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#Deanne Rose
zwedexx · 21 days
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Calling CanWNT/CanXNT fans
I'm making a tiktok slideshow showing why we are face card national team. (fcxnt™️) and need help finding pictures. If you can find quality photos of:
Kailen Sheridan
Deanne Rose
Nichelle Prince
Sydney Collins
Jayde Riviere
Sarah Stratigakis
Janine Beckie
that would be greatly appreciated. I can give you guys credit in the caption if you're interested. Also if you have any photos of any CanWNT/CanXNT player (not in that list) that you'd like me to include just lemme me know.
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lessirussolvr · 5 months
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jessieflemingsgf · 1 year
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throwback to this master piece. poor jessie. "she- she can probably dance she’s just kinda shy" - keish
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glimmerofawesome · 8 months
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hami-photos · 2 years
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redleaframble · 8 months
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Canada at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup: Group Stage Match 1: Canada vs. Nigeria in Melbourne Reaction Ramble
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Score: Canada 0-0 Nigeria
Goals: None at all
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Match in Brief: Well, this match was 90 minutes of football. 90 minutes of frustrating and stressful football, but World Cup football nonetheless, as Canada was held to a 0-0 draw by Nigeria and their own long-time worst enemy: their inability to score goals. Canada actually started off this match fairly well, dominating possession and the bulk of the play for the opening 20 minutes of the game, but unfortunately were unable to do very much with it. This soon changed however as the reason for Canada’s comfortable start was revealed to be Nigeria’s decision to start the match very defensively, and as soon as Nigeria started to play more aggressively on the counter-attack, this match entered a new phase. Nigeria would go on to almost score thanks to a Canadian defensive mix-up and proceeded to threaten Canada’s goal consistently throughout the rest of the half from numerous corners, with the game remaining fairly even with a few chances for both sides. In the second half, Canada was largely able to contain Nigeria’s counter-attacks and prevent the Nigerians from breaking through on goal, aside from a 10-minute period around the 75’ minute of the game, where they once again had several scoring opportunities from corners. The best scoring chance of the game would come Canada’s way early on in the second half, when Sinclair was fouled in the box and was eventually awarded a penalty thanks to VAR, which she was unable to convert. Eventually, Canada was slowly able to build back into the game in the second half, aided by their substitutions, but was ultimately unable to produce many threatening shots on target, leaving this game to end as a frustrating draw that felt like a loss.
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Match Narrative: Canada entered this World Cup with expectations after winning a GOLD medal at the Olympics in Tokyo, although these expectations were tempered by numerous injuries, the off-field disputes with Canada Soccer, and a recent run of bad form. While perhaps not expecting it, most fans probably still hoped that Canada could make a deep run at this tournament and put a final end to the narrative that Canada always over-performs at the Olympics and under-performs at World Cups. Unfortunately, this draw with Nigeria does nothing to convince people that Canada is ready to move on from their history of World Cup disappointment. Canada came into this match as well-prepared as they could have been, having played Nigeria twice during the previous year, in tough but ultimately winnable games, just like this one was.
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Sure, there was going to be a lot of media nonsense around Sinclair’s saved penalty, which could have won Canada the game and made Sinclair the first player to score in six consecutive World Cups. But frankly, I don’t blame Sinclair for the penalty miss, even though she clearly shouldn’t have taken this penalty. I blame the Canadian broadcaster TSN for the media maelstrom they stirred up at the 2019 World Cup, where they blamed Sinclair for not taking a penalty in the round of 16 versus Sweden, which she had given to Beckie to take instead, and then blamed Beckie for taking it. This made it incredibly difficult for anyone other than Sinclair to take the penalty in this match, where another member of the team really just needed to be brave enough to step up and offer to take it. But when the smoke from the penalty drama clears, what is left is an unfortunate draw for Canada in their opening game. While disappointing, this is not yet fatal for Canada’s hopes in this tournament and it should be remembered that Canada’s first game of the Tokyo Olympics was also a draw. Also, even though Canada’s offense will clearly need to improve in order for them to get out of the group, there are still some positives to take away from this match, as the Canadian defense was still pretty solid, especially when you take into consideration that this was the first match those four players had played together in over a year.
