LONDON CALLING
Canada begins quest for an Olympic soccer berth.
Canada’s quest for a berth in the 2012 Olympic women’s soccer tournament starts tonight with a big question mark.
How will Haiti play when it lines up against Canada on day one of the CONCACAF Olympic qualifying tournament at BC Place?
Based on the Caribbean team’s scant recent play, that’s a tough call.
“They haven’t played too many games so we’ve just been able to track them from desktop research,” said Canadian head coach John Herdman. “There’s no video footage. That’s the tough thing.”
Haiti’s most recent games of record took place early last summer, when the team scored 13 goals and allowed just one in three Caribbean zone Olympic qualifying matches.
But piling up goals against Suriname, ranked 105th in the world, and number- 136 Aruba probably won’t mean much against seventh- ranked Canada. Haiti is ranked 62nd in the most recent FIFA rankings.
Canadian midfielder Sophie Schmidt admits she knows little about Haiti but expects they will defend at all costs.
“A lot of teams kind of live on the counter- attack when they play against a better team,” she said after a BC Place training session. “We’ve been trying to practise breaking teams down and just being patient. They may not play like that and we’ll have to adapt but that’s what we’ve been focusing on.”
Canadian captain Christine Sinclair knows how Caribbean teams tend to play but isn’t sure what Haiti will bring to the game.
“They will be very athletic, defensive- minded and try to catch us on the break,” she said. “That would be my guess.”
Whatever tactics Haiti brings, Sinclair expects Canada’s first game of the tournament could be “a little hectic” before things settle down and hopes the home crowd helps calm her squad.
“We have to settle down and realize it’s just another game but that’s easier said than done,” she said. “We’re looking to build throughout the tournament and just get a win in the first game. At this point, it doesn’t really matter how that happens.”
Schmidt feels it’s her job to work hard and help bring some calm to Canada’s game.
“It’s about playing simple and being solid defensively,” she said. “That allows my teammates to relax, knowing that I’m there to support them.”
Herdman said Haiti could be an “unexpected quantity” for his squad and he won’t take them lightly.
“We expect them to be well organized and it could be hard to break into the box,” he said. “But it’s about our girls not getting frustrated. We’ve been working on little things that will help us stay in that space.”
Herdman said the first game of any major tournament is often one of the toughest, regardless of who you face.
“There will be a lot of anticipation from the crowd and if you don’t get off to an early good start, it can work against you,” he said.
“We’ve talked about this as a team – expect it to be frustrating. If you know what to expect, then hopefully you won’t be phased by it.”
Herdman said Canada should beat Haiti and feels his players are excited, confident and anxious to put on a good display for the crowd, without wearing themselves out for later tournament games.
“They have looked good on the pitch in training here and they’re happy,” he said. “When teams are happy and in a good space, that’s reflected in their play.”
Cuba faces Costa Rica in the other Group A game today at 5 p. m. while Group B play starts Friday when the U. S. plays Dominican Republic and Mexico faces Guatemala.
The top two teams from each group advance to the semifinals next week, with the winners of those games securing a berth to the Olympics.