Soccer-France hope experience will pay off at World Cup

By Julien Pretot PARIS, June 4 (Reuters) - France are gearing up for a pivotal Women's World Cup, hoping their recent club and country failures will help them to their maiden title in Canada. Les Bleues, who finished fourth at both the 2011 World Cup and 2012 London Olympics, enter the June 6-July 5 competition in Canada among the top favourites with a backbone of players from Olympique Lyonnais and Paris St Germain. The two clubs have been in five of the last six women's Champions League finals, Lyon winning two and PSG being beaten by Frankfurt in this year's final. "We have been improving, we have more experience, we need to build on that experience we gained with our clubs, too," said veteran PSG defender Laura Georges. "We have more experience from our victories and our defeats in the Champions League, the World Cup and the Olympics. "We've got more weapons now, I hope we will be using them." France finished fourth in Germany four years ago, after losing to the United States in the semi-finals before being beaten by Sweden in the third-place game. France, third in the FIFA rankings, are expected to advance from Group F where they will face England, Colombia and Mexico. Coach Philippe Bergeroo, who was appointed in 2013, believes the competition could be a turning point for women's soccer in France, where it has yet to become popular. "We know it is a capital moment for women soccer because if we manage to play decent in Canada, with the 2019 World Cup being played in France, it can be a good springboard for the sport (in France)," he said. Les Bleues will once again rely on French League top player Eugenie Le Sommer, the Lyon striker, but Bergeroo hopes the team spirit will be their best asset. "I give a big importance to the mindset of this team," he said, adding the players, not him, hold the hey to a great World Cup. "I can build a frame but I cannot paint inside of it. We have been working for 18 months on this project now. The team spirit is there." France kick off their tournament against England on June 9. (Editing by Frank Pingue)