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Match Reactions and Takeaways: Lots of people had very different opinions and hot takes about this match. Some were valid, most were utter nonsense, and nearly all of them completely ignored what I thought was the most important factor in this game. First of all, let’s give a shout out to all those whiners who were surprised by Canada’s offensive performance in this match and said all sorts of terrible things about the team because of it. I’m sorry, but have you never watched this team play before??? Seriously! Canada having a dysfunctional offense is basically the second most important part of this team’s brand identity, after their commitment to brick-wall defending. Sure, it is perfectly alright to hope and pray for better offensive play from Canada, and from time-to-time fans will be able to catch glimpses of it. But expecting to see consistently dangerous, threatening offense from Canada is merely asking yourself to sign up for never-ending heart-break and sorrow. Now, I’m not saying that I have any better idea than anyone else regarding exactly what was Canada’s plan to score a goal in this match, but I certainly wasn’t surprised that they didn’t seem to have one.
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With that rant over, let’s address what was the most significant factor in this match, which from my perspective, was clearly the absence of Jessie Fleming. The end result of Fleming being injured and stuck on the bench was that the world got to see exactly what a team that is built around Jessie Fleming looks like without Jessie Fleming. The answer: well, it wasn’t pretty. Personally, I thought that Jessie Fleming was reasonably well-known and respected internationally as a significant player for Canada, but after listening to different podcasts recap this match, it would appear that I was mistaken, as not a single non-Canadian podcast host or guest seemed to realize the magnitude of this absence, which for me is nearly as significant as Sam Kerr’s absence was for the Matildas. While the Australian media are on Sam Kerr calf-watch, the Canadian media are providing daily updates about Fleming’s injury (which is a nice change from the total lack of information about player injuries that Canadian fans usually get). Of course, soccer is a team sport and one should never overstate the influence of a single player, but considering Fleming’s role in the offensive midfield, as the designated free-kick and corner-kick taker, and as Canada’s best penalty taker, I don’t think I am overstating it. If Fleming had been healthy enough to play in this game, Canada probably converts that penalty and wins this match 1-0. (Just to be perfectly clear though, I am happy that Priestman prioritized Fleming’s health over the result of this match).
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Things we love to see:
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Canada’s first choice defensive line returns just in time for the World Cup and keeps a clean sheet. Canada hasn’t seen a back-line of Lawrence-Gilles-Buchanan-Riviere since the final of the CONCACAF W Championship last July. Yes, it has been that long! With this fact in mind, the back-line performed remarkably well, and really limited the amount of really dangerous chances that Nigeria was able to produce, even when Canada lost control of the game overall. Yes, there was that one mix-up between Sheridan and Buchanan in the first half, but Gilles and Lawrence were able to put their bodies on the line to keep the ball out of the net, and Sheridan was solid when called upon throughout the rest of the game. That’s Canadian defending for you, it may not be pretty and make fans feel perfectly at ease for the entire match (there is no such thing as stress-free football), but it is very effective, and in the end, that’s all that really matters.
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Jayde Riviere shines in her first start in over a year! I’m going to be brutally honest and admit that I kind of forgot just how good Riviere was. Personally, I was slightly surprised that she started this match, mainly because of how few minutes she had played at club level since returning from injury (thanks Marc Skinner), but Priestman clearly rates Riviere and for good reason. Riviere put in a great defensive performance, making great tackles and keeping up with pacy Nigerian wingers, which helped put to rest some doubts that I had about her defensive solidity since the Olympics. Even more impressive was Riviere’s offensive contribution on the wing, which provided the type of wide ball-progression that Canada is really missing at the moment due to Beckie’s absence. Riviere willingness to be direct and send a few crosses into the Nigerian box was also a big plus. If this is the kind of performance that Riviere is able to provide during her first start since her hip injury, she is only going to become even more impressive as this tournament progresses.
