The schedule is out, but it takes some effort to figure out which days will be best and where the best games will be. I'll try to make it a little easier for everyone. Here is Wednesday April 15 - Saturday April 18. Every day will be assigned a grade rating. The best game of the day will be italicized. I've also included the Group Previews on the side links, so you can go back and take a look at those if you wish.
April 15- Day 1
Men- Ireland vs. Canada 7:30
Youth- World vs. Canada 8:30
Women- England vs. Canada 9:30
The opening day starts out with the all the defending champions playing the first game. The games aren't that good, but it's the opening day, so it should be fun regardless. For opening day's sake, the rematch of the final 3 years ago will be a good game to watch. Grade: B-
April 16- Day 2
Men- France vs. Colombia 7:00
Women- Chile vs. France 8:00
Men- Scotland vs. Italy 9:00
Men- Laos vs. Nigeria 10:00
The tournament really starts up on this day, with 3 men's games and 1 women's game.
This will be the first we see of top teams like France, Scotland and Laos, who are all pre-tournament contenders. It will interesting to see how the other teams can play against them, and our first chance to hope for a legitimate upset(I love upsets). This will be the first look at France for both men and women. The games might not be that great, but it will be interesting to see those teams play for the first time. Grade: B-
April 17- Day 3
Men- Northern Ireland vs. Jamaica 7:00
Youth- Scotland vs. Ukraine 8:00
Men- Norway vs. Germany 9:00
Men- Austria vs. El Salvador 10:00
This will be a great day. The first game of the night has a good chance to decide who will come out of Group A. Definitely worth watching, even just to check both teams out. The 3rd game, with Norway and Germany, is another game that will have strong implications in Group C. The last game is one of Group D's games, and every game in that group will mean something. Expect some top-notch soccer on Day 3, and this will be a great Friday night. Grade: A-
April 18- Day 4
Men- Ukraine vs. Serbia 12:30
Women- Canada vs. Germany 1:30
Men- Chile vs. Botswana 2:30
Women- France vs. Ukraine 3:30
Men- Poland vs. Portugal 4:30
Men- Germany vs. Italy 5:30
Youth- Germany vs. World 6:30
Men- Canada vs. Northern Ireland 7:30
Women- Chile vs. Scotland 8:30
Men- Austria vs. France 9:30
Men- Colombia vs. El Salvador 10:30
Whew. You want soccer? You'll get your fill on Saturday. With 11 games lined up for the first Saturday, it will be tough to find time to watch all the games. The day starts off with a bang, with Ukraine taking on a supposedly Winnipegish Serbia(if you don't understand, read the Group D preview). But from then on, there doesn't seem to be many intriguing games, from the men's side anyway. There's bound to be a few games that will be surprise you, and the day is definitely ripe for an upset somewhere. If you've nothing to do, hanging around the facility in your team colors and socializing is what you should be doing. Grade: C+
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