Brunt on soccer: Best night ever for Canada?
Posted January 28, 2012 1:53 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER — Go ahead. Ask the question.
Was that the best night, ever, for Canadian soccer?
Objectively, the answer is obviously no — given that the men have qualified for the World Cup and won the Gold Cup, that the women have been to the Olympics before, and finished in the planet’s top four all the way back at USA 2003.
There have been bigger wins on bigger stages by both sexes than the 3-1 semifinal victory over Mexico on Friday night at B.C. Place in the CONCACAF Olympic qualifying tournament that guaranteed John Herdman’s team a trip to London.
And of course, this was in no way an upset. Judged by ranking, by reputation, by talent level and by circumstances, Canada was supposed to win.
Emotionally though, for anyone from this country who loves the sport, and therefore has caught far more gut punches than bouquets over the years, it was right up there; a game when the women showed skill, and mental toughness, and the ability to rise to the occasion, backed for once by a crazy passionate home crowd that lived and died and then celebrated along in the ecstatic aftermath.
That you don’t experience ever day in Canadian soccer.
And that, for anyone who was lucky enough to be in this city almost exactly two years ago, felt a whole lot like the best flag-waving moments of those magical 2010 Olympics.
So why the big heart leap from a game in a secondary tournament that the women were favoured to win?
Though the players would be more than happy to erase it as a reference point, it all goes back to what happened in Germany last summer. At the Women’s World Cup, burdened by high — though hardly unrealistic — expectations, Canada fell to pieces, losing all three matches and finishing dead last in the tournament.
They flew home in a state of shock, their coach Carolina Morace walked away (or was pushed away), and the entire program seemed a shambles at the same time as Canada’s best-ever player, Christine Sinclair, ought to have been hitting her peak.
Herdman immediately worked small miracles, hitting the ground running, and directing the women to a gold medal in his first competition in charge, the Pan Am Games. Tactically, he kept much of the sophisticated, possession game that Morace had been attempting to install, but modified it to suit his side’s strengths and cover for its weaknesses.
His greatest achievement, though, has been a remarkable restoration of confidence. Herdman is pleasant, positive, and open. He is also tough, decisive, and demands that his players be accountable for their own performance.
And none of that would have meant a thing had they folded up on Friday, in a match that everyone understood from the day the draw was announced would be for all the marbles.
Following a sterling first half that went exactly according to plan, the super-gutsy Mexican side declined to concede to their hosts. When they narrowed the score to 2-1, panic set in for a few minutes. You could see it in the players’ faces, and you could see it in Herdman’s body language on the sideline. In the building in the wider audience, thought balloons were popping up all over: Here we go again.
Instead came the goal, a beautifully weighted ball from Melissa Tancredi followed by Sinclair’s delicate chip finish that in every way demonstrated her class. Finally, Mexico’s spirit was broken, and finally some of the ghosts of Germany 2011 left the building. You don’t really understand what it feels like to come through in the clutch until you’ve felt the pain and humiliation of failing to do so: hence, the emotional payoff, and hence, the party.
The final on Sunday against the United States is purely a bonus now, though with a full house expected, with the Americans (who looked a bit more mortal in their semi final win over lowly Costa Rica) no doubt looking to put Canada back in its place, and the Canadians unburdened and flying high, it ought to be a whole lot of fun.
It is telling, though, that even amid the celebrations, even with natural feeling of vindication, Canada’s best player wasn’t declaring mission accomplished. Christine Sinclair still believes there is business left undone.
Was this redemption for the World Cup debacle?, she was asked.
No. she said. Redemption comes when there’s an medal around her neck.
Now that would be a moment.
