Thank you cpthomas. I was not responding to all US fans just this one person who comes on here and likes to hurl insults our way...and well that just became a bit much to take. He/she seems to be living in the past. I will not respond to them again. I like the US team and was surprised that they lost. Stuff happens. We can debate to our graves what happened in 2012. A classic game. Who knows what would have happened if the Norwegian ref had not missed and made so many atrocious calls. Anyway I believe most CDN fans are way past that and are just excited about this version of CDN's team. The young kids have really stepped up and Sincy is getting major support for the first time. Thank you for your rational take on things. Go CDN Go!!!!
Yes Canada plays an aggressive style of soccer - but so does the USA. Passive usually doesn't win much in this world. Both teams are considered around the world as 'physical' teams. I don't agree that Canadians play dirty soccer - sometimes they can be clumsy but dirty implies intent. Yes I know about Tancredi retaliating against Carli Lloyd. She shouldn't have done that (it was dirty), but Lloyd did some stuff to provoke her and she over-reacted in the heat of the moment. Having said that, we also have to acknowledge that Lloyd is no angel, right? Again, I read enough on the USA forums to know Lloyd's reputation amongst USA fans. Sampson can think what he wants about Herdman but really, so what? Lots of US fans and media think badly of their own coaches... I've read enough posts on the U.S. forums to know that is true without a doubt. Again, so what? In any case, the Canadian style is changing (really this is the case for the women's game around the world). Technical skills and tactical awareness are improving by leaps and bounds, which is great. It won't be that long before the Canadian and USA style of play look a lot more similar than today, as it seems we're all headed in the same direction.
You can't compare fans on a message board to international coaches at WC and Olympics calling out Herdman for his gamesmanship and deliberate comments. incredibly different. Herdman pulled the same shit at the 12 olympics and the WC. such as saying before the NZ WC match "We are a better team than NZ." etc etc.. That's Hope Solo quality shit. As far as play goes, you do realize Canada leads the tournament in Fouls, Yellow Cards and Red cards. And there were uncalled red cards against France. I think this team is more confident which is helping their results, but their style of play hasn't improved much, canada still depend on disruptive tackles and physicality to win. (in matches won against Germany you had 23% of possession. Australia 36% and France 42% and were outshot.) And yes, of course we criticize our coaches, we aren't blind or ignorant. except for @cpthomas. We are quick to call out our shitty performances or poor off/on field behavior. (Sunil publicly shamed Hope for her comments or Michelle Akers publicly calling out our poor, unimaginative WC group play, etc. etc..). You have fought and won and that's what matters in tournaments, but your fans, press and team seem to be oblivious to your average (but determined) play and shitty behavior, especially from your coach.
Sorry but I think you have missunderstood the concept. What you taking about is infrastructure and the one for WoSo in the US is good, possible as good as the Euro ones even when women' get access to the entire infrastructure. And participation/expectation that girl should play soccer, better in US than anywhere else in the World except Scandinavia (and then only in Sweden, Norway and Iceland). Both are very important but... Soccer culture is that the society is so full of soccer that you pretty much have to actively avoid learning to not pick up basic tactics, strategy etc. Where you can open any newspaper and read about soccer, put on the telly pretty much anytime and see a soccer game (perhaps not live) even without expensive extra channels, talk with pretty much any stranger and have a initiated soccer discussion (even if it would have to be about men´s soccer or soccer in general).
I think a gold medal win by Brazil will have more of an impact for young women playing the game in their country and their home leagues than it would for Canada, Germany or Sweden.
In China, males have a xiangqi (Chinese chess) culture. 90%+ of them know the rules, play casually, and spectate and kibitz about games. Get any family gathering or after-school hangout around a concrete table tennis slab, and somebody's grumpy old uncle and his smoking buddy will whip out their cloth travel xiangqi set, play that gambit agan, and argue politics, the economy, and whether the double-pin is worth the congestion, etc. And all of the young teen boys will huddle around them, watch with interest, and voice their opinions. It's kind of adorable, in an intimidating way. USA kids aren't that involved about any one thing, except maybe guessing the Wheel of Fortune puzzle before the contestants do I always thought that "soccer culture" was the same sort of thing, except for soccer, e.g. everybody intelligently discusses whether we should play 4-2-3-1 with Lloyd as a withdrawn forward, or 4-4-2 and push the wingbacks up. (We do that here, but BigSoccer is only a niche ) Maybe what we need is an e-soccer game fad, to tap into the teeming hordes of Xbox couch potatoes
You seem determined if nothing else. You do realize that soccer experts are criticizing Ellis, right? Again, so what? It's so much easier to criticize than get the job done yourself. Any comparison between Herdman and Hope is rediculous. Herdman didn't call New Zealand cowards, he just stated the obvious. Canada is higher ranked than New Zealand right? No crime there. Are you telling me that no US coach has said they're the best team in the world and they expect win every game they play? Lol. Canada's style has changed a lot for the better over the last decade. They were playing a man down against Australia for almost the entire game, so of course they were out-possessed. The Germany game wasn't so good. Canada seemed a bit panicky and it showed. They were giving up possession too cheaply all game. The game against France was much better. Nothing to criticize there. 42% possession is respectable against the best possession team in the world. But we all know possession doesn't win soccer games, right? Canadian fans and media were incredibly critical of Canada's play in the 2011 WWC, so they can be critical too. Not too many Canadian fans post on these boards, so you won't see what they have to say here. If you go to the voyageurs site you'll see lots of critique. I guess the big question is, why are you so negative towards Canada in particular? I suppose it's because you see Canada as a rival and a future threat. Of course, I expect you to deny that.
Yo ! Canadian here. Canada vs France was not a good example of how good the women's game can be. Jill Ellis is a very good tactician. Her players shooting let her down.
I know the post wasn't directed at me, but I doubt you'll find many that don't already see Canada as a rival, and competition in CONCACAF. And 2012 was the start.