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Quinn and Schmidt pulling the strings in midfield. One player who entered this tournament with a lot of expectations on their shoulders was Quinn, as Canada’s lone truly defensive midfielder in the squad after Scott was unable to return from injury in time. Canada fans had not seen much of Quinn at the international level leading up to this tournament, as a series of unfortunate injuries and illnesses seemed to keep conspiring to keep them off the pitch for club and country. This only made their performance in this match all the more impressive and Quinn largely ran the show for Canada in midfield, helping to keep the defensive spine intact and distributing the ball between the wings with ease. Even more impressive were the passes they were able to pull off through the centre of the pitch, which helped drive Canada’s offense forward and sometimes completely cut through the Nigerian defensive lines. Sophie Schmidt on the other hand continued her career renaissance, and was arguably Canada’s most impactful substitute in this game, making a case for her to start in the next match. Schmidt seemed to be everywhere in the second half, defending Canada’s midfield, providing build-up play, making runs into the box, taking a shot on goal and even taking a few corners.
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In Brief: Sinclair actually had one of her most energetic games in a while, and was very involved in the build-up play and final third, as well as providing a physical presence in midfield for Canada. Sinclair had a good scoring chance in the opening 10 minutes but her touch was off for most of the game. Leon played with a lot of heart and put a lot of hard-work into this match, but ultimately wasn’t able to create something dangerous in the box. Leon also provided decent service from corners and free-kicks considering that this is not normally her responsibility. Lacasse came into the match at half-time and played with a ton of energy, creating some dangerous chances and making some dangerous runs into the Nigerian box. Lacasse also had a blocked shot and could have done more with better service but also couldn’t seem to figure out what to do when she had a breakaway opportunity near the end of the game. Viens produced a good shot on target almost immediately after coming into the match, but also suffered from a lack of service. Prince, despite the limited minutes, also made an impact, winning a duel and matching the Nigerian player’s speed when defending.
Things we don’t love to see:
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Priestman gets her starting forward line-up wrong. To be honest I think a lot of the criticism of Priestman’s starting XI was overblown. I might have preferred to start Chapman over Riviere and Viens over Huitema, but I can understand the arguments for choosing those players to start instead. But where Priestman clearly made a mistake, was choosing to start Deanne Rose. It’s not fun to say it, but Rose did not make an impact in this match and was largely invisible. And on the few occasions she was involved in the play, she either lost possession of the ball, or was out-run by the Nigerian defenders and cornered on the side of the pitch. One of Rose’s best qualities is her immense pace and ability to unsettle defenders with her speed, and this was not on display in this match at all. Clearly, Rose is not yet match-fit, despite making her return to play from injury back in May. And yet Priestman still decided to start Rose over Lacasse, who is in great form and made a huge impact after entering the game at half time. If Lacasse doesn’t start the next game, then Priestman’s judgement should be called into question. I understand that Rose will need gametime to work the rust off her game, but this is the World Cup and Canada simply does not have the time to do this. In my opinion, Clarissa Larisey has a strong case to feel aggrieved for having been left off the final squad instead of the still not 100% Rose and Prince.
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Julia Grosso underwhelms in midfield. If there was one player that I thought was having a terrific club season where everything seemed to be going well, and could easily transfer this form to the international level, it was Julia Grosso. Named the best midfielder in Italy this season, Canada needed a big offensive midfield performance from Grosso due to Fleming’s absence, and Canada did not get it. One of the best surprises at the Tokyo Olympics was Grosso’s ability to enter matches as a substitute and hold her own against top opposition, take them on one-on-one, and progress the ball offensively. Very little of this was on display in this match. Grosso lost possession more often than usual, didn’t seem to take players on one-on-one, and constantly preferred to back-pass rather than search for an offensive opportunity. Now this could just be first game nerves, as this match was the first time that Grosso had started a game at a major tournament, having always been a substitute at the Olympics, but Canada is going to need a lot more from Grosso if it hopes to go far at this World Cup.
