Canada prepared to go deep

Sellout crowd of more than 51,000 expected for opening game

Coach John Herdman said although Canada is not a favourite to win the FIFA Women’s World Cup, years of preparation and confidence have his team prepared to go deep in the tournament.

Herdman and goalkeeper Erin McLeod spoke to the media Friday ahead of Saturday’s 4 p.m. tournament opener against China at Commonwealth Stadium, a match the coach said his team must win.

“We’ve done everything physically that we can, (as well as) mentally, technically, tactically,” Herdman said. “We’ve prepared them to be resilient in these moments. The journey has prepared us. We’re ready to go.”

Canada is ranked No. 8 in the world — China No. 16. — but the expectations surrounding the home team at the tournament are enormous. Saturday’s game is expected to have a sellout crowd of more than 51,000.

“We’ve been working for three years to get to this point,” Herdman said. “There’s a good feel around the team. ... We’re hoping to do our thing on the pitch, which gets people excited, and then the fans do their bit and push us over the line when we need it.”

China is the first opponent Canada faces in group play, followed by New Zealand on June 11 in Edmonton and Netherlands in Montreal on June 15. While the Chinese are a young squad, Herdman says the team can present many challenges.

“They’re a resilient team,” he said. “There aren’t many teams that are able to put China away.…They’re always dangerous on the counterattack. It’s a good team and defensively very strong.”

As Herdman has been stressing over the past several months, he hopes his team can take advantage of a supportive home crowd.

Meanwhile, China’s head coach, Hao Wei, brushed off concerns about playing before a large crowd that will be rooting against them.

“We have the confidence and we have the capacity to make it through to the knockout stage,” Wei said. “We are ready.”

The Canadian squad is eager to get the tournament started, having intensely prepared under the detailed Herdman since he took over the team in 2011.

The coach has helped turn the team around after a disappointing last-place performance at the last World Cup.

“I remember after that tournament, it was like we were all lost,” said veteran goalie Karina LeBlanc, adding that although many of the same players are the still around, things have drastically changed since Herdman took over.

“We are here to inspire a nation,” she said. “That’s something bigger than ourselves.

“We’ve done the homework like we did in 2011, but it’s a completely different team. It’s a completely different mentality this time around.”

Despite the fact that there is pressure on Canada to succeed in the World Cup, the players seem to be at ease.

“This whole tournament has been about embracing the expectations, ”said Carmelina Moscato, a veteran defender. “We’ve put out some pretty bold statements — we’re going to win this thing, wehope to win this thing, this is our prime, this is our time. We’re saying these things intentionally because we want to move towards them. We’re not going to be a team that shies away from that.”

Herdman is confident that Canada can get on a roll in the World Cup, like it did at the London Olympics in 2012 when it won a bronze medal.

“This group of women believe they can go all the way,” Herdman said. “They’ve got a greater purpose than any other team at this event. … It gives you a chance to go places you never thought you could get to.”