Women's World Cup, Canada - France, Running Blog

Christine Sinclair is wearing an awesome face mask, but if it gets loose, it could be hard for her to do those quick turn and shoots.
Players are in the tunnel. The mask does look pretty snug on Sinclair. The camera is finding a lot of Canadian fans in the stands, as compared to the previous game versus Germany.
France's players are the underdogs here, though the teams are ranked close together.
"Oh, Canada, we stand on guard for thee!"
vs
Aux armes, citoyens,
Formez vos bataillons!

1 - Oops, ESPN graphic was wrong - McLeod is still in goal for Canada.
2 - Bompastor is tricky player, in contrast to Canada's more direct attack.
5 -Sloppy France handball gives Canada a freekick chance, but desperate defending denies Sinclair on the attack that follows kick.
6 - On the other end, McLeod comes out for a France break.
8 - France trying to go over the top of the defense, but they're much shorter than the Canadian backline.
11 - It may be a weird sentiment, but I don't think Canada plays as well in their white unis as they do in their red ones.
15 - Matheson blows a chance in the box, taking an extra touch after reaching the ball, instead of just firing. Ruthless, Matheson, you have to be ruthless.
16 - Like Abily there, kicking on Schmidt while on the ground. Ruthless, though not very sporting.
19 - France is holding strong against Canada - who look frustrated.
22 - McLeod out of her box again to kill a France attack.
24 - GOAL! Thiney! Necib stole a ball and got it to Bompastor, I think, whose shot bounced up to a ready Thiney, whose header popped over McLeod as she came out. 1-0 France.
26 - McLeod might have done better to hold her line and try to stop the shot.
27 - Two losses and Canada is likely eliminated.
29 - Delie creating worlds of trouble for Canada's defense.
31 - Necib with a quality outside shot that forced McLeod into a great save.
32 - The ensuing corner leads to another. Canada's players are clearly shocked that they're in their own end so much. They finally clear it.
34 - Fantastic build-up play from France, but Delie just misses on the header.
36 - Chapman's freekick easily cleared - Canada just isn't threatening France right now.
37 - Seriously, this game is Exhibit A for how Morace's on the ground approach for Canada may not be as effective as Pellurud's direct approach was.
49 - Because so far, France is much better on the ground than Canada.
50 - Matheson with Canada's first shot of the match. It's wide.
40 - Sinclair from distance, misses even worse.
42 - France back near Canada's goal. They earn a corner.
43 - Canada escape that threat, but they look baffled by France, still.
44- Necib almost has an Olympic goal, bending it from the corner kick, but McLeod barely punches it out.
45 - France look closer to scoring a second than Canada does to equalize.

