Canadian u17 head coach Sean Fleming confirmed that goal scoring hero Quillan Roberts while once again get the start in goal against Rwanda, as the Canucks look to advance to the knock-out stage of the World Cup.
Roberts made history – and worldwide headlines – yesterday becoming the first keeper (any age group, both genders) to score in a traditional FIFA championship.
The goal was nice, Fleming said, but he was happier with the way Roberts took command after coming in as a back-up.
[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]“Coming into the tournament against a team like England is not easy,” Fleming said. “But (Roberts) did well. His shot blocking, communication was good and his distribution.”
Fleming said the coaching staff had a quick word with the Toronto FC academy player following training today.
“Obviously no game is perfect,” the coach said. “We saw some things we’d like him to work on against Rwanda. Hopefully he can make those changes.”
Canada goes into its final game knowing that a loss will eliminate them. A draw might be enough to put them through as a best third place finisher, but it seems unlikely. However, a win will more than likely be enough.
With a win Canada could even go through as the No 2 team in the group, but their margin of victory combined with England’s margin of loss against Uruguay would need to be greater than five.
Fleming said he’s not focusing on that type of mathematics.
“It’s that old adage that it’s about the performance. If the performance is there the result will follow.”
As such, Fleming claims that he will not be watching the scores as Canada play, nor will he adjust his tactics to reflect a need for more goals.
The game against Rwanda can be seen live on CBC Bold, and on CBC.ca.