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In Brief: No Canadian player had more scoring opportunities in this match than Jordyn Huitema, and unfortunately, she was unable to put any of them on target. Huitema actually had a very active performance and was clearly working hard in this match, but in the end, nothing came to fruition. Personally, I think Viens should be starting up front instead of Huitema, but I still think she could play an important role on the wing, where she seems to be more effective. Gilles and Buchanan, despite their excellent defensive showing, were unable to win hardly any aerial duels in Nigeria’s box, which was disappointing. Lawrence had a decent performance, but not a spectacular one. Considering that Lawrence is probably the most talented player on this team, Canada is going to need big performances from her if the team is going to go far in Australia.
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Image Credits: All images and graphics are from Canada Soccer’s flickr, twitter or instagram accounts  
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jessieflemingfc · 2 years
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soccer-north · 1 year
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femftbllvr · 1 year
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magdasabs · 3 months
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I suggested this a couple months ago and you said you didn't have time. I'm going to suggest it again in case you have time and you're interested. For each club in the WSL, name one player who you think is overrated and one who you think is underrated. And overrated doesn't necessarily mean bad, it could mean that fans of that club think she's best in the world and you think she's top 10 in the world rather than top 1. Same with underrated, could be a player who everyone says is awful and you think is fine.
good suggestion, thanks for sending it again! I'll try to do it but I'm so bad at things like this tbh
chelsea: o-lj, u-maren
city: o-ck? idk no one's really overrated there, u-jess park
arsenal: o-alessia, u-kim
united: o-tooney, u- hannah
liverpool: o-shanice?, u-taylor hinds
spurs: o-neville, u-ria, kit, olga
everton: o-katja?idk, u-nico
leicester: o-deanne rose?, u-leitzig
villa: o-alisha tho does it count if it's not actual woso fans doing the rating, u-anna leat
brighton: o-robinson, u-terland
west ham: o-asseyi, u-megan walsh
bristol: I don't really know much about them tbh but just for the sake of completeness o-furness, u-marckese
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batllethinker · 1 month
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The national team submissions masterboard
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Overview: A look into the dynamics of our national teams
Spain:
Doms: Jenni, Ona, Aitana, Irene P, Sandra
Subs: Alexia, Mapi, Misa, Laia C, Leila O, Laia A, Salma, Athenea, Mariona, Patri, Cata, Eva N, Lucia, Pina
England:
Doms: Millie B, Mary E, Alex G, Millie T, Coombsy, Lucy S, Rachel
Subs: Lucy B, Keira, Esme, Leah, Georgia, Ellie, Hannah, Beth E, Beth M, Fran, Lauren, Ella, Lessi
Sweden:
Doms: Magda, Olivia, Frido, Amanda, JRK, Linda S, Amanda N, Sofia J, Caroline, Elin, Rebecka
Subs: Hanna B, Asllani, Lina H, Stina, Nathalie, Filippa, Jonna, Anna S, Matilda V, Stina B, Julia Z, Emma
Australia:
Doms: Mini, Lani, Emily VE, Tameka, Kyah, Emily G
Subs: Macca, Sam, Ellie, Steph, Charli, Clare, Mary, Kyra, Chloe, Teagan, Caitlin, Hayley, Courtney N
Oranje:
Doms: Sherida, Dominique, Shanice, Merel
Subs: Danielle (Switch), Lynn, Viv, Lieke, Jackie, Jill, Damaris, Esmee, Daphne, Kerstin
Germany:
Doms: Melanie, Popp, Svenja, Lina, Sara, Linda, AKB
Subs: Obi, Jule, Giulia, Merle, Klara, Laura, Sydney, Lea, Feliciats, Sjoeke, Sara D
Ireland
Doms: Denise O’Sullivan, Louise Q, Courtney Brosnan, Caitlin H, Diane C, Niamh F, Heather P