Halftime: The problem with some teams with a big star player like Sinclair is that they take their cue from that one star so entirely, that they don't regroup well when that star is hobbled for any reason. Canada should have another plan of attack besides Sinclair.
That said, Canada could just be really tired. They toiled mightily versus Germany. France had an easier start, though Nigeria is a lively team.
Pia talking openly about here lineup options again - Lory Lindsey might come in for Boxx or Carli Lloyd. It could be that Boxx needs a rest.
46 - Teams are back on the field - let's see if Canada can regroup.
47 - Thiney holds the ball well against one of Canda's best players, Schmidt.
48 - Sinclair clatters into the goalkeeper Sapowicz
49 - Delie in the box again, but she can't catch up to a long pass.
50 - Canada with a long shot. Wide. They're rushing everything, not building up play.
51 - Necib in the box, but a Canada defender takes the ball away.
52 - Sapowicz gets Matheson sliding into her face in the box, which gets Matheson a yellow. Sapowicz is tough, most goalkeepers would have cleared that ball with their feet, instead of risking their face by diving in there.
54 - Delie in the box with a driving shot, but right at McLeod.
57 - Kyle with a poor shot ruins a good Canada buildup.
59 - Sinclair charges into the box, but for some strange reason, doesn't shoot and ends up passing to no one.
60 - GOAL! Thiney again! A bad clearance out of the box, provoked by a pesky Delie, falls to Thiney, who cracks a shot that ricochets in to the goal off the right post. No chance for McLeod. 2-0 France.
64 - Canada look far more defeated than they ever did versus Germany.
65 - Ugh, Feligno beats her defender into the box, then straights slips on the ball itself, and balls down before she can shoot.
66 - GOAL! Abily heads in a great ball from a France corner. Goodnight, Canada. Nice knowing you. 3-0 France
67 - Feligno in the box again, gets ball to Sinclair, who shoots, and misses. Nothing going right for Canada now.
68 - Sinclair in the box again, but France's swarming defense won't let her shoot. The pass to Feligno gets cut off.
73 - Canada can't buy a final pass to save their lives.
75 - Freekick for Canada is ruined by an offside.
77 - Canada look clueless. France is playing a blinder of a match.
79 - Hero Thiney is out, perhaps to rest her up for that third game versus Germany. Bolleau comes in.
80 - OUCH! Bompastor cleared a ball off Sinclair's face mask. She goes down, takes off the mask, and bleeds on the field. That's got to hurt.
83 - GOAL! I'll bet this hurts worse. Necid with a perfect pass over the defense for the speedy Thomis, who takes a touch past McLeod, then rolls the ball into goal. 4-0 France.
85 - - France look more likely to score a 5th than Canada looks to get a consolation.
87 - Tancredi in the box, Bompastor prevents the shot.
88 - Corner bounces dangerously in the box, but France clear.
89 - DeCicco with great insight on how France has been "the better team". Uh, 4-0, ya think?
90 - Les Bluettes have dominated, no doubt about it. Canadians, should Morace stay on?

Final whistle sounds! Boy, was that a beat down for the 2015 hosts. Allez France.

Women's World Cup - Germany - Canada

I slept in, because I was at the Gold Cup final, so I've already missed the host country's opening goal.

It was a header, though, by Kristen Garefrekes in the 10th minute. Germany leads, 1-0

19 - Matheson with an outside try at the equalizer. Deflected for a corner, which is cleared.

24 - Back and forth stuff - Canada fighting to equalize, Germany countering hard.

25 - Germany corner is cleared by Canada.

27 - I think new fans watching the Women's World Cup may be startled by the fact that Canada is a solid contender versus Germany. They're a good team. The quality in the women's game doesn't follow the men's rankings in many cases.

29 - McLeod collects a long-range shot.

30 - Matheson has another crack from distance. Over the bar.

31 - Garefrekes is offside. Her hairstyle is actually hard to pull off - a parted in the middle ponytail. Mine won't stay down that way. Most players are sporting ponytails pulled straight back. That's easier to manage.

33 - Sinclair is tackles. She's definitely being targeted by Germany. They're not letting her breathe.

35 - Canada in deep, but Germany counter quickly. Canada goes back and Angerer smothers a shot.

36 - Think the USA had a hostile crowd in the Gold Cup final? Not compared to Canada in Germany's opener as the host country in the Women's World Cup. Even the announcer's are saying they can't spot a single Canada fan. C'mon, there's got to be a maple leaf flying in the stadium somewhere.

39 - Sinclair nearly pulls off a precise through ball to Tancredi. Germany counter and McLeod is out for the save in traffic.

40 - Outside shot by Behringer over the Canada goal.

41 - Canada takes a short corner. Germany clear it anyway.

43 - GOAL! The offside trap is totally sprung by Okinyino D Mbabi - Canada steps wrong, a perfect pass comes it and the run is fantastic. Mbabi finishes coolley past McLeod. 2-0, Germany leads.

45 - Canada are more stunned than they were after the first goal. They really had the better of play for a bit. Didn't make it pay off, though.

Halftime - Canada need to regroup. As Mexico has shown, one can come back from 2-0 down, but it's a bit of a mental killer to give up the second goal right before the half.

46 - Kelly Parker is in, so is Gayle to replace Nault and Kyle.

52 - Goalmouth scramble, but Canada finally clear the ball.

53 - Foudy is right - Darke is wrong. Mbabi fell down in the box, but it wasn't a dive. She tripped over her own feet.

