While it was at times a seemingly uninspired performance by the Canadian women in Moncton, Wednesday’s 1-0 win over China should be seen as a step in the right direction for this squad as it prepares for the London Olympics.
It certainly wasn’t the most exciting game we’ve seen from coach John Herdman’s side since he took over the reins last fall, but understandably so. The opening game of the Olympics against Japan on July 25 is the main (if not only) concern for this group at the moment. So dazzling the 7000-plus fans in Moncton by taking a more offensive approach just wasn’t on Herdman’s list of things to do.
With the focus after January’s Olympic qualifying tournament being to tighten up the backline, the solid defensive performance Wednesday evening is the biggest positive that Canada will take away from the China match.
Herdman’s side was organized and anchored by centre-backs Carmelina Moscato and Candace Chapman, and there were very few instances where Canada was caught on its heels by the Chinese attack. The Canadian defence successfully kept the Chinese players in front of them at all times, and managed to absorb the dynamic runs from their strikers with ease.
Desiree Scott, a standout for Canada in January, impressed once again with her ability to track back and win tackles in crucial areas of the pitch. And the return of the injured Diana Matheson added even more security and support for the Canadian defence.
Offensively, the first half saw a few quality chances early on as Brittany Timko worked hard to get on the end of some great through-balls from the midfield. Unfortunately for Canada, Timko was unable to find her scoring touch and capitalize.
The clever combination play between Kelly Parker and Christine Sinclair also resulted in some near chances in the box in the first 45 minutes. Looking ahead, the chemistry between these two bodes well for Canada’s attack, as another weakness made apparent in January’s qualification was the lack of support for Sinclair up front.
The need for secondary scoring to ease the burden on Sinclair is an issue that still needs to be addressed.
Melissa Tancredi added a spark to the Canadian offence when she came in as a sub in the second half and will no doubt be an asset to the Canadian attack in London. They’ll absolutely be depending on Tancredi to provide some of that secondary scoring during the games, but it may not be enough.
Regardless of whether or not Canada was taking a defensive approach, Wednesday’s game (scoreless through 90 minutes of regular play) definitely reinforced the need for more Canadian players to step up and contribute offensively.
In the end, it was of course Sinclair’s late heroics that produced the game-winner for Canada. The free-kick goal was unquestionably the highlight of the game for any spectator that sat through the other 93 relatively lacklustre minutes of play.
In true Sinclair fashion, the well executed set piece by Matheson was clinically redirected in to the back of the net by Sinclair with the inside of her left foot. Sinclair made a great effort to gain position on her defender and put away the perfectly placed kick from Matheson.
Coach Herdman often talks about competing with what he calls "tier one" teams, meaning the top three teams in the world. In order to do that and reach the podium in London, the first step for Canada is to build a back-line strong enough and organized enough to withstand pressure from world class players such Alex Morgan of the United States, Japan’s Homare Sawa, and Brazil’s Marta.
China’s forward line certainly didn’t boast any "tier one" type of players, but if given more time and space, they could have been a lot more dangerous than they were. Canada’s back line was calm and composed throughout the entire game. They moved well as a unit, offered support when they needed to and limited the Chinese strikers to just two corners and three shots on net.
There was an obvious improvement in Canada’s entire defensive effort. As a result the Canadian women will leave Moncton with both a clean sheet and some added belief.
Belief that the work they’ve put in over the past two months of gruelling residency training in Vancouver is paying off; belief in Herdman’s plan; and belief that by the time they get to London, they’ll be ready.