Soccer-Canada thanking their luck after World Cup draw

Reuters

(Drops extraneous letter from headline) By Steve Keating GATINEAU, Quebec Dec 6 (Reuters) - Canadian coach John Herdman was thanking his lucky stars on Saturday after his team avoided the so-called 'Group of Death' and landed in a challenging but familiar pool at the 2015 Women's World Cup draw on Saturday. Herdman got just about everything he had wished for as he watched the balls pulled from the pots during an intimate ceremony conducted by FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke at the Canadian Museum of History. At number eight Canada is the highest ranked nation in Group A that includes China, the Netherlands and New Zealand, but there will be no pushovers with all four teams ranked inside the top 20. Certainly it was much better news than four years ago when Canada was lumped in with twice champions Germany, African champions Nigeria and France and failed to win a game. This year Herdman could smile and offer his sympathies to the top ranked United States who were drawn into a group alongside fifth-ranked Sweden, who conceded just one goal in 10 qualifying matches, 10th ranked Australia and always tricky Nigeria. "I think the soccer gods listened to us last night," Herdman told reporters. "We avoided that group of death. I mean, wow, that's a tough group." Herdman, who coached New Zealand at the 2007 and 2011 World Cups, had said on Friday that his dream draw would see Canada and his former-team together in the same pool. playing in the opener. He got half his wish when the 19th ranked Kiwis dropped into Group A but it was 14th ranked China that was awarded the honour of facing Canada in the opener on June 6 in Edmonton. Canada is familiar with all of their group opponents and will get to know them a bit better as they prepare for the Four Nations tournament next month in China. The top two teams in each of the World Cup's six groups plus the four best third-place finishers advance to the knockout round. "It's not the hardest group, it's not the easiest but certainly doable," said Herdman. "Over the last three years we've played all of those teams and beaten them. "We're looking to get into China for the Four Nations so we get a chance to play against the Chinese, which is pretty fantastic." (Editing by Gene Cherry)