Home Uncategorized Canadian women dominate the hosts, set semifinal date with the Americans

Canadian women dominate the hosts, set semifinal date with the Americans

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Jonelle Filigno
The Canadian women’s national team has made it to the final four of the Olympic women’s soccer tournament. The 2-0 win over Great Britain might just be seen as the day the Canadians exorcised all the demons that may have lingered from Carolina Morace’s reign as head coach — and the winless campaign at the Women’s World Cup which led to her exit. Since going down 2-0 Sweden in their last group-stage match, Canada has looked confident, composed and in control of their game. Canada rallied to get the draw against the Swedes and, despite one very good chance from the British — a close-range header from Karen Carney that drifted wide — Big Red simply dominated the home side. And, let’s be clear — Canada should beat the Brits; in recent years, Canada hasn’t has issues handling either England or Scotland in international matches. This Team GB was a side that was pretty well an England team with Scottish midfield star Kim Little thrown in for good measure. But Canada overcame a partisan packed house. We can’t discount that. Leading 2-0 in the second half, the British team had decent spells of possession, but rarely threatened Canadian keeper Erin McLeod’s goal. The crowd booed and hissed every time a British player hit the deck, but the Canadians were not rattled. A patched-up backline, bolstered by the stellar reads and physical dominance of holding midfielder Desiree Scott, held up remarkably well against a British team that huffed and puffed but couldn’t bring down the Canadian brick house. Canada silenced the crowd early; Jonelle Filigno met Sophie Schmidt’s corner kick with a perfect half-volley that went into the top corner of the British goal. Remember that Filigno, who was nursing an injury and didn’t play in the Olympic qualifiers, was brought back into the team by coach John Herdman. The coach made the hard decision to sacrifice Christina Julien’s position to bring Filigno back into the team — and, for that one goal alone, the gamble came through, big time. The second goal came on a perfect free kick from Christine Sinclair, her 140th career goal for her country. It came off a foul that was created by a clever run from Scott — who didn’t score, but was the best player on the pitch. Take this to heart: If Canada manages a soccer medal at the Olympics, the year-end debate of who should be named this country’s athlete of the year shouldn’t be a debate at all. What has held Sinclair back in the past is the team’s lack of international success. But if there is a medal — of any colour — around her neck in a week’s time, she should take the year-end national honours. Herdman worked hard to rebuild this team’s confidence. He brought in renowned sports psychologist to work with the team. He brought in a more democratic coaching system, inviting input from the players. He asked veteran players to embrace new roles and new ways of playing. He said that Canada needed to cross the bridge; it needed to move from being a team that beat the teams behind it in the rankings and lost to the teams ahead of it in the rankings to being a team that could compete with the likes of Japan, France and the United States. The U.S. lies in wait on Monday — and we will see if the final stage of Herdman’s plan can come to fruition. RELATED: Canada to face Arsenal (OK, Team GB) in Olympic quarters (CLICK) Canada shows us mental toughness with two-goal fightback against Sweden (CLICK)

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