54 - Foudy is wrong that women don't dive, however. Marta is good at it. To be fair, she also gets hacked a lot without getting the call.

56 - Alexandra Popp is in for Prinz. I think I remember her with the U16 Germany team. I feel old. Popp, might now, too, as she falls hard on her back after a tackle and gets up holding her lower back like a senior citizen.

60 - Canada's players have lost their spark. Germany firmly in control now.

67 - Wow. Garefrekes misses an open goal stunner. Over the goal with the net gaping before here. Shocker.

70 - Germany still pressing. Fatima Bajramaj - very popular player, comes in for Germany.

72 - Germany fans celebrating - with all the emotion in the huge stadium, Canada might count itself lucky to end up only with a two goal loss.

74 - Canada having a lot of trouble with possession.

77 - Off the bar! Laudehr from outside. Germany sizzling in this match. They should be up by more.

79 - Grings tries to make that happen, but McLeod makes the save.

80 - Timko in for Tancredi.

81 - Laudehr with a late tackle on Sinclair, who sets up for the free kick. and SCORES! GOAL! CANADA! 2-1. An awesome, efficient free kick, with just the needed amount of bend and power. The stadium is stunned.

83 - Sinclair is such a warrior. Game on, because Germany let Canada escape too often before.

85 - Kulig cracks one from outside. The fans are still in shock. The stadium isn't rollicking the way it was before.

87 - Canada nearly pulls off a tricky short corner for the equalizer.

89 - Germany's composure is returning a bit. They're on the attack now.

90 - Sinclair gets fouled, but this freekick is far out. Germany gets a counter, but when Laudehr finally takes a shot, it's way over again.

90+ Angerer collects the ball from a corner.

Fulltime! Germany holds on, but it's not quite the triumphant victory march it previously looked to be. Canada scrapped to keep it close.

Canada contemplates Mexico

Canada/US running blog

Here we go, the U.S. versus the Canadians in the quarterfinals.

Canada:
Erin McLeod, Emily Zurrer, Candace Chapman, Martina Franko, Clare Rustad, Sophie Schmidt, Rhian Wilkinson, Diana Matheson, Christine Sinclair, Melissa Tancredi, Kara Lang

U.S.
Hope Solo, Heather Mitts, Christie Rampone, Kate Markgraf, Lori Chalupny, Lindsay Tarpley, Shannon Boxx, Heather O'Reilly, Carli Lloyd, Amy Rodriguez, Angela Hucles.

Game on!
5 - It's raining, by the way. Huge puddles on the sidelines.
12 - GOAL! ARod up the wing, crosses, O'Reilly flicks it on and Hucles taps it in. The U.S. lead 1-0.
19 - McLeod is off. Karina LeBlanc comes in.
21 - Game is stopped. Rain delay.

