Swiss outsiders thinking big

Switzerland will be taking part in a FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup for only the second time this summer. After failing to make an impression last time round, the Eidgenossen are now determined to prove themselves in Germany.

At the last edition of the tournament in 2006, the Swiss suffered a trio of defeats at the hands of Korea DPR, Germany and Mexico, conceding 14 and scoring just two as they crashed out of the competition at the group stage. Nonetheless, four years later the squad have every reason to expect a far more positive showing.

The UEFA U-19 Women's European Championship 2009 in Belarus gave some indication as to how far Swiss women's football has come over the last few years. Under the tutelage of coach Yannick Schwery, the ladies in red breezed past Germany 3-0 and only just missed out on the final. Indeed, their progression to the semi-finals, where they eventually lost 3-0 to England, was enough to secure their place at this year's FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup.

"We reached the semis at the European Championship but not many people were aware of it in Switzerland. It's going to be different with the World Cup being held in Germany. The euphoria is going to be incredible because the fans and their families can all attend the matches. Also, many of our players play in the Bundesliga," Schwery told FIFA.com at the group stage draw in Dresden a few weeks ago.

Extraordinary achievement
Switzerland have been drawn alongside reigning champions USA, as well as Korea Republic and new-girls Ghana in Group D. First up are the Koreans on 14 July in Dresden, before Schwery's side take on the Americans three days later in the same city. Their third and final group match against Ghana is on 21 July in Bochum. Undoubtedly, on paper at least, a difficult task lies ahead for the valiant Swiss.

"I don't have any major expectations ahead of the tournament. Of course USA are the group favourites and they'll be difficult to play against, but aside from that we'll take it as it comes. We're hugely looking forward to being there. We know that we need to achieve something extraordinary if we are to boost the profile of the women's game back home," said Schwery.

source:http://www.fifa.com/u20womensworldcup