Subs: Katie M, Megan Connolly, Amber, Claire O’R, Abbie Larkin, Izzy Atkinson, Lucy Q, Ruesha L, Grace M, Jamie F, Megan Campbell, Kyra Carusa, Anna P
Canada
Doms: Cloé L, Adriana L, Janine B (switch), Kadeisha B, Allysha C, Melissa Dagenais, Ashley L, Bianca SG, Nichelle P, Kailen S, Desiree S, Shelina Z
Subs: Jordyn H, Quinn, Jessie F, Sab, Julia G, Marie-Yasmine, Amanda A, Simi, Tanya, Gabrielle C, Sydney C, Rylee F, Vanessa G, Anna K, Devon K, Clarissa L, Marie L, Jordyn L, Lysianne P, Emma R, Deanne R, Jade Rose, Jayde R, Zoe B, Victoria Pickett, Olivia S, Sarah S, Evelyn S, Sura Y
Norway
Doms: Ada, Ingrid, Maren M, Guro P, Guro B, Maria T, Tuva H
Subs: Guro R, Frida, Caroline, Aurora, Vilde, Thea, Celin, Julie B, Lisa N, Elisabeth T, Sophie H
Scotland
Doms: Lisa E, Kirsty S, Rachel C, Jenna F, Lee G, Jenna C, Hayley L, Jane R
Subs: Sam K, Erin C, Kirsty H, Nicola D, Sandy M, Sophie H, Leah E, Christy G, Jamie-Lee, Brogan H, Jennifer S, Amy R, Chelsea C, Fiona B, Martha T, Claire E, Lauren D
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zwedexx · 1 month
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where CanXNT and other Canadians play
WSL
Arsenal
Sabrina D’Angelo
Cloé Lacasse
Aston Villa
Adriana Leon
Bristol City
Sarah Stratigakis
Chelsea
Kadeisha Buchanan
Ashley Lawrence
Leicester City
Deanne Rose
Man Utd
Jayde Riviere
West Ham
Shelina Zadorsky
Championship
Lewes
Emily Moore
London City Lionesses
Paige Culver
NWSL
Bay FC
Lysianne Proulx
Houston Dash
Allysha Chapman
Sophie Schmidt
Amanda West
Kansas City Current
Nichelle Prince
Desiree Scott
North Caroline Courage
Sydney Collins
Victoria Pickett
Bianca St-Georges
Orlando Pride
Amanda Allen
Portland Thorns
Janine Beckie
Christine Sinclair
Jessie Fleming
Reign FC
Jordyn Huitema
Quinn
San Diego Wave
Kailen Sheridan
Mya Jones
Utah Royals 
Zoe Burns
Washington Spirit
Gabrielle Carle
LIGA BPI
Benfica 
Marie-Yasmine Alidou
Chandra Davidson
Damaiense
Melissa Dagenais
Sporting FC
Olivia Smith
Clube de Braga
Caroline Kehrer
Grace Stordy
Madalena Marau
Valadares Gaia
Megane Sauvé
Vilaverdense
Dakota Chan
Sophia Ferreira
Markela Bejleri
Natalie Cooke
D1 Arkema
Lyon
Vanessa Gilles
Montpellier
Marie Levasseur
Dijon
Latifah Abdu
Stade de Reims
Kayza Massey
FC Fleury 91
Tianna Harris
Le Havre
Élisabeth Tsé
Lille
Olivia Mbala
Taylor Beitz
AS Saint-Étienne
Alex Lamontagne
Serie A
Juventus
Julia Grosso
AS Roma
Evelyne Viens
Pomigliano
Irina Talle
U.C. Sampdoria
Lindsay Kitson
Serie B
Genoa
Heidi Giles
Hellas Verona
Margot Shore
Res Roma SSD
Alicia Tamburro
Damallsvenskan
BK Hacken
Clarissa Larisey
Vittsjö GIK
Shannon Woeller
Tanya Boychuk
Djurgården IF
Sura Yekka
IFK Norrköping
Maya Antoine
League of Ireland Women’s Premier Division
Athlone Town
Nyla Peterkin
Galway
Jamie Erickson
Shelbourne
Christie Gray
Janaya Robertson
Treaty United
Caleigh Boeckx
Delana Freisen
Kayla Kyle
Annie Ulliac
Erin van Dolder
Talia White
Stefanie Young
Kiara Kilbey
Cooper Lee Lane
Jacqueline Reynauld
Hailey Walsh
Besta deild kvenna
Keflavik FC
Melanie Forbes
Saorla Miller
Ungmennafélagiō Stjarnan
Erin McLeod
Throttur FC
Leah Pais
Frauen-Regionalliga
Eintracht Frankfurt III
Christine Eiblmeier
FC Mainz 05
Cecilia Way
SC Sand
Isabelle Roque
2. Regionalliga
FC Viktoria 1899 Berlin
Danya Barsalona
SV Rot Weiß Viktoria Mitte
Magali Morin
Cypriot First Division
Omonia Nicosia
Amelia Carlini
Sabrina McNeill
Lakatamia FC
Maila Carboni
Danmarksturneringens Kvindeliga
AaB Fodbold
Kathryn Harvey
FC Nordsjælland
Molly Race
HB Køge
Emma Regan
Samantha Chang
Pvra HNLŽ
ŽNK Osijek
Ariana Anastasiadis
Hajduk Split
Natalie Strkalj
HNK Gorica
Vanessa Hansen
1. Liga Žen
Sparta Prague
Danielle Krzyzaniak
Tristan Corneil
Kiyani Johnson
1. FC Slovácko
Seina Kashima
Other
University
Simi Awujo (USC)
Anna Karpenko (Harvard)
Jade Rose (Harvard)
Laurence Gladu (UPenn)
Free Agents
Jordyn Di Marco (Listro)
Maeva Lichtensteiger
Al Ula FC
Chandra Bednar
Wellington Phoenix
Rylee Foster
