if you don't know, then by all means make the most sweeping and simplistic generalizations possible. under no circumstances take into account an honest attempt at explanation from someone who has watched the players in question a great deal for both club and country. OL also ran roughshod in the last half hour over an INAC that had them running in circles for an hour. so i suppose no one in japan trains either? canada also subbed in girls who made a difference. SIX players in at the end hadn't played in the first half. kyle didn't just score the goal, she was the most visible player on the whole field in the last half hour. robinson and gayle also very active. bini used four subs, but two were on the front line where the game wasn't happening anymore, one was a 21 year old for her first cap and the 4th was soubeyrand... i stand by everything in my previous post.
Did France have fewer subs available, no depth, what? I thought both teams got 6 subs. France keeps losing leads at the end of matches. You come up with an explanation that's better than they get tired and the second tier is so much worse than other teams second tier. Or they are lazy at the end. But "Bruno is an ass" sounds pretty simplistic also? The players had something to do with it.
That's true, I saw it. The French players each had individual storm clouds while the Canadians basked in glorious sunshine.
West Virginia must be pretty happy with the play of Kedeisha Buchanan. Playing Centerback for Canada against a very dangerous possession based team like France all game. Very impressive considering she is only 17yrs old and the Canadian backline was under siege all game long. Looks like Canada has a future star back there.
Disappointing result as England do to Canada what we've been doing to France the past few meetings. England deserved the win, had more scoring chances, although none too difficult for McLeod, who played consistently well. These are the "tough times ahead" that coach Herdman alluded to. Blooding new players and the unfamiliarity are leading to performances far off the Olympic level. British commentator Faye White often alluded to the fact that Canada was trying to play the ball out of the back but there are some growing pains visible once the ball got out of the back. But, better to experiment now than 2015 where all this is leading. Offensively. it was a very poor day at the office and to those not familiar with the CWNT who want to use the old stereotype of Canada being a "direct" team, if we were, we would have had some scoring chances. Also we found through Pellerud that although "direct" play is designed to create scoring chances, it is rarely effective against top ranked teams. That's why we don't play that way anymore but our ball movement today was off. Full credit to England for a good showing considering how well we handled them during the Olympics, they have come on strong.
Yup, slight improvement for Canada that didn't last long. Some of the more reactionary posters at Vs are calling time on some of the vets and for once I tend to agree with them. One is even calling for Sinclair to be dropped. A little premature on that, I'd say. In the past two games really only McLeod and Moscato have played decently among the vets. They're not hoofing it up the field but their passing hasn't been good either. They look unsettled more than uncomfortable. I've seen the panic of the "direct" days and this isn't it. This is transition for the next generation to carry us to 2015, the baby steps have started. Although McLeod has done well, they've got to get another keeper into the picture: Labbe or D'Angelo. Further evidence of the Herdman experimenting was the starting (basically out of nowhere) of 25 year old Kylla Sjoman. She played at the youth level way back in the mid 2000's.
Great analisys Moaca , England did more than Canada so the result is fair . Canada clearly needs someone with playmakering ability , a good vision and creativity , the midfield trio Schmidt -Scott-Matheson is combative but part from Matheson...and not always ...no one is able to link the defense with the offense....Sinclair is better when she plays with someone at her side , like Tancredi for example , alone she is not able to do interesting things ....If I was Herdman I will start to build Canada by taking annotation of the last 30 minutes against France , when Kyle played just behind Sinclair . Kaylin is definitely the ones with the best technical abilities bar Sinclair , she needs to have the ball on her feet more often , her play link with Sinclair could be interesting , in my opinion she must play AM just behind the main striker , as a winger she is wasted . I didn't know Kadeisha Buchanan until the match against us , after see her two matches consecutively I am totally impress , she is a great player in the making .
Boy did you hit the nail on the head re Sinclair. I remember a few years ago she teamed up very well with Tanc in a few games but then they never played them together again. Pardon the analogy, but in the 1987 Canada Cup (hockey) they wouldn't play Gretzky and Lemieux (the two greatest players on the planet) together. When they were finally put together they were unstoppable. When Sinc and Tanc were finally put together again it worked very well. I don't know if KK is the right player for that position but Leon could be. Jenna Richardson from the U20s is also very good on the ball. but kind of lightweight. If you're going to play such an intimidating team as the USA sometimes you need a tank like Tanc to take care of business. Really missing Tanc now, but she's gotta retire sometime (she may play the friendly against the USA)
Not too damn many! Schmidt's game seems to have dropped off the shelf lately, hopefully that's a temporary glitch. But for two or three others the Olympics may have been their zenith and the upcoming USA friendly may be their final tribute (or should be).
