Dreams Shattered

After all of the emotional high that came from Canada putting up such a strong fight against the best team in the world I had allowed myself to believe that they would beat France with relative ease and actually be a factor in this tournament.  Sadly that is not to be.  Maybe I was being a bit overly dramatic yesterday when I wondered to myself and all of twitter why I let myself actually believe in a Canadian Soccer team because like always they never seem to meet my expectations.  Having taken some distance back from the match and gotten over the initial awful feeling that I had for almost the entire game against France I can say that I was wrong to comment that this made the Gold Cup feel like a happy memory.  I am still proud of our countries women's team and I hope that they finish off strong against Nigeria and can then say that they represented this country well on the World Stage.

I think there was a fair bit of extra hype going around trying to convince us all that this team was capable of winning the Women's World Cup and it sounded so great that we all wanted to believe it to be true.  The fact is though that it took them a great run of results to get to number 6 in the world and it would probably have taken an almost perfect performance from our ladies to beat any of the 5 teams remaining above them.  Are they better then they showed against France, no doubt about that in my mind, but are they good enough to have been seriously considered as World Cup contenders, I am starting to doubt that.

The fact of the matter is that in the biggest game of many of these ladies careers they just did not have it. The back line once again looked questionable at best and were allowing shots from all over the field.  At the same time the attack was completely unable to put anything on goal that actually threatened to go in.  It is a terrible combination when you allow your opponents to test your keeper 10 times but you fail to test theirs even once.  I almost feel that the final score of 4-0 was a bit kind to Canada based on the way that they played in the second half.

But now I want to move on.  As a fan of Canadian soccer if I spent to long dwelling on all the bad games, the early exits, and the painful memories I would probably be suffering from some form of sports fan depression.  It is the delusions that we allow ourselves as sports fans that keep us coming back for more almost as if we are all gluttons for punishment.  It is the fans motto to believe that next year is always going to be our year no matter how bad we have been this year.  Things are always going to turn around and will get better, if we did not believe that then we would probably all just stop watching since what is the point when you already think your team is doomed to lose.  I will again be believing in this ladies team when the Olympics come around in 2012, same thing for the next World Cup in 2015.  That is just how it works for me as a fan and to be honest a lot of the younger players on this team did just enough in this World Cup to give me a reason to have faith that they will use this experience to come back better and stronger next time.  A defeat like this has to stay with you for the rest of your playing career because it is the kind of thing that can fuel you to greatness and as a delusional fan I think that this team can still be great.

Women's World Cup Underway

So if you live on twitter like many of us seem to do these days you have probably noticed that for the past 2 days the name Christine Sinclair has been trending and for good reason.  In case you are the one person out there who would be reading this and not already know about her performance I will fill you in.  On Sunday Christine proved that she should be the captain of Canada as well as being considered as one of the best players in the world.  She proved that she is capable of taking a free kick with as much skill as anyone in the world regardless of gender.  The free kick goal is only one part of what made her performance so memorable as she also broke her nose and then was seen waving away the trainers and returning to the field as quickly as possible.  There was no rolling around on the ground in pain, there was no calling for a sub, there was only a clear desire to return to play and do anything should could to help her team out.  There is no question that Sinclair would have been within her rights to take the rest of the match off with her nose broken and her team down 2-0 against the best team in the world but that is not how Christine Sinclair goes about her business.  After she returned to the field Sinclair was also seen telling one of the German's to get up off the ground after she went down as she wanted to keep the game going being desperate to get Canada back into the match.

Sinclair's free kick goal was a late effort that gave Canada an outside chance of stealing a draw but it was not to be.  The fact that it had been over 600 minutes since the German team had conceded a goal in the Women's world cup only makes the goal all the more impressive but for me it is all about the heart that she showed.  She led the team into a hostile environment against a team that was clearly favoured to win the game, and possibly the entire tournament.  Germany were the better team in the game and they controlled much of the chances but Canada proved that they belong playing against them and it was because of the efforts of players like Sinclair.

I do not want to make this post about the men's team but I feel that I would be remiss if I did not point out the fact that the men's team is lacking any sort of leadership and heart like Sinclair showed.  I am not going to question the commitment of the men because they are all giving a lot to be able to represent their country and I respect them for that but none of them seem to show the heart and hustle that Sinclair shows.  Would anyone in the men's team break their nose and then stay on?  I somehow doubt that.

The game on the whole was a decent showing for Canada and the fact that they only lost to the German's 2-1 is going to be good for them going forward.  The French team did not look great in their opening match so unless they improve in the coming matches Canada should be in a good position to get a crucial win.  Even if Canada settles for a draw against France they will be in a decent position to possibly take second place in the group based on goal difference since I think it is safe to say that neither France or Nigeria is going to stay within 1 of this German team.  Let me make one thing clear though this game against France is where the tournament really kicks off for Canada and they absolutely must get a result if they hope to move on.

The German team proved to me why they are the favourites to win this thing and why some people are calling them the best women's team of all time.  They had world player of the year nominees coming off the bench, there is just so much depth and talent in that side and the 2-1 scoreline might just be the closest that any of their games end in this tournament.