SC Freiburg 
Gabrielle Lambert
FFC Turbine Potsdam
Anyssa Ibrahim
Karima Lemire
FC Nantes
Christabel Oduro
Emily Burns
Nottingham Forest
Aja Aguirre
Vålerenga
Lisa Pechersky
Győri ETO FC
Maya Ladhani
Stomil Olsztyn
Patricia Lamanna
Tormenta FC
Elis Nemtsov
ASA Tel Aviv University SC
Nkem Ezurike
Fjardabyggd/Höttur/Leiknir
Natalie Cooke
GS Ergotelis
Tamara Brown
FC Samegrelo
Sarah Harvey
OdenseQ
Reese Moffatt
SV Altach/Vorderland
Brigita Pullins
Wildcats Krottendorf
Nikole Byrne
ASKÖ Ladies Soccer Club
Meghan Monfette
Santos FC
Kelly Chiavaro
Sporting de Huelva
Jessica De Filippo
Beylerbeyi S.K.
Holly O’Neill
Amora FC
Danielle Ferreira
KuPS
Kaela Hansen
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lessirussolvr · 5 months
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glimmerofawesome · 2 years
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hami-photos · 2 years
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redleaframble · 1 year
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Canada October Friendlies: Canada vs Argentina and Morocco in Jerez
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So, Canada did manage to line-up two opponents for the October international window after all, and two World-Cup bound opponents at that, in the form of Argentina and Morocco. While it is somewhat disappointing that Canada was unable to secure a friendly against a top-10 European team despite hosting their camp in Europe (especially since a team like Germany, or even Italy, is only playing one match this window), I did suggest Argentina and Morocco as potential good-quality opponents for this window, so I’m going to feel slightly smug about that (despite the fact that I suggested like two-dozen teams, so it was not a very impressive guess!).
It will be great to see Canada play Argentina again, because they represent a very rare type of friendly opponent for Canada, a South American team that is not named Brazil! Argentina successfully qualified for the 2023 World Cup this summer after finishing in 3rd place at the 2022 Copa America Femenina and are currently ranked 31th in the world. Canada has an unbeaten record against Argentina with 5W-0D-0L across their 5 previous meetings, and last played against Argentina at the 2021 She Believes Cup, in a match that Canada narrowly won 1-0 with a last-minute goal from Sarah Stratigakis, and which was Bev Priestman’s first win as Canada’s new head coach. While on paper this is a match that Canada should win, Canada’s long-term chronic goal-scoring issues mean that these types of matches are often much closer than they should be, with Canada dominating the bulk of the play, yet struggling to score. On the other hand, Argentina is a dangerous team (just ask Scotland!), with a strong cohesive defensive shape and very good technical ability that makes them a major threat from set pieces. While the bulk of the Argentinian team plays their club football domestically in Argentina, they do have a handful of players in the Spanish, Mexican and Brazilian leagues. Like other South American teams, Argentina will not be afraid to get physical, make cynical fouls and try to draw penalties, so Canada will probably not be able to dominate the match physically and will need to remain calm and avoid making stupid mistakes, so that this match does not turn into a repeat of last year’s disastrous November Mexico friendlies. It should be noted that aside from Canada’s two losses to the USA since Priestman took charge, their other three losses were to Brazil, Mexico and Spain, which are somewhat similar types of teams to Argentina, so Argentina is the type of opponent that Canada has struggled against sometimes in the past. The bad news for Argentina of course is that Sarah Stratigakis has been called up last minute as a replacement player for Canada for these matches, in what is only her second call-up this year, so they better watch out!
