One of the brightest emerging talents at this summer’s FIFA Women’s World Cup has been Kadeisha Buchanan.
The 19-year-old centre-back has made her presence felt in each of Canada’s three group stage matches. She’s been an absolute force on the back line and is one of the main reasons the Reds kept two clean sheets and finished at the top of Group A.
The bar has been set high for the Toronto-born defender, with coach John Herdman referring to her as one of the best central defenders in the world. Even with that weight on her shoulders, the youngster is striving on soccer’s biggest stage.
Sportsnet chatted one-on-one with Buchanan ahead of Canada’s second round match vs. Switzerland on Sunday in Vancouver.
With three matches now in the books for you, has the quality of play and competition lived up to the expectations you had prior to the start of the tournament?
I think the way it has played out, definitely. We won our group. I think that’s what we wanted as our end goal. I feel like the team is on track. We weren’t surprised at all we face Switzerland. We’re good and we’re ready to go for that. I feel like everything’s fallen into place. So far, so good.
How do you think last year’s U-20 FIFA Women’s World Cup prepared you for what you’re experiencing right now?
I feel like the atmosphere is one. A lot of fans came out to the U-20s. Obviously, there’s a bit more now, but I was prepared and ready to play in this atmosphere. And the preparation with things like travel days, it’s pretty similar to what the U-20 is. There’s that level of concentration that was needed in the U-20s that I maybe didn’t have at that time. I now feel more focused in every game.
You have a close relationship with teammate Ashley Lawrence, from your time growing up in Ontario to now playing together at West Virginia University. What was it like seeing her score versus the Netherlands in Montreal?
It was crazy! I felt so proud and I felt like I scored the goal. I felt so connected to her at that moment. I was super happy. It was a great moment to score her first goal that put us at the top of our group. I was really proud of her in that moment. There are many more to come from her. Every game, she’s improving and taking more shots. I definitely feel like there’s more to come from her.
What about your family? Have they been able to come out to any matches?
I did have family based in Edmonton, so they came out for the first two games. In Montreal, my mom and my sisters came out to that game as well. It’s been good so far, but unfortunately, I don’t have a lot of family in Vancouver. Maybe my cousin might travel from Edmonton to Vancouver for this game. They’ve been so proud of me. I get messages of how proud they are and how happy they are.
You were partnered with both Lauren Sesselmann and Carmelina Moscato in the middle of defence during the group stage. Do you ever have to adapt your style differently, depending on your centre-back partner?
Not too much. I feel like they are similar, but they are different in a few ways. I’ve been practising with both of them on and off throughout this whole journey, these three years. I’ve played with Sess a good amount of caps and I’ve played with Carm for a lot of caps. They’re two different players, but I feel the game structure doesn’t change much. I feel like there’s not much that changes in my game based on what they do.
What adjustments do you think the team needs to make in the knockout stage to make a deep run in the tournament?
In Montreal, we started out strong. We need to keep that momentum high and be more resilient when it comes to the end of the game. We need to secure the win and we need to concentrate on that. Basically, take the lead early in the game and try to find ways to control the game, the tempo.
What do you know about your next opponent, Switzerland?
I’ve been watching them throughout the tournament, but now I’m picking out certain clips and certain parts of the game. They have two top strikers that combine very well with each other. I think our job is to nullify their threats. I feel like we’ll be in a good space in that game.