Who knows if the delay will blunt the momentum of the U.S., because they were playing quite well up until the stoppage. The pause will certainly give Canada time to regroup and strategize. Still, losing McLeod and having to use up a sub is costly, no matter how welcome the rain delay breather might be.
21 - We're back! Already Canada looks sharper, but a foul stops an attack in the box.
22 - Canada FK, but Markgraf is fouled in the box going for the ball - goal kick.
24 - The U.S. finally work their way out of pressure, but Lloyd just lumps the ball up to ARod and loses it long.
25 - Chalupny overlaps, but can't get much of a square angle on the ball and LeBlanc catches.
26 - Tarp with a great pass springs O'Reilly, but a defender slows her up enough to let LeBlanc make the grab.
27 - Chalupny with another cross - it's cleared. The U.S. is looking more dangerous on the attack, no longer letting Canada dictate the way they were earlier after the restart.
30 - Markgraf knocks ball out for a throw near the box.
31 - GOAL! The U.S. gets it back, but a rather poor throw reception leads to a bad tackle by Lloyd and Sinclair pounces before anyone can close her down. She takes a crack on goal and Solo seems like the wasn't expecting the shot - she dives late and misses. 1-1
33 - Lloyd is losing too many balls in the midfield. The one she gave up near the U.S. goal was the most costly, but there are more.
35 - Ball behind the defense sets up Hucles who shows a strange shot choice - far post when it seems she had a better angle for a crack near post.
36 - ARod in the box - nearly gets on to the ball, but not quite.
37 - Scott French and I were discussing at the Dodger game how the U.S. players have regressed in terms of game awareness. Practice games don't stimulate real competitive conditions and the cost of mistakes and when to take the right risks. Basically, the residency program is just really weak competitive game training.
39 - Matheson two-foots Chalupny and gets yellow. The FK is far out and Lloyd hits it off a defender.
41 - U.S. is hitting the long ball again.
44 - Actually, the U.S. isn't playing that badly, but they're acting as if they still have the lead. There is no urgency in their attack. Canada looks like they want it more, though a bit less capable. If their heart combines with a solid chance, look out.
45+ ARod blows a scoring chance with a poor cross.
Halftime
The rain delay did help Canada, but more than that, a U.S. mistake helped them. Similar to how the U.S. mistakes versus Norway created chances for their rivals. The U.S. won't get away with that in the future. It might even haunt them now, as Canada can counter all day on them and the U.S. is not creating a lot going forward.
47 - Well, the U.S. are getting a chance to prove how well of a game manager Pia is.
48 - O'Reilly earns the u.S. a corner. A foul negates the attempt, though. Goal kick.
51 - A really steady rain is falling. In these sloppy conditions, anything can happen.
52 - Canada caught offside.
54 - Not much soccer going on, just dealing with the conditions. Tha ball is incredibly slick. O'Reilly just tried to take a first touch and the ball slid right off her foot.
56 - ARod deals with the slippage enough to sent in a cross, but it's cleared away.
57 - Chalupny is fouled outside the box and the FK is touched to Lloyd for a chance. Her shot is way off, but it's likely the ball slipped off the foot the moment she struck it. It's super-wet.
59 - Tarp to ARod, whose shot is deflected for a corner. Here's where the team really misses Abby. Nothing doing on getting a shot on goal.
61 - The U.S. is keeping better possession and it pays off in a corner. The ball bounces on headers that go more to the sky than the goal. But the U.S. serves the ball back in and bodies bang in the box.
65 - Lang from distance. I guess that's not such a bad idea. It's rainy and that can cause goalkeepers to make mistakes even on simple balls. Solo catches.
66 - U.S. corner. Hucles sends it in and Boxx gets a piece of it, but only enough to send the ball glancing wide of the goal.
68 - Lots of passing amongst the U.S. back four. That urgency I spoke of is still missing.
69 - Canada on the counter, but the U.S. is able to get back. That shot that defelcted off a defender might have easily slipped through, though.
Somebody shoot! The U.S has a counter of their own and three players pass instead of taking a shot on goal.
70 - O'reilly is down and Franko gets yellow for it. FK is cleared by Canada.
