July 24, 2015 • Blog, The Power 50, Uncategorized
To understand how far the Canadian women’s national team has come, you have to know where it’s been. Startthree years ago at the 2012 Olympics when Canada played against a heavily-favoured U.S. squad in the semi-finalsat Old Trafford stadium in Manchester, England. It was one of Christine Sinclair’s brightest moments, scoring a hat trick and putting the Canadian team in front three times. The game, however, was not decided by any of the players on the pitch, but rather by Norwegian referee Christina Pedersen who made a series of bad calls.
The Canadians and Sinclair went on to win Olympic Bronze, but they left with a chip on their shoulders. In a tournament where Canada seemed destined to make it to the finals, many felt like they had been robbed. Fast-forward to today, and you’ll get a sense of what’s on the line. There has never been so much excitement around a Canadian soccer team, either men’s or women’s. On a warm Friday night in Hamilton, Ontario, the Canadians played their final tune-up game against England, a team two spots ahead of them on FIFA’s international rankings, downing them 1-0 as a sea of red cheered them on.
Canadian coach John Herdman has said that the team needs to play aggressive, attractive football if they want successat the FIFA Women’s World Cup, which is being played insix Canadian cities, beginning on June 6. It’s not just about winning for Herdman, an exuberant Englishman who took the coaching job in 2011 because of Sinclair. The larger goal is to inspire a generation of Canadians and to get every last drop out of home-field advantage. He knows as well as anyonethat the Canadians are not the favourites and that the U.S. squad poses a serious challenge.
The American team has Canadian-born Sydney Leroux backing up a pair of dominant strikers in Abby Wambach and Alex Morgan, the former and new biggest names in soccer. When Leroux left the Canadian program after playing for the under-19 team, it left the Red and White searching for a replacement for the national team. They may have found it in 17-year-old Jessie Fleming, who has already been dubbed the next Sinclair. In the past year and a half, she was voted Canada’s top female soccer player under 17, and played on a pair of world cup teams (U17 & U19) that reached the quarter-finals.
Fleming will help Canada win the midfield with Sophie Schmidt, who netted Canada’s only goal in their 1-0 against England. She’s a two-way midfielder whose recent breakout performance could relieve the pressure from Sinclair.
The Canadians will also need a big performance from striker Melissa Tancredi, who will be on the left side of the Canadian attack. In the Bronze medal run in London, she proved herself adept at both setting-up scoring opportunities and finding the net herself. With a nickname like “Tanc,” she’s certain to make an impact with her aggressive and powerful style of play.
No one has said that this will be an easy road for the Canadian team. But no one has said it’s impossible, either. - JG
FIFA Women's World CupSinclairThe Power 50
Related Posts
« 39. Digital Streaming Services 41. Music Festivals »