I think when you have two up top and everyone else defending the box, nobody is going to get Christine touches. And without touches, she is a potted palm. It didn't work with Pelerud, it won't work with Herdman. This team is not playing ( by design, it seems) what got them so far last year, and it isn't just Tancredi's absence or Sophie being off form. They lost the game when Sophie left the pitch. It was tied with her on. I undestand protecting young kids with numbers, but expecting a miracle run from Sinc just Not going to get it done.
WTH are you talking about? Is your devotion to an old stereotype destroying your sight? Were you watching some retro game from 2002?
think you need to look at that game again. There was very little buildup and lots of folks in the box. Kyle and Sinclair were alone with three defenders at midfield with no midfielders between.
Had we been bunkering as you suggest, the English wouldn't have had as many chances as they did. We're not effective because we are in transition and to some degree experimenting and because the execution is not yet there doesn't mean we are reverting back to kick and chase.
Herdman has stated he was willing to experiment (new players, strategies) to the point of "dropping out" of the top 10 in the rankings and as we are guaranteed a spot as host for WWC 2015, he's able to do just that. A little history of why we look different than the team from the Olympics (talent pool below, next generation in bold) Herdman: Tough times ahead for women’s soccer in Canada Steven Sandor 12/04/2012 It’s reality-check time for women’s soccer in Canada. Fresh off a bronze medal at the 2012 Olympics and the news that the Canadian Soccer Association will fund 16 slots in a new American women’s pro league, it would be easy for followers of the women’s national team to be giddy about the future. But women’s national-team coach John Herdman isn’t so sure. Instead or rosy prognostications about women’s soccer in Canada, he said it’s time for us to lower our expectations, as time has come for the program to take a few lumps. “We’re going to take a couple of steps back before we go forward again,” said Herdman. Herdman announced a youthful roster for a Canadian women’s camp that will be held in Vancouver that begins Dec. 12 and goes till the 20th. Herdman left off any senior players who had college or pro soccer commitments after the Olympics. And, with that room,, he’s called up five members of Canada’s U-20 squad and four more who were part of thr U-17 team this year — Kadeisha Buchanan, Summer Clarke, Nichelle Prince and Ashley Lawrence. But it’s not a move he’s entirely comfortable to make. Instead of being buoyed by the Olympic win, Herdman sees a cloudy future. By the time Canada hosts the Women’s World Cup, the core of the bronze-medal team will all be thirtysomethings. And he said there’s a significant gap when it comes to players who are 22-25 years of age in this country. There’s a dearth of talent. “The conveyor belt is not operating properly,” he said in a Tuesday conference call with media. “We need to fix that conveyor belt.” That is, there isn’t a steady stream of talent coming through the system. It’s coming in stops and starts. So, to make up for the lack of elite players in their early 20s, Herdman has to go to the U-20s and U-17s and give them their baptisms of fire. And, as he works in these players, he said Canadians shouldn’t have high hopes for friendlies and tournaments ahead of 2015. The key is to get this group ready for the World Cup. “Our system needs to be revised,” said Herdman. And he admitted that a team can absorb the introduction of a “couple of these (youth)” players” but added that he doesn’t think any team could sustain an introduction of as many youth players as he’ll be inviting to camp. That’s what makes this project just a little bit scary for the program. Yes, come January, many other senior players will be back in the fold. But, with that gap in talent will come a time when Herdman will have to make a dramatic changeover in the squad. CANADA ROSTER Booth, Melanie | 1984 | Burlington, ON, CAN | Burlington Youth SC Buchanan, Kadeisha | 1995 | Mississauga, ON, CAN | Brams United SC