Canadian women eye historic finish to U-17 World Cup
Coach Rhian Wilkinson dismisses any suggestion that Canada, just one win away from the championship game, is a team of destiny at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Uruguay.
Hard work and talent have powered this squad.
“Not destiny because they’ve worked very hard at it,” the former Canadian international said from Montevideo. “I’ve played a long time and the teams that are successful in tournaments are the ones that grow through them.
“We had some wonderful moments where we showed our real resilience and we took some knocks on the way to get here. Every one of those moments [was] important to where the team is now.”
Canada plays Mexico at Montevideo’s Estadio Charrua today after New Zealand plays Spain in the other semifinal. The winners meet Saturday, hoping to join France, Japan, South Korea and North Korea (twice) as under-17 world champions.
Four of those finals (2008, 2010, 2012 and 2016) went to extra time or penalty shootouts.
Canada, Mexico and New Zealand are all first-time semifinalists at this level. Spain, which beat Canada 5-0 in roundrobin play, reached the semifinals in 2010, 2014 (when it reached the final) and 2016.
Wilkinson’s team is already in rare territory. Canada’s previous best finish at the U-17 tournament was seventh in 2008 and 2012.
The only Canadian team to do better — male or female — at a FIFA world championship is the 2002 squad, featuring a 19-year-old Christine Sinclair, that finished runner-up to the U.S. on home soil at the FIFA U-19 Women’s World Championship.
Wilkinson’s crew has already at the least matched the fourthplace finish by the Canadian senior team at the 2003 Women’s World Cup.
Canada reached the semifinal by beating Germany 1-0 Sunday on the strength of captain Jordyn Huitema’s 83rd-minute goal. It started with a lung-busting run from Caitlin Shaw, who found Kaila Novak on the left flank.
Huitema, showing her predatory skills, glided into space between two defenders to knock in Novak’s cross for Canada’s first win in a FIFA women’s youth tournament knockout match since 2002.
“I thought they played with a maturity that they’ve been building throughout the tournament. In terms of just living on the ball and feeling what they are capable of,” said Wilkinson, her voice still hoarse from the quarter-final.
“I think maybe it’s surprising people back home but this is a whole new generation of Canadian player coming through.”
For Wilkinson, the team is showing confidence and creativity on the ball.
“The structure is coming alive, which is the next generation,” she said.