71 - Hucles is in the box with only the goalkeeper to beat. She has the right idea with the nutmeg, but she hits it a little high and the ball deflects back.
73 - The U.S. try to work the give-n-go off a throw, but offside is called on the final pass.
74 - The U.S. has better buildup now, but the final pass or attack is missing.
75 - Canada seems terribly unimaginative, but if one pass behind the defense connects with Sinclair, it won't matter.
77 - Lloyd misreads O'Reilly on a pass and hits the ball into the box just as her teammate cut to go wide instead.
78 - Sinclair! Solo makes the save, but on a rainy day, that wasn't a sure thing.
79 - Lloyd is looking weary. She should have kept the ball there, but was just out-hustled.
80 - There's more back and forth now - the U.S. isn't so onesided in terms of possession.
82 - A sub! Tobin comes in for Tarp.
83 - Boxx is such a gamer. I love how she competes.
84 - Lang gets a yellow for kicking Chalupney from behind.
85 - ARod and Tobi battle for the ball together, but ARod's cross to Boxx is too high.
86 - O'Reilly to Lloyd in the box, who has to elevate to try a volley flick and the ball goes wide.
88 - Lang send great pass through for Timko, but Rampone shields the ball just enough by crossing in front, so Timko bangs into a diving Solo blind. It looks like she hit Solo's knees hard, but that doesn't explain why she is down for so long.
90 - She never gets on the stretcher, though. She walks it off, so she's fine.
Pass to Sinclair, but her cross is picked off.
Tobs foul leads to Canada Fk, nervy moments in front of the U.S. box as ball pings around before it is finally cleared.
Lloyd to ARod entering the box. She shoots and LeBlanc makes the diving parry. CK.
Boxx can't get to it.
Whistle.
We're going to overtime!
2 - Lang is getting chippy. She fouls Chalupny again, but no yellow this time.
3 - Canada with a nice attacking run leaves the U.S. scrambling on defense.
5 - ARod into the box, but the ball is tackled away for a corner. Hucles sets up. Kai heads it high, loses it and can't get a decent shot off.
7 - ARod with a shot way high.
8 - Lloyd poor pass, trying to reach ARod.
10 - The U.S. is struggling to create anything resembling decent soccer in the muck.
11 - GOAL! Boxx finally hits that good cross this team needed and Kai dives to get down for the ball and head it well into the goal. 2-1 U.S.
13 - Now that the U.S. has worked so hard for the goal, they hopefully won't give the advantage away as easily as they did before.
Chalupny shot! LeBlanc saves.
First extra time period ends.
16 - The U.S. is trying to control the ball and play a bit of keep away.
18 - Lloyd shoots - LeBlanc catches. Too straight on of a shot.
19 - I love all of Tobin's tricky moves, but they don't really work in this rain. She just slipped, gave the ball away and landed on her butt.
ARod comes out for her buddy and college rival, Lauren Cheney.
20 - Kai is offside.
22 - Cheney gets a yellow for a tackle on Matheson.
FK for Canada, but it's cleared, shot back in is deflected for a corner, that's cleared, but only for a bit, because a cross comes back in, Solo tries to catch it and misses, but someone finally clears the ball out.
25 - Kai in the box - LeBlanc gets there first, but the collision knocks the ball loose. Canada clear, though.
26 - Replay shows how dicey the Canadian chance in the box was - Lloyd was the one who cleared the ball at last.
27 - Cheney with a shot - wide of goal. Decent effort, though.
29 - Kai caught offside again.
30 - Mitts rampaging up the wing - all the way into the box until leBlanc comes out. Mitts shoots - wide. Decent effort there, too, though. Best off all, keeping the ball in Canada's end late in the game.
Final whistle! The U.S. advance. It wasn't pretty, but the rain was to blame for a lot of that. Canada fought hard and Sinclair's goal was impressive, but ultimately, the U.S. had more time on the ball and finally got the winning goal out of it.
Aww, Jill Ellis is giving Kara Lang, who is crying, sitting on the ground, a comforting chat and hug. Lang plays for UCLA, where Ellis coaches.
Other Canadian players are also tearfully embracing. Canada didn't disgrace itself at all, but neither did they create a whole lot going forward.
As for the U.S., who knows if the extra half-hour of soccer is going to take a toll on their legs. Hopefully, the conditions in the next match will be try and they will not only appreciate it, but take advantage of the chance to use their possession play more to their advantage.