I am looking forward to seeing more of this tournament because in a lot of ways it is a more pure form of the game then the men's game has become.  It is not uncommon to watch a game and not see a single yellow card which is refreshing for myself as I get sick of seeing players picking up cautions all over the field in the men's game.  There is no diving problem running rampant and in the 3 games I have watched so far I constantly felt that the players out their were all giving their very best and that is great to see.  The game itself is hard to compare to the men's game because of the differences in physical abilities and technique but I do think it is possible to enjoy both of them for what they are.  This Women's world cup is definitely worth a watch though.

Oh and here is the goal:

Women's World Cup 2011: Roster Unveiled

In case you are still feeling sad about Canada being out of the Gold Cup it is time to turn that frown upside down.  In only 10 days the Canadian National Women's team will be taking to the field against Germany to kick off their World Cup campaign and as I will try to show to you in this post we have every reason to be excited about them.  This is a very good team and many experts have them as a team with the potential to make a push into the knockout rounds.  Who knows maybe they will do one better then they did in 2003 when they finished fourth, can dream right?

Last week the Canadian women's national team competed in their final tuneup game before this months World Cup kicks off.  The ladies claimed a comfortable 2-0 win over Korea DPR but once again fans were left wondering where the goals were.  The team has shown a vast improvement in terms of quality, fitness, and performance since Morace took over as head coach 2 years ago and now she has the team in a great position to turn some heads at the World Cup.  There is a clear sense of unity and confidence coming from the ladies on the team that can be seen in something as simple as the tweets that many of them are sending congratulating one another on major milestones and sharing their excitement for this tournament.  I for one have never noticed the ladies team being a closer knit bunch and more positive then they are now and that is thanks to the efforts that Morace has put in.

Morace now has the ladies up to an all time high rank of 6th in the World and with a good showing that is a ranking that could very well improve coming out of the World Cup.  There is no reason to not consider this team as a potential semifinalist.  Morace has had the team over in Europe already for a number of weeks with the ladies training in Rome which I expect will pay off in improved bonds between the players which should translate into them working better together during the games.  Morace has changes the entire culture around the team and taught them a new way of playing the game that is based around keeping possession of the ball and working to build chances.  That is a drastic change from the team that used to rely on hitting the ball long and hoping to take advantage of the great goal scorers we have had in recent years.  Morace's hard work has already paid some dividends in the form of a CONCACAF championship for the ladies as they did not concede a goal in their 5 matches in that tournament.  The win over North Korea also improved their record on the year to a very impressive 10-1-2.  So when the news came out last week that Morace would be staying around until at least after the 2012 olympics it was a move that only made good sense.  There is no reason to think that this team will not preform at the World Cup and by keeping Morace on they have ensured that there will be continued stability and growth.

Today Morace unvielled her 21 woman roster for the World Cup which Canada will open against the host, and world number 2, Germany on June 26.  Her roster came with very few surprises and contained a nice mixture of youth and experience.  It is clear that the team will look for a lot of veteran leadership Sinclair (159 caps, 116 goals), 31 year old keeper LeBlanc (in her fourth World Cup), Brittany Timko (100 caps in defence), and Diana Matheson ( over 100 appearances in the midfield).  With these ladies the team has a core of experience all over the field but the addition of some fresh faces make the team more exciting then it has ever been.

Here is Morace's 21 woman roster:

Goalkeepers: Karina LeBlanc (Unattached), Erin McLeod (magicJack), Stephanie Labbé (Piteå IF)

Defenders: Emily Zurrer (Vancouver Whitecaps FC), Robyn Gayle (Vancouver Whitecaps FC), Candace Chapman (Western New York Flash), Brittany Timko (Unattached), Marie-Eve Nault (Ottawa Fury)

Midfielders: Kelly Parker (Atlanta Beat), Carmelina Moscato (Unattached), Kaylyn Kyle (Vancouver Whitecaps FC), Rhian Wilkinson (Lillestrøm SK Kvinner), Diana Matheson (Lillestrøm SK Kvinner), Desiree Scott (Vancouver Whitecaps FC), Sophie Schmidt (Vancouver Whitecaps FC), Chelsea Stewart (Vancouver Whitecaps FC)

Forwards: Christine Sinclair (Western New York Flash), Melissa Tancredi (Vancouver Whitecaps FC), Jodi-Ann Robinson (Vancouver Whitecaps FC), Jonelle Filigno (Rutgers University), Christina Julien (Ottawa Fury)

Gold Cup: Day 9 (End of Canada)

So on Tuesday night there were two games in the Gold Cup but I trust that most of my readers watched the Canadian game.  With that in mind I am not overly going to discuss the events of the game but will instead focus on my feelings and reaction to the game, and Canada's Gold Cup effort as a whole.

