FIFA 19 Womens World Cup Final

They have gone and done it, FIFA have added the women's world cup final to kick off mode, granted I would have loved to have played the tournament like you could do for the men's game last year but I guess it is baby steps and I am glad it has been included even if it is just one game. FIFA have added new teams for this mode, those teams that will be making the trip to France ready for kick off in just 2 days time and they seem to be wanting to partake in the women's football market a little more especially with its growing fanbase since the 2015 world cup. However, they do still have a long way to go, with lack of teams (some from euros are missing and those up and coming teams are also no existent) and only being able to play for the national teams, I would love to see them add in the FAWSL and NWSL just as a starting point to give those WOSO fans more variety to play. 

So onto the final mode, one thing they have done well is adding in extra teams to show the true tournament. I honestly expected them just to have a handful of the favourites as an option. They have also got the new Nike kits absolutely spot on and the details on them look amazing, especially on the England and USWNT away kits.

So now I am going to breakdown a few bits from the 3 teams I have currently played as and looked into...

The USWNT 

Of course the USWNT was the first team I played as, they are my favourites after all. But what I don't understand is why FIFA haven't done their research before releasing this feature, the USWNT roster came out at the beginning of May yet things are still wrong. The likes of Davidson, Lavelle are all missing yet they are going to the world cup. What gets me most is you have been able to play as these players before so why not add them in? Especially when you have Short and Zerboni available who aren't even going to the world cup. You then have Emily Sonnett down as a RB in the game when she is in fact a centre back who has been a RB a handful of times due to injury, surely FIFA want to show their knowledge of the women's game if they want to get into that market.

Now for my favourite part like seriously who comes up with these stats?? They have Rapinoe down as a 92 rating which in my opinion absolutely not a chance, especially when Heath and Morgan are only 90's I honestly do believe if they reckon Rapinoe is a 92, Morgan should be a 91 at least and Heath should be a 92 also as she has all the aspects, skill, passing, definitely dribbling, shooting and even does really well defending, I just really can't get my head around where the ratings have come from. Alongside this how is Horan only an 87, with her defending ability her skill in midfield and her shooting and heading ability she should be way higher at least pushing very close to the 90 mark if you want to put Rapinoe at 92. Horan was up for awards and was the NWSL MVP last year so do people not watch the games? Or do they literally just go off what they see in national games as opposed to adding league games in too. This is honestly why I believe Press and O'Hara are only an 82, I believe they have just gone off the past few national games, which O'Hara unfortunately missed due to injury and Press missed due to personal reasons, if they actually took into account league games (from when Press was in Sweden & Utah) they would see both these players were worth a lot more.

England 

I guess the best part about the England team is that all the team is actually correct, no mistakes on the roster just all the players in who are going to the world cup which is an improvement from the USWNT. But what has really confused me is that Steph Houghton, England and Man City captain is only an 86 where as Rapinoe for the USWNT is the 92. Steph is an absolutely solid defender with a huge skill set and strong leadership skills and also has a fantastic shot and head on her meaning she gets plenty of goals. She has all the aspects so why is Rapinoe higher than her?

Not just that but I think the England squad has been massively underestimated I mean Alex Greenwood as pacey left back who can play a decent pass/cross as well as grab herself a goal and take on defenders is only a 77? She definitely shouldn't be anywhere under 80. The same with Georgia Stanway the Man City player has had possibly her best season yet and played some great games for her country yet she just breaks the 70 mark? Really FIFA if injury hit Morgan Brian for the States can be 80 surely Stanway deserves better she is a true allrounder and I believe her shots are worth a 75 alone due to her ability.

 My only other notable issue with this England squad is the fact they have Daly listed as a striker, yes she may be able to play any position but all you need to do is check the world cup roster and you will see she is down as a defender. Just one simple check could have got this correct.

Australia

The Australia roster I can't really complain about, it was correct at the time of the launch of this mode however, since then the team has unfortunately been hit by injuries meaning a few players have had to drop out and be replaced. It will be interesting to see if they replace the likes of Alleway and Simon on the rosters.

Once again my main issues are with the player ratings. Yes Sam Kerr might be one of the biggest names in women's football right now but is she really worth a 92? When other players have been given such low ratings. Yes she has a good shot is fast and can score goals but I wouldn't say her defending was good enough for her to warrant a 92. Have the guys at FIFA just gone for her being a big name? 

If Kerr is a 92 the surely the likes of Raso and Carpenter should be a lot better. Raso has been hit by injury lately, with a broken back but just like with England's Alex Greenwood she shouldn't be under 80 just like Ellie Carpenter should be up there not with the 74 she has been given. Carpenter can charge down field with great pressure on the opposition, she has all the skills so why isn't she higher? The only aspect letting her down really would possibly be her shooting.

 I am loving the fact that by playing this mode you can unlock the Champion trophy which is simply win a cup final. I honestly wasn't expecting to be able to do this with the mode just been added but it was a very pleasant surprise and it gained me another trophy for my collection.

Speaking of trophies I actually sat and watched the full trophy lift and it looks fantastic, watching the players on the podium lifting the cup then on the pitch it really gets me excited and ready to see who is left lifting the trophy in July. Fingers crossed it will be England or the USWNT and lets hope that if EA want to put more women into FIFA 20 the stats look a bit better and more realistic.

So there you have it that is my thoughts on the mode, have you played it? If so what did you think?

See you soon