History Norway enjoys a rich history Make or Break Game in European championship tourneys, qualifying for all but one Netherlands Norway must (1984) tournament and winning start off strong against the home it twice (1987 and 1993). The side and absorb early pressure worst finish for the squad came from a squad eager to give a in 1997 when the Grasshoppers sold-out crowd a good show. failed to make it out of the group Ada Hegerberg is the focal point stage. The four-time runners- in the attack for Norway and for up will be looking to reach the defenses, leaving opportunity championship match and erase for midfielder/striker Caroline the memory of a 0-1 loss to Graham Hansen to make her Germany in the 2013 tournament. mark. Should Hegerberg and Hansen find a rhythm, Norway will advance out of the group stage and be well prepped for a run through the knockout stages. Road to Euro 2017 Norway qualified for the Euro 2017 finals after finishing top of Group 8 with seven wins Player to Watch and a draw against Austria.