The short version is that Canada needs to be better then they were the last three games.  The team that we saw against Ecuador showed potential and showed the ability to get forward but the team that showed up the last 3 matches looked completely unthreatening and at times they seemed lost for what they were doing.  The 4-5-1 seemed to me to be the root cause of the problems because when Hart was forced to make changes, mainly not playing Jackson alone up top, things picked up a bit.  It is actually a bad thing that Canada was at its very best in the second half of the US game because Ali Gerba was brought on.  If we are counting on Ali Gerba, still, to score goals then this world cup qualifying campaign is going to be a tough one.

The fact is that Canada played 3 matches in the Gold Cup and the only time that they scored was from 2 soft penalties.  They created very little from open play and maybe it was the game plan, or Atiba Hutchinson missing two matches, or maybe it is that Canada continues to lack a constant scoring threat from the striker position.  The teams leading scorer on the current roster is Dwayne De Rosario, with 15 goals, and he so often gets lost in games going long stretches without making any impact.  There is no one on this current team that you can count on to score with any regularity.  We have some decent midfielders, good enough to compete with out teams in CONCACAF I would say but the other areas need to be improved.  I have high hopes for Jackson but the truth is that he has a lot to learn and the system in place under Stephen Hart is not the right fit for him.  If you watch how Norwich use him, which works well, you can see how he is capable of being an effective attacker but for Canada he was often isolated and out matched by larger defenders.  Rob Friend and Ali Gerba on the other hand I do not have any confidence in at all.  I hear Friend can be good but have limited exposure to him for his club but again he is poorly used in Hart's tactics.  There is also Ricketts but I am going to reserve judgement on him since I have seen almost nothing of him and his few appearances for Canada have seemed decent but not enough to get a true sense.

The other issue that Canada faces is they lack that killer confidence.  They go into games against the USA overwhelmed and play like they are afraid of getting beaten and then when they do get scored on they struggle to find an answer.  Then even when we get ahead like we were against Panama there is this sense that the team are not strong enough to know how to hold on to that lead.  The best teams know that the easiest way to hold a lead is to push back against the team rather then just packing it in where you are basically just waiting for the other team to create chances and potentially score.  The goal that Canada conceded was quite unlucky but it was nothing less then Panama deserved as they had been taking the game to Canada for some time.  Would of course not have been an issue if Canada had converted some chances in the first half.  Now Canada has an average back line at best so that is never going to help and by the end of this Gold Cup they didn't have 4 players fit to play in their natural positions in the back line which is not going to help but maybe Hart should have brought another defender along for the tournament rather then someone like Pacheco just to pick a name.

The other area of the team that I was most concerned about going into this Gold Cup was in goal.  Hirschfeld has had a couple of great performances for Canada in the past but is not consistent enough to rely on in hopefully a long qualification run.  I was though pleased with what I saw from Milan Borjan.  He displayed good positioning, good judgement, and the ability to stop shots.  You can still tell that he has not been around top clubs and can use a fair bit of refinement but he has the potential and I was pleasantly surprised by that.

So Canada is now out of the Gold Cup and the next stop for the Men's National Team is World Cup qualifiers this fall.  The draw will almost certainly hand us something easy in the opening round of play but my fear is that we will win that without making the needed changes.  For me Hart needs to prove that he can get away from always using the 4-5-1 and have some tactical flexibility.  He needs to change something and get the team to the point where it is scoring goals from open play against the Panama's and Guadeloupe's of the world.  It is alright to be kept off the score sheet when you are up against a keeper like Tim Howard, who is class, but against other teams we need to find a way to manufacture goals.  I can not sit here and offer a solution, if I could I would be coaching at a high level, but I can say that in my opinion if Hart does not show the willingness and ability to mix it up this fall then it should cost him his job.  We should be winning these early qualifying games no matter what, that is not good enough though.  Canada needs to be using these games to get much better.  We have to be in the top 8 teams and CONCACAF and I would like to see us go far in qualifiers, even if the World Cup is still a distant dream, but based on the Gold Cup performance we have a long way to go to prove that we are right with the second tier of teams in the region.

The American team also played last night and to be fair they were terrible.  They have been poor all the way through the group stage and seem to be a long way from hitting their stride.  For me, and I have heard a few others saying this, they have only made it out of the group stage because of their natural talent and having some of the best players in the tournament.  If you look at how Mexico has preformed and look at the States then they have a lot of work to do if they want to overcome Mexico at some point and potentially win this thing.  Clint Dempsey was at the centre of the Americans bad play in the group stage as he seemed to just not be sharp at all and wasted chance after chance after chance with him being at his worst last night.  Dempsey should have had a hat trick and put the game beyond a doubt for the US but instead he got nothing.  Canada may be the team going home but the Americans have underachieved just as much and could be joining Canada in the coming days.


So with no more Gold Cup for Canada what do you have to look forward to?  Well Canada is about to enter in to two more competitions in including the U-17's and then the Women's World Cup later this month.  Personally I am very excited for the WWC and think that Canada are a team that can turn some heads.
I will try to cover that tournament and preview it in the coming weeks as well as continuing with some Gold Cup coverage and TFC coverage.  Going to be a great summer for soccer in this country!