HAPPY TIMES
Canada pleased with its draw for the 2015 World Cup.
It won’t be an easy path to the quarter- finals, but after finishing dead last at the 2011 World Cup, the Canadian women’s soccer team has a decent shot of winning its group at home in 2015.
Canada, ranked No. 8 in the FIFA rankings despite that disaster in Germany nearly four years ago, drew sliding China, ranked No. 14 in the FIFA rankings, No. 15 Netherlands and No. 19 New Zealand in Saturday’s draw at the Museum of History in Gatineau, Que.
“Really excited,” midfielder Kaylyn Kyle said after watching the televised draw with teammates from the curling lounge at the Hillcrest Community Centre in Vancouver.
“Getting in the pool we did, we’ve played a lot of these teams before. We’re looking forward to prepping for it even more now that we know who’re playing.”
The intriguing part in that preparation is that Canada is off to China next month for the Four Nations Tournament where they’ll face the Chinese, who made the final in the 1999 World Cup but who have slipped behind Japan and Australia in the Asian region of late.
A grinning John Herdman, the Canadian head coach, wondered just how much he’ll want to give away in that game regarding tactics, formation and lineup.
“I might play a 3- 5- 2 format or something a bit different,” he said.
Canada could also face the Dutch and the Kiwis in March at the 12- country Cyprus Cup, although the pools haven’t been determined yet for that tournament.
Canada will open the World Cup against China in Edmonton on June 6, then face New Zealand, whom Herdman coached at the 2007 and 2011 World Cups, there on June 11 before closing out the Group stage against the Netherlands in Montreal on June 15.
The top two teams in each of the six groups, plus the four best third- place teams will advance to the Round of 16. If Canada wins its group, it would play at BC Place on June 21.
“We’re very content and happy with our draw,” said midfielder Sophie Schmidt, who grew up in Abbotsford. “It’s exciting to know what we’re up against and who we have to get through.”
Canada could have drawn Nigeria ( No. 35) or World Cup debutantes Cameron ( 51) and Ivory Coast ( 64) out of Pot 2, but a big cheer went up among the Canadian women when New Zealand was drawn out of that pot, mostly because of Herdman’s connection with that squad.
“It just adds a little bit of bite to that game,” said Schmidt. “There’s so much more pressure associated to it. For John, it’ll be an extra challenge and it drives us to want to perform because it means so much to him.”
New Zealand is 0- 8- 1 in three previous World Cups.
Elsewhere in the group, while the Netherlands is an up and coming young squad, Canada to avoided traditional European powerhouses Sweden ( No. 5) and Norway ( No. 12) and fast-improving England ( No. 7).
Sweden wound up in Group D with the No. 1- ranked U. S. in a so- called Group of Death that also includes Australia ( No. 10) and the always dangerous Nigerians, who many feel are far better than their ranking of 35th. Sweden ( 10 games) and Nigeria ( seven) each won all of its qualifying matches, as did the Americans.
“They have got a tough group,” Schmidt said of the Americans, who will play the first two games of the group stage out of Winnipeg. “The U. S. and France, their groups are very strong. I think it’ll make for some great matches.”
With the 2015 World Cup having expanded to 24 teams from 16 that may not be the case across the board.
While reigning champion Japan, whom Canadian goalkeeper Katrina LeBlanc labelled “geniuses,” heads the group playing out of BC Place, Cameroon and Ivory Coast are the weak sisters of the field. Still, Schmidt believes fans will see some entertaining soccer before the quarter- final and final.
“Japan won the ( last World Cup). They’re so technical, so no matter who they’re playing against, it’s going to be a fun game to watch. For Vancouverites to come out and watch them, it’s going to be a very clinical performance that they’re going to put on.”
Despite bombing out in the 2011 World Cup, expectations figure to be high for a Canadian squad that captured the bronze medal at the 2012 Olympics and which defeated ( 1- 0) and tied Sweden ( 1- 1) in exhibition games last month.
“It’s a clear end in mind now,” said LeBlanc. “It’s real now. There’s a name ( to who we play), there’s a reason. For us, we just want to put on a great display of soccer in this country and wholly rally the whole country into believing we want to win this World Cup.”