POINT OF REFERENCE FOR RIO
Payback time for Canada vs. Brazil
It’s easy to lose perspective on the Canadian women’s soccer team of 2012.
Yes, that team. The one that got robbed by an official’s call against the U.S. in the London Olympic semifinal and rebounded to win a bronze medal over France. The team that captured the imagination of the entire country, if not the world, following an extratime match that many believe was the greatest in the history of women’s soccer.
Who better to provide that perspective than Christine Sinclair, who scored a hat trick against the Americans in that heroic 4-3 loss.
“Everyone thinks the team in 2012 was, oh, this amazing team, but we got on a roll at the right time,” said Sinclair, standing in the foreground of the Peace Tower on Parliament Hill, before Prime Minister Justin Trudeau joined the photo-op on Monday.
“And hopefully this team can do the same,” Sinclair added. “We’re a lot more dangerous this time around. We’ve added a lot of pace, a lot of young players that are doing tremendous things for us. And it’s just a matter of, can we put it together at the right time like we did in London?”
Sinclair, who leads her team against Brazil in a friendly at TD Place in Lansdowne Park on Tuesday, knows of what she speaks. After the 2011 World Cup, Canada was rated a lowly 16th in the world, compared to their current ranking of 10th.
On the road to London, the Canadians found their game, as they must in this run-up to Rio.
Captain Sinclair is to Canadian soccer what Hayley Wickenheiser has been to Canadian women’s hockey, an iconic leader who shows the way even as the team around her shifts ground in a dramatic youth movement. Some 11 players on this national team are 23 or younger.
On Saturday in Toronto, Canada fell 2-0 to No. 8-ranked Brazil in a friendly, but the Canadians feel they played well enough to win.
Canada is missing its top goaltender, Erin McLeod, due to injury. Her replacement Stephanie Labbe, 29, struggled at times against Brazil, although she rebounded later in the game.
On the Hill, Labbe said she is trying not to dwell on the big picture of the goaltending scenario.
“The most important thing for me is not to over-think it or overanalyze it,” Labbe said. “Every day I’m striving to be the best I can be, and I’m not trying to fill anyone’s shoes or trying to be anyone else.”
While Labbe was beaten twice by Brazil’s Marta Vieira da Silva — better known simply as ‘Marta’ — the Canadian goalie believes it would be a mistake to focus entirely on Brazil’s veteran forward.
“They have so many attacking threats that if you put too much attention on Marta, someone else will step up and do the job,” Labbe said.
With the Games just two months away, the Canadians appreciate the opportunity to play in front of large home crowds against the pending Olympic hosts, who present a formidable challenge.
“We don’t have too many international games because we’re all playing professionally around the world,” Sinclair says. “To be able to have two games against Brazil, who I think are one of the favourites to win the whole thing ... this is the type of team we have to beat if we want to get back on the podium.”
Sinclair, 32, says the kids bring enormous energy, “not to mention their ability” on the pitch.
“You look at someone like Ashley Lawrence last game, she’s going to be a phenom,” Sinclair says. “It’s exciting to see that growth and I can’t wait for them to participate in their first Olympics. It’s one of those moments you’ll never forget.”