Win against Costa Rica is top priority
Canada could avoid semifinal showdown with U. S. squad with a victory tonight
The Canadian mission tonight is clear.
If Christine Sinclair and company beat or tie Costa Rica, they win their group and probably avoid playing a powerhouse U. S. squad in the semifinals of the CONCACAF women’s Olympic qualifying tournament.
If they lose, a Canada- U. S. semifinal showdown is likely on Friday, with the winner earning a berth to London 2012 and the loser getting shut out of the Olympic tournament.
Canada has beaten the U. S. just three times in 49 international games.
“The Americans are not our focus at this point,” Canadian head coach John Herdman said after his team clinched a semifinal appearance with a 2- 0 win over Cuba on Saturday. “We have played them recently and have enough understanding of their new style and philosophy. We’re keeping a very close eye on Mexico.”
Mexico is Canada’s likely semifinal opponent if the Canadians get the job done against Costa Rica — a squad that should press Canada much more than Haiti or Cuba could manage in the CONCACAF tournament at BC Place.
Canada has a better goal differential than Costa Rica so the Central American side, which has also clinched a semifinal berth, must beat Canada to avoid the U. S. in semifinal play.
“They have to chase the game a little bit because they need to win, which hopefully will open some things up for us,” said Canadian captain Sinclair, who rested in the second half against Cuba after scoring on a penalty kick and assisting on Melissa Tancredi’s goal.
She said Los Ticos are a talented side and a lot more organized than Haiti or Cuba.
“We played them in the Pan Ams and it was pretty difficult for us, but I think if we play the way we’re capable of, we’ll be fine,” Sinclair said.
Costa Rica scored the first goal of the game but lost 3- 1 to Canada at the Pan American Games in Mexico in October.
Herdman made eight changes to his starting lineup against Cuba in an effort to keep his players as rested as possible for the crucial semifinal match. Delta forward Chelsea Buckland, 22, and Brampton, Ont. midfielder Alyscha Mottershead, 20, made their first senior international starts for Canada.
Herdman felt his team could have moved the ball “wider and quicker” against a defensiveminded Cuban squad but was generally pleased with the effort.
“When teams defend that deep, it’s not easy and at times you need a little bit more quality and subtlety in that [ final third] of the pitch,” he said. “That’s something Canada has to work toward.”
Canada had 14 corner kicks against Cuba but didn’t often threaten on set pieces, an issue that concerns Herdman but he noted the team is holding a few set- piece tactics up its sleeve.
“We still haven’t shown a few things on set pieces,” he said. “There’s something about the timing of the movement we have to address. The quality is there.”
Herdman likes his team’s situation heading into the Costa Rica game, only needing a draw to win Group A.
“That puts us in a brilliant position because we don’t need to run every player into the ground so we can keep ourselves fresh for [ the semifinals],” he said.
SIDE KICKS: Canadian defender Lauren Sesselmann [ knee] and forward Christina Julien [ suspected concussion] missed the Cuba game after suffering injuries in the opening match against Haiti. Herdman said Julien is “daytoday” while Sesselmann still has swelling around her knee but might recover in time for the semifinals.