2011 Women's World Cup Draw

On Monday the draw to put together the groups for the initial phase of the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup was held in Frankfurt.

The only thing we knew going into the draw that happened at 12:00 PM CST my time yesterday was that two time defending FIFA women's world champion and host nation Germany was in Group A.

That's a nice segue into who the other members of that group will be.  Canada, Nigeria and France are the other three nations in what has turned out by some soccer analysts reckoning as the 2011 FIFA women's tournament's 'Group of Death'.   

Group B is comprised of Japan, New Zealand,  our southern neighbors Mexico and England

Group C is consider by some analysts to be the other tournament 'Group of Death' and is made up of the United States, North Korea, Colombia and Sweden

Group D will have Marta-led Brazil, Australia, Equatorial Guinea and Norway

To break down what this all means, check out the analysis from the Women's Professional Soccer website


The 2011 Women's World Cup will kick off June 26 with the two time defending champion Germans playing in Berlin's Olympic Stadium against Canada.

Our Canadian neighbors are pissed because they didn't get a top seed despite winning five straight matches to take the CONCACAF title.

Send your attack beavers to FIFA headquarters, people.   They made the decision to go by world ranking, which is how the number one ranked Team USA got one of the group seeds despite having to do the two leg playoff with the Italians to get in. .


After that opening match in Berlin with the Germans, Canada's Group A tournament road doesn't get any easier.  They take on France in Bochum on June 30 and finish July 5 with the Super Falcons of Nigeria in Dresden.   

Mexico takes on England in Wolfsburg on June 27, Japan in Leverkusen on July 1 and closes Group B play with their math against New Zealand in Sinsheim on July 5  

The first Group C match for FIFA number one ranked Team USA will be on June 28 in Dresden against North Korea.   They'll then face off July 2 in Sinsheim against Colombia and finish group play in Wolfsburg on July 6 against Sweden

Top two teams in each group go to the knockout  round and we'll need to be paying very close attention to what's going on in Groups A and D.  

If Team USA wins Group C, they'll be matched up against the Group D runner up on July 10 in Augsburg.    However, it would also be in the upper half of the bracket with the Group A winner.  If Team USA is the runner up, they would play the Group D champ in Dresden on July 10

If things break right for Team USA and they keep winning, the defending 2008 Olympic champs will hopefully find themselves in Frankfurt on July 17 playing for their third world championship. 

15 other teams have that same dream, and we''ll see in a few months how this all plays out.

Mexico's First Black President-Vicente Guerrero

“If we succeed in protecting the rights of the individual, if equality under the law destroys the forces of power and money, if the primary title we use amongst ourselves is that of ‘citizen,’ if rewards are given exclusively for talent and virtue, then we have a republic, and it will be preserved through the universal suffrage of a solidly free and content people.” Mexican President Vicente Guerrero

Today is Mexican Independence Day and the beginning of the celebration of Mexico's bicentennial year as a nation. On this date in 1810 it declared its independence from Spain and began a long war for its independence that lasted until the Mexicans were victorious in 1821.

But one fact I'll bet you didn't know is that Mexico not only has an African descended population mostly concentrated on the southwestern Pacific coast, but had an African descended president long before we Americans got around to electing Barack Obama in 2008.

His name is Vicente Ramon Guerrero Saldaña, and he was Mexico's version of George Washington and Lincoln combined. He was a major military leader during Mexico's war For Independence and as president ended slavery in his nation on September 15, 1829 in addition to promoting

The President of the United States of Mexico, know ye: That desiring to celebrate in the year of 1829 the anniversary of our independence with an act of justice and national beneficence, which might result in the benefit and support of a good, so highly to be appreciated, which might cement more and more the public tranquility, which might reinstate an unfortunate part of its inhabitants in the sacred rights which nature gave them, and which the nation protects by wise and just laws, in conformance with the 30th article of the constitutive act, in which the use of extraordinary powers are ceded to me, I have thought it proper to decree:

1st. Slavery is abolished in the republic.
2nd. Consequently, those who have been until now considered slaves are free.
3rd. When the circumstances of the treasury may permit, the owners of the slaves will be indemnified in the mode that the laws may provide.

And in order that every part of this decree may be fully complied with, let it be printed, published, and circulated. Given at the Federal Palace of Mexico, the 15th of September, 1829. Vicente Guerrero To José María Bocanegra.

He was president of Mexico from April 1, 1829 until he was deposed by his vice president Anastasio Bustamante on December 17, 1829 in a right wing initiated coup, captured through deception in Acapulco and later executed in Oaxaca on February 14, 1831.

He is considered a Mexican national hero and his body is interred in Mexico City. The Mexican state of Guerrero on the Mexican Pacific coast is named in his honor along with the towns of Col. Vicente Guerrero and the Baja California town of Guerrero Negro.

Mexico's Muxe Video

You'll remember that in December I posted a fascinating New York Times article on the Muxe of Mexico. There's now You Tube video that I've found on them that I hope you'll enjoy.