It is honestly hard for me to know where to even begin in writing this post. That is a rarity for someone like me who so often has far to much to say. So I will begin by saying that todays match between Canada and Nigeria has left me feeling just down right bad. Nigeria were a team that many had written off as just being in the World Cup to make up numbers but instead they played Germany and France closely and then found a way to beat Canada in the battle to see who would not end up last in the group.
The defeat at the hands of France was a tougher one to take for me since it meant that the team were mathematically eliminated and that even a win on the final day would not be enough. It also worked to ensure that almost all of the positivity that came from the opening day match against Germany was forgotten. Any good feelings that might have been left over are now gone as well. I think I would have been able to understand and be okay with Canada just missing out on moving on from this group because France and Germany are two very strong teams but Canada didn't even come close. What can you say in the defence of a team that was talked up as potential competitors for not only moving in to the knockout rounds but maybe even winning the whole thing gets sent home without collecting even a single point and in the biggest game of many of these women's lives they plain did not show up. I would have thought that today with the pressure off the women would have at least found a way to put on a show and give themselves something positive to build on going forwards but it was the complete opposite. They once again did not show up, they looked poor in every area of the game, and they deserved to lose to a Nigerian side that seemed to be putting in a greater effort.
I don't think that I need to say anything more about that really. We all have the same feeling of disappointment in this team and a lot of that feeling comes from the fact that many of us bought it when we were told this side was going to be a contender. We liked the idea that Canada might just win something or at least have a good showing on the international stage. In theory it was great to think that with the players all on board with Morace game plan things would go perfectly come the World Cup. Instead it all went wrong and we are now left doing the customary finger pointing. I do think that this needs to be a learning experience and next time the team needs to do a couple of things differently but also I do not see any point in over reacting. My thoughts on it are:
1. There is no need for drastic change. Morace is the right coach for the job but her some of her decisions were questionable and she did not get the best out of her players
2. The players we have in the system while they are decent need to be developed in to more refined players who have the skill set required to win on the biggest stage.
3. The training camp in Rome was far to long and may have left many of the players feeling emotionally drained by the time that they got to Germany
4. There needs to be a better balance in the number of games played in the run up to a major tournament. You have to play some to get ready and develop as a team but they may have played too many matches this year with to much travel again taking a toll on the women who for the most part are not used to that
5. Canada needs to once again look at all of its programs and ask why we never seem to get the best out of our players on the international stage.
For more on what Canada needs to move forward from here I highly suggest you read the article that Jason Devos posted earlier today. It is something that I feel strongly about and we need a lot more people who feel the say way as Jason to start making things happen as the way forward for Canada requires change at every level from the local club all the way up to the CSA. Its going to be a long process and maybe even an expensive one but if we ever want to have international success its something we have to look at and give serious consideration.
Devos Article: http://www.cbc.ca/sports/soccer/fifawomensworldcup2011/blog/2011/07/fixing-canadian-soccer---a-call-to-action.html
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