Canada needs to score goals
But team has progressed well over four years
MONTREAL — When coach John Herdman took over Team Canada following a last-place finish at the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Germany, he called it a “broken team.”
Canada lost all three games it played in Germany and scored only one goal.
Following two games at this year’s World Cup, Canada has scored only one goal again. The difference this time is that Canada hasn’t allowed a goal — it gave up seven in 2011 — and has a win and a tie.
Heading into Monday’s final first-stage game against the Netherlands at Olympic Stadium, Canada sits atop Group A with four points, one point ahead of China and the Netherlands, and three points ahead of New Zealand.
Herdman has done a remarkable job turning Team Canada around, including a surprising bronze-medal performance at the 2012 London Olympics and a No. 8 FIFA world ranking heading into the World Cup. He has done it with the help of assistant coaches, doctors, physiotherapists, nutritionists, injury-prevention specialists and even a “soccer scientist.”
But a soccer scientist can’t kick the ball into the net.
If Canada is going to go far at this World Cup it’s going to have to start scoring. Canada’s only goal so far was on a penalty kick by captain Christine Sinclair in extra time for a 1-0 win over China in the opening game. “Give it time. ... These girls will come through,” Herdman said after an evening practice Saturday at Stade de soccer de Montréal.
“You just got to keep the faith, that’s all we ask. Defensively, we’ve only conceded two shots on target, and it’s not like we’re parking the bus like defensive teams do,” the coach added. “We’re actually still trying to play some football. So it’s coming, and hopefully against the Netherlands here in Montreal with a packed stadium — 50,000 we’re hoping for, maybe more — we’ll entertain the crowd and the girls are really going to go toward that.”
The Netherlands, ranked No. 12 in the world, beat New Zealand 1-0 in its opening game and then lost 1-0 to China. Herdman calls the Netherlands a “defensively resolute team” and noted the women’s game has become much more defensive. The four teams in Group A have combined to score only three goals so far.
“This is where the game is at, at this stage, a bit like the men’s game,” Herdman said. “You get a lot of good defensive organization and you need some real X factor to break it down. We’re lucky we’ve got a little bit of X factor on our team. We just got to find it.”
The biggest Canadian X factor is Sinclair. The 32-year-old from Burnaby, B.C., has scored 154 goals in 225 appearances with the national team, and the pressure is now on her shoulders.
“It has been forever ... always,” Herdman said about his captain, who had three quality shots in a 0-0 tie with New Zealand but couldn’t score. “Keep the faith, that’s all I’m going to say. Keep the faith. Don’t ever lose faith with Christine. She’s a great captain, great leader, getting into great positions. ... So let’s give her a break and let’s just keep supporting the team and ... Christine. There’s no need to go over the top just yet.”
It could be time to go over the top if Canada can’t score against the Netherlands.