Cameron, Tiffany | 1991 | Mississauga, ON, CAN | North Mississauga Clarke, Summer | 1995 | Richmond, BC, CAN | Richmond Girls SA D’Angelo, Sabrina | 1993 | Welland, ON, CAN | Welland Wizards Kyle, Kaylyn | 1988 | Saskatoon, SK, CAN | Silverwood Rangers Lagonia, Alyssa | 1989 | Kitchener, ON, CAN | Kitchener Minor SA Lawrence, Ashley | 1995 | Calendon East, ON, CAN | Brams United SC LeBlanc, Karina | 1980 | Maple Ridge, BC, CAN | Golden Ears Angels Leon, Adriana | 1992 | Maple, ON, CAN | Vaughan Azzuri McCalla, Brooke | 1987 | Pickering, ON, CAN | Pickering McCarthy, Bryanna | 1991 | Ajax, ON, CAN | Ajax Warriors McLeod, Erin | 1983 | Edmonton & Calgary, AB, CAN | St. Albert Moscato, Carmelina | 1984 | Mississauga, ON, CAN | Dixie SC Mottershead, Alyscha | 1991 | Brampton, ON, CAN | Brams United Girls SC Oduro, Christabel | 1992 | Brampton, ON, CAN | Brampton United Flames Prince, Nichelle | 1995 | Ajax, ON, CAN | Ajax SC Richardson, Jenna | 1992 | Vancouver, BC, CAN | Semiahmoo Robinson, Jodi-Ann | 1989 | Richmond, BC, CAN | Richmond SC Schmidt, Sophie | 1988 | Abbotsford, BC, CAN | Abbotsford Scott, Desiree | 1987 | Winnipeg, MB, CAN | Maples Cougars Sesselmann, Lauren | 1983 | Green Bay, WI, USA | St. Bernard Elementary School Sinclair, Christine | 1983 | Burnaby, BC, CAN | South Burnaby Metro Club Bees Tancredi, Melissa | 1981 | Ancaster, ON, CAN | Ancaster Timko, Brittany | 1985 | Coquitlam, BC, CAN | Coquitlam City Panthers Zadorsky, Shelina | 1992 | London, ON, CAN | Kitchener Zurrer, Emily | 1987 | Crofton, BC, CAN | Cowichan Valley
Herdman's comments got me to thinking that there haven't been as many star Canadian players in the NCAA in the last few years. Sinclair, of course, was one of the greatest college players when she was at Portland, perhaps the greatest at the time. Sophie Schmidt at Portland and Erin McLeod at Penn State were also among the top players at prominent schools. Now, while that doesn't mean other excellent national team players can't emerge from relative college obscurity (for example, I had no idea who Desiree Scott was 2 years ago), it does set you to wondering if there was a 4 or 5 year talent gap. The only other really prominent NCAA player I can think of from Canada since Schmidt was Kara Lang, whose career was unfortunately derailed by knee injuries.
Lang played before Schmidt. What caused this was increased national full-time funding around that time which encouraged older players to stay in the system. Canada has no U23 program and the U20 program isn't very serious. Without visibility in the senior program you're receiving little help in developing at an international level (which would translate to higher NCAA visibility). But it's all relative, as Ms. Buchanan has demonstrated. Also, of the roster above I believe the lions share of minutes this week went to regulars with Buchanan, Sjoman and Cameron as the irregulars. In the professional men's game that's more weekly squad management as opposed to an about face. England are in the performance phase for the EURO and on track. You could argue elegantly and convincingly otherwise, but the bottom line is these games mean nothing for Canada. The next 18 months are experimentation and cooking in the kitchen to find the right ingredients.
Just to illustrate, here are the total "newcomer" minutes in the France/England games. Some also featured with more minutes in the Cyprus Cup and Yongchuan Cup Kadeisha Buchanan 180 minutes Tiffany Cameron 124 Kylla Sjoman 75 Adriana Leon 65 Jodi-Ann Robinson 46 Ashley Lawrence 2 Notes: Jodi-Ann Robinson featured with the team as a teen phenom in 2005 before being away from the NT (she will turn 24 next week). Kylla Sjoman who will turn 26 in August made her senior debut against England. She was 15 when she made her debut in the Canadian youth program in 2003 Christabel Oduro (20 years old) saw significant minutes (86) in two games in Cyprus
Calling Robinson a newcomer is ridiculous. She's played almost every year for a decade. France gave caps and newcomer minutes to Soyer and Butel against us, Delannoy against Holland/Brazil, and Houara against Germany. And they're the opposite of a footballing revolution. Moving players in and out is normal.