Over a month has passed since the curtain came down on the FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015™, but the stars that shone so brightly during the tournament continue to sparkle.
The majority of players who showcased their skills on pitches across the North American nation in June and July are now back with their clubs, their minds still brimming over with treasured moments. And now 23 of them will have a new memory to cherish.
On 17 August 2015, FIFA’s Technical Study Group (TSG) published the FIFA Technical Report and unveiled the members of the Canada 2015 All-Star Squad, which features among the main findings and comprehensive statistics of the 52-match analysis and as well as various reports, including technical and tactical analysis, trends, confederations analysis, a refereeing report, a goal-line technology report and a medical report). This All-Star Squad is made up of 23 players who succeeded in getting fans out of their seats and truly impressing the TSG experts.
Mirroring an official tournament list, it comprises three goalkeepers and 20 outfield players, in this case seven defenders and 13 midfielders and forwards. It goes without saying that any of the world’s top coaches would be delighted to have these talented stars at their disposal.
Five of the players were part of the US side that concluded the tournament with winners’ medals around their neck, including the recipients of the adidas Ballon d’Or (Carli Lloyd) and adidas Golden Glove (Hope Solo). German striker Celia Sasic, who won the adidas Golden Boot award and subsequently announced her retirement from football, also features.
In addition, the saves of goalkeeper Nadine Angerer (Germany), the defensive performances of Lucy Bronze (England) and Kadeisha Buchanan (Canada), the vision of Amandine Henry (France) and Aya Miyama (Japan), and the attacking nous of Ramona Bachmann (Switzerland) and Lisa De Vanna (Australia) saw those players earn a place in this expanded “Dream Team”:
Goalkeepers: Nadine Angerer, Karen Bardsley, Hope Solo
Defenders: Saori Ariyoshi, Lucy Bronze, Kadeisha Buchanan, Steph Houghton, Julie Johnston, Meghan Klingenberg, Wendie Renard
Midfielders and forwards: Ramona Bachmann, Lisa De Vanna, Amandine Henry, Elise Kellond-Knight, Eugenie Le Sommer, Carli Lloyd, Anja Mittag, Aya Miyama, Megan Rapinoe, Mizuho Sakaguchi, Celia Sasic, Elodie Thomis, Rumi Utsugi
This All-Star Squad was one of the conclusions of the Technical Report on the FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015. This 232-page document, produced by the TSG during and after the tournament, is available in English, French, German and Spanish. This technical report as well as the DVDs are important tools to promote and develop women’s football all over the world. They will be sent to the 209 FIFA Member Associations.*