Despite having defender Shelina Zadorsky sent off in the 18th minute, despite a penalty miss, the Canadian national women’s team opened the Olympic soccer tournament with a 2-0 win over the world No. 5-ranked Australians in Sao Paulo.

The Canadian women’s national team that faced Brazil on Saturday in Toronto was disjointed and deserved to lose. The Canadian women’s team that faced Brazil Tuesday in Ottawa was nothing like that.

“It’s a tough test for us,” said Canadian women’s team coach John Herdman. “But, certainly, not a team that frightens Canada too much.”

“Same old Canada, we’re not scoring,” Herdman admitted. “When we get great opportunities. we’ve got to take them."

This country’s greatest ever goal scorer added two more beauties to her resume, as Canada beat Costa Rica 3-1 Friday in the CONCACAF Olympic qualifying semifinal. The two finalists in Houston earn Rio berths, so it’s mission accomplished for Canada.

When Canada Soccer tweeted out the starting XI for Sunday’s Olympic qualifying match, it was like a flashback to the early ‘50s. Had Canadian national women’s team coach John Herdman connected with his inner Magical Magyar? The 2-4-4 formation shown on the team sheet would have made Gusztav Sebes proud.

But, if there’s a positive to come out of the first two games of the Natal Tournament in Brazil, it’s that we may, finally, have other scoring options to talk about.

Flattered by the success of the Olympic bronze medal in 2012, the Canadian women’s national team may have been as glittery as fool’s gold to casual sports fans. But, really, with the team’s offensive issues and lack of stars in the primes of their careers, was elimination at the quarter-final pretty much inevitable?

Canada’s players had to give the fans at BC Place a teary salute after they lost their Women’s World Cup quarter-final to the English. The success of the team at the London Olympics was a feel-good story that lingered for three years. But did loyalties that were spawned in the Olympic run come back to haunt Canada in 2015? Damn straight they did...

The Sophie Schmidt show was good enough to beat England. She scored a fantastic goal from just outside the penalty area, had a free kick fly just inches over the bar, and had a good attempt off a short-corner set piece.