And while it might be rare for Canada to face a non-Brazilian South American opponent, it has been even longer since Canada last faced Morocco, with their only two meetings coming back in 2001, where Canada won the first match 4-0, only to lose the second match 1-0, leaving Canada with a 1W-0D-1L record against them. While Morocco is only ranked 76th in the world, they will definitely not be pushovers for Canada, and are almost certainly a lot better than their ranking suggests, because FIFA rankings tend to systematically undervalue African teams. Indeed, aside from their loss to South Africa in the final of the 2022 Women’s African Cup of Nations this summer, Morocco is unbeaten during this calendar year, and while you can quibble about this statistic considering the quality of the opposition they have faced, you can only beat the teams that are in front of you. After qualifying for the World Cup for the first time ever, and after an outstanding performance in the African Cup of Nations that they hosted on home soil and where they finished runners-up, this is a team that will relish the opportunity to play against a top-10 team and has nothing to lose. Again, while the majority of the Moroccan squad appears to play domestically in Morocco, they do have a handful of players that are scattered across a few different European leagues. On paper however, this is once again a match that Canada should be expected to win, and win fairly comfortably, depending on whether the Canadian offence is able to start scoring goals. It will be interesting to see whether Morocco changes tactics and approaches this match with a very defensive approach (like South Korea did back in June) or sticks with their more typical fluid style of play. Unfortunately, there will be no match-up between Shelina Zadorsky and Rosella Ayane in this game, due to Ayane’s recent injury.
Now, from a Canadian perspective, Canada enters this international window with fair bit of momentum, off the back of two impressive wins over Australia, in Australia back in September, despite having had a severely depleted defensive-line and traveling half-way around the world. This provided a considerable morale boost for Canada after a fairly draining July CONCACAF qualification tournament, where Canada ultimately fell short to the USA in the final. These September matches saw the debut of a new 4-2-3-1 formation for Canada, with a Fleming-Grosso double-pivot and Sinclair dropping back into midfield, which produced the most dynamic and fluid offensive play from Canada in ages, which really seemed to finally unlock some of Canada’s offensive potential, without sacrificing much in defense, even if all three of Canada’s goals came from Adriana Leon and the team probably still should have scored more goals overall. The big question mark hanging over this new tactical change however, is how well will it perform against an opponent that sits deep with a defensive low-block? Canada certainly seemed to dominate the midfield against Australia and broke through their defensive line often at will, but the quality of the Australian defence can charitably be described as “questionable” at best and Australia was functionally incapable of adapting with a more defensive style of play. Against an opponent with a top defense or even a lower-ranked opponent with a strong collective approach to defense, will Canada be able to see similar gains from this new formation? In my opinion, that is the main question that fans will hopefully get an answer to after this international window.
With Argentina and Morocco both being opponents that Canada traditionally is able to defeat, sometimes with ease and sometimes with great difficulty, a real sign of progress from Canada would be if they are able to score multiple goals in back-to-back matches while keeping two clean-sheets, because back-to-back 1-0 wins just won’t cut it anymore. If Canada hopes to win the world cup, Argentina and Morocco are the type of opponents that Canada will face in the group stage and will need to be able to defeat comfortably. Historically, Canada has often struggled in the World Cup group stage, and even on occasions when they have progressed to the knock-out rounds, their group stage matches took so much out of the team that they didn’t have enough left in the tank to progress farther in the tournament. Of course it is entirely possible that Canada could draw or lose against both teams in this window, which would be a considerable set-back to Canada’s World Cup preparations, but would not be entirely unforeseeable, considerably how mixed Canada’s results have been since winning Olympic GOLD, and it would be rather disappointingly familiar if Canada followed up a strong September window with an underwhelming October window, as consistent strong performances remain a work in progress for this team.