Always in mind

How does an article about an upcoming Canada/Brazil match end up being mostly about the USA? I think it's called a fixation.
Frankly, I also believe the consistency of the U.S. (and the national team budget that allows the squad to compete in all the major international tournaments) sets up a rather deceiving rank. On any given day, Brazil with all its stars is at least as strong a team as the U.S. Really. But without the money to travel and compete, Brazil slips down in the rankings.
Canada should be aware that there are other threats than the U.S. out there in soccer. I guess it's hard to ignore the #1 right next door, though.
Speaking of the U.S team.

Mounting an attack

How far would Canada's players go to perform on their preferred pitch? Would they strike? It's possible.
At the very least, while it's not surprising how much the players love grass, it's embarrassing for the league that the new MLS stadium isn't where players want to be. I wonder what West Ham will think of the surface when they show up for the All-Star Game. Somehow, I get the feeling that they won't be contacting their agents to push for any MLS deals.

Turning over the Maple Leaf

Will Canadian fans merely "eh" about their soccer team?

Canada enters the CONCACAF group of Death next, with Mexico and Honduras looking tough. But if the team can hang with Brazil - it could probably do so with any one.

Uh, oh, Canada

Actually, going up against Brazil is an excellent match for Canada, though I'm still not sure why they're not playing in their own country. Seattle is relatively near, I'll grant. Anyway, here's the roster. Looks like Ante Jazic might play for his country before playing his next league game for his club.

ROSTER - CANADA

GOALKEEPERS: Lars Hirschfeld (CFR Cluj/ROM), Pat Onstad (Houston Dynamo/USA), Greg Sutton (Toronto FC), Joshua Wagenaar (unattached)

DEFENDERS: Jim Brennan (Toronto FC), Adrian Cann (Vancouver Whitecaps), Marcel de Jong, (Roda JC/NED), Tam Nsaliwa (AEK Athens FC/GRE), André Hainault (Sparta Praha/CZE-on loan from FK SIAD Most), Ante Jazic (Los Angeles Galaxy/USA), Mike Klukowski (Club Brugge KV/BEL), Richard Hastings (Inverness CT/SCO)

MIDFIELDERS: Paul Stalteri (Fulham FC/ENG - on loan from Tottenham Hotspur), Adrian Serioux (FC Dallas/USA), Issey Nakajima-Farran (FC Nordsjælland/DEN), Atiba Hutchinson (F.C. København/DEN), Dwayne De Rosario (Houston Dynamo/USA), Julian de Guzman (Deportivo La Coruna/SPA), Patrice Bernier, FC Kaiserslautern/GER)


FORWARDS: Rob Friend (Borussia Mönchengladbach/GER), Ali Gerba (FC Ingolstadt/GER), Jaime Peters (Ipswich Town FC/ENG), Tomasz Radzinski (Skoda Xanthi/GRE)

Head coach: Dale Mitchell

Canada concerns about Juarez

I haven't seen any public comments from the U.S. team about the situation for women in Juarez, but perhaps that's because none of them have been asked. UCLA's Kara Lang, with the Canadian team, has thoughts on the issue.

Fair play?

Here it is (though it's not great quality), that first goal of Haiti versus Canada that Canadian coach Nick Dasovic was so unhappy with.

I know a lot of our readers have played soccer, and I'm curious as to what their definition of "fair play" is. Would you have kicked the ball back to Canada if you were playing them? If you were Canada, would you have assumed that you'd get the ball back, or be on your guard just in case? What's the value of following the unwritten laws of soccer if the other team breaks them?

Share thoughts in the comments section.

Oh, and by the way, does anyone agree with Nick's characterization of his countrymen as "nice, naive Canadians"?

Frank on fate

With the U.S. and Canada battling (it's scoreless in the first half right now), Frank Yallop has Galaxy players on both sides and is waiting to welcome the losers home.

"I don’t know what to cheer for. At least we get someone back. I’m proud our guys are there in the semifinal, but I’m excited that someone is going to come home on Friday morning. I think it’s going to be a close game, I really do. I think Canada is playing great right now."

"There’s always one real surprise package and that’s Guadeloupe. But with Canada, I wasn’t surprised. We played pretty well when I was there – I thought we were getting to the point were if things went well, we could really get going. That’s a good team."

Random Canadian thoughts

I was hoping to get some help from our Canadian readers. We get a few Canadians here on this board, and they are more than welcome to partake in our soccer passion.

I watched most of the Canada-Costa Rica match, checked the score of the Toronto FC-New York match and watched the last seven minutes of the Stanley Cup final game (I can't believe the Ducks won the Cup!!!) and the Blue Jays also played as well as the Canadian Under-20s.

I know, I'm adventurous, but I'm going out on a limb and saying that the Stanley Cup match was the biggest draw of the night. Okay, yeah, that's a bold statement I know.

But where did the other four follow in terms of interest and/or media coverage? Does Canada typically rally around a Canadian team like Ottawa in the Stanley Cup if one gets that far and plays against an American team, especially one in Southern California? And does that dwarf the rest of the sports in the country?

Just some random thoughts that raced through my head earlier this evening.