Spain 'united' despite controversy prior WC

Spain's build-up to the Women's World Cup was mired in an ugly player mutiny, but coach Jorge Vilda said there are no cracks in his squad ahead of their World Cup quarter-final game on Friday against the Netherlands.

"The team is united. They are true professionals… Today we trained in 6 degrees, windy, they did an excellent training session," Vilda told reporters on Thursday.

Last September, 15 players declared themselves unavailable for selection around events they said impacted their emotional and physical health, directing the bulk of their complaints at Vilda. However, the Spanish federation backed the 42-year-old coach who has coached Spain's senior team since 2015.

While only six of those players are at the World Cup, La Roja has already made history by qualifying for the quarter-finals for the first time in three appearances.

Friday's winner will face either Japan or Sweden in the semi-finals on Tuesday in Auckland.