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In terms of roster news, Canada is still missing several key players due to injury, although the absences are thankfully not so heavily clustered around Canada’s defensive line this time. Jayde Riviere remains out long-term with a significant hip injury that required surgery, although she recently posted a video where she is walking again, which is great news! Deanne Rose, after having picked up an unknown injury during CONCACAF qualifying this summer, appeared to have recovered in time for the WSL season, only for her to tear her Achilles during her first game of the season for Reading, which may keep her out long-term for up to a year or longer, which puts her chances of making the 2023 World Cup squad next summer in jeopardy. Gabrielle Carle suffered a foot injury towards the end of Canada’s second match against Australia (which resulted in her hobbling around the field at the end of the match because Canada had already used all of its subs), which looked like it could have been quite serious, but thankfully she is expected to recover before the end of the Swedish league’s fall season, although not in time for this international window. Vanessa Gilles has not played a single minute of football since the final of the CONCACAF W Championship in July, and has revealed that she has been managing a lengthy groin injury since the spring, which appears to be quite persistent and difficult to diagnose. While Canadian fans will rightly point fingers at Angel City’s questionable head coach and her inability to make timely substitutions and properly rotate her team to rest players, questions could also be asked about why Gilles had to play 4 out Canada’s 5 matches this July at the CONCACAF Championship. Gilles has since moved to Lyon, where she was originally expected to make a return to club football in the middle of October. Unfortunately, this has since been pushed back to November, as Gilles’ injury appears to more serious or more difficult to recover from than previously anticipated. Additionally, since the roster for this window was announced, both Sinclair and Lawrence have had to withdraw from the squad due to minor knocks, which are not believed to be serious, but will make them unavailable for this window. In the case of Lawrence, this means that she will have missed half of Canada’s matches since the Olympics, which is somewhat concerning.
In terms of call-ups, this roster contains all of the usual expected players, without any significant players being snubbed. Thankfully, veteran defenders Chapman and Buchanan have returned to the team. There are call-ups however, for three players from Canada’s U-20 squad, Simi Awujo, Jade Rose and Zoe Burns, which is great surprise to see since all three of them are in the midst of their busy NCAA seasons, but this is the type of opposition that Canada would want young players to gain experience against, so it will be interesting to see how much game time they receive. There is another call-up for Celtic player Clarissa Larisey who had a good debut against Australia during the last window, while Sura Yekka also returns after a solid performance at centre-back in the first Australia match, despite having picked up some sort of injury during that camp. Finally, there appears to be a thaw for the Canadian players in Sweden that appeared to have been frozen off the roster. Many fans are thrilled to finally see the return of Evelyne Viens, who has been scoring for fun in the Swedish league, with 18 goals and 9 assists, which leads the league in points and ties for first-overall in goals. With Canada always in desperate need of more goal-scorers, many fans felt that Viens had been badly overlooked when she was not selected for the final July and September rosters, but it appears that Priestman was not convinced that Viens was performing at the necessary level for the national team. However, now that the confidence of Viens is at an all-time high after scoring 8 goals in her last 4 matches (including 2 hat-tricks!), Priestman appears to be pleased with Viens’ progress and has recalled her for this window, saying that Viens will definitely receive minutes to show what she can do. So, fingers crossed for another Viens hat-trick! Finally, Sarah Stratigakis has received a late call-up for this camp, after the injury absences of Sinclair and Lawrence. Currently in the middle of a good debut professional season in Sweden, it will be interesting to see if Stratigakis impresses Priestman enough in training to earn game-time in one of these two matches. Another Stratigakis goal against Argentina would be great!
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