THE Philippines plays in the Women’s World Cup for the first time, but at least one Filipina is already on the list of players to watch for its rivals.
The special World Cup edition of the Total Football Analysis magazine also singled out Thanai Annis as the pivotal player for the Filipinas.
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“The name that immediately stands out is Annis, with her central to everything that they do well; this is highly reflected in the way that she has strengths in (defense, offense and midfield),” the report said.
“It is clear that she (Annis) can provide most of what the Filipinas will be looking for in this tournament. She will be a prominent aspect of any hopes that they have of performing well in the World Cup,” the magazine pointed out.
Hali Long and Sarina Bolden are among the most mentioned in World Cup previews, but the Philippines hopes to see a balanced offense as it looks to upset Switzerland on Friday in its opening match at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin, New Zealand at Wellington Regional Stadium on Tuesday and Norway on July 30 at Eden Park in Auckland.
Among the players to watch on the Swiss side are midfielder Lia Waiti, who plays for Arsenal Women’s Super League, and Paris St. Germain striker Ramona Bachmann.
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