Canada vs Brazil [R]

[CoachRich]

http://www.rio2007.org.br/data/pages/8CA3C784139C20FF01139C2C41550F77.htm

FIRST ROUND GROUP A - MATCH 19

Maracanã Stadium, Rio de Janeiro FRI 20 JUL 2007 START TIME 15:00

BRA - CAN

7:0 (1:0)

Match Officials:

Referee: POZO Pablo Antonio (CHI) Assistant Referee 1: BASUALDO Patricio (CHI)

4th Official: CERDAS Ricardo (CRC) Assistant Referee 2: RAMIREZ Marvin (CRC)

Match Commissioner: SILGUERO Raul (PAR) General Coordinator: CASTELLI Andres (ARG)

Goals Scored:

SILVA Marta (BRA) 25', AUGUSTO Rosana (BRA) 50', SILVA Marta (BRA) 52', ALVES Daniela (BRA) 66', SILVA Marta (BRA) 72',

SILVA Marta (BRA) 85', SILVA Marta (BRA) 88'

BRA - BRAZIL

[ 1 ] SUNTAQUE Andréia (GK)

[ 3 ] PELLEGRINO Aline ©

[ 4 ] COSTA Renata

[ 5 ] MOURA Elaine (-71')

[ 6 ] AUGUSTO Rosana

[ 7 ] ALVES Daniela

[ 8 ] MOTA Miraildes

[ 10 ] SILVA Marta

[ 11 ] SILVA Cristiane (-88')

[ 15 ] SANTOS Andreia

[ 16 ] RIBEIRO Tânia

CAN - CANADA

[ 20 ] SWIATEK Taryn (GK)

[ 2 ] KISS Kristina

[ 3 ] BOOTH Melanie

[ 7 ] WILKINSON Rhian

[ 8 ] MATHESON Diana (-79')

[ 10 ] FRANKO Martina

[ 11 ] HERMUS Randee

[ 12 ] SINCLAIR Christine ©

[ 15 ] LANG Kara (-46' HT)

[ 16 ] THORLAKSON Katie (-67')

[ 17 ] TIMKO Brittany

Substitutes:

[ 2 ] JATOBA Simone (+71')

[ 9 ] CILENE Katia

[ 12 ] BARBOSA Bárbara (GK)

[ 14 ] GONÇALVES Delma (+88')

[ 17 ] NASCIMENTO Grazielle

[ 18 ] RODRIGUES Daiane

[ 20 ] SANTOS Ester

Substitutes:

[ 1 ] LEBLANC Karina (GK)

[ 4 ] TANCREDI Melissa (+46' HT)

[ 5 ] NEIL Andrea (+67')

[ 6 ] ANDREWS Sasha (+79')

[ 9 ] CHAPMAN Candace

[ 13 ] WALSH Amy

[ 19 ] VERMEULEN Any

Coach: BARCELLOS Jorge (BRA) Coach: PELLERUD Even (CAN)

Cautions:

KISS Kristina (CAN) 12', MOURA Elaine (BRA) 46', TIMKO Brittany (CAN) 63'

Expulsions:

None

Additional Time:

first half: 1 min., second half: 0 min.

Football

Fútbol / Futebol

Women

Mujeres / Feminino

First Round

Primera Ronda / Primeira Rodada

Maracanã Stadium

Estadio del Maracanã

Estádio do Maracanã

20 JUL 2007

15:00

Match Report

Informe del partido / Relatório da partida

FBW400A09_01_19_C73 1.0 Report Created FRI 20 JUL 2007 16:59 Page 1/2

FIRST ROUND GROUP A - MATCH 19

Maracanã Stadium, Rio de Janeiro FRI 20 JUL 2007 START TIME 15:00

BRA - CAN

7:0 (1:0)

BRA - BRAZIL STATISTICS CAN - CANADA

15 Shots 5

14 Shots on Goal 4

12 Fouls 18

5 Corner Kicks 4

2 Free Kicks 0

0 Penalty Kicks 0

5 Offsides 0

0 Own Goals 0

1 Cautions (Yellow cards) 2

0 Expulsions (Red cards) 0

0% Ball Possession 0%

0 Actual Playing Time 0

BRA - BRAZIL

No. Name Pos Min GF GA SG/S PK FCFoulsFS Y R

1 SUNTAQUE Andréia GK 90

3 PELLEGRINO Aline © D 90 2 2

4 COSTA Renata D 90

5 MOURA Elaine D 71 2 3 1

6 AUGUSTO Rosana D 90 1 2 5

7 ALVES Daniela M 90 1 3/3 2 1

8 MOTA Miraildes M 90 1/1 1

10 SILVA Marta M 90 5 7/7 2 1

11 SILVA Cristiane M 88 2/3 2

15 SANTOS Andreia F 90 2 1

16 RIBEIRO Tânia D 90 1/1

Substitutes

2 JATOBA Simone D 19 2

14 GONÇALVES Delma F 2

Totals 7 14/15 12 18 1

CAN - CANADA

No. Name Pos Min GF GA SG/S PK FCFoulsFS Y R

20 SWIATEK Taryn GK 90 7

2 KISS Kristina D 90 1 1

3 BOOTH Melanie D 90

7 WILKINSON Rhian F 90 3 1

8 MATHESON Diana M 79 2 1

10 FRANKO Martina D 90 1/1 3 1

11 HERMUS Randee D 90 1

12 SINCLAIR Christine © F 90 2/2 1

15 LANG Kara F 45 1/1 1 1

16 THORLAKSON Katie M 66 0/1 4 2

17 TIMKO Brittany D 90 1 3 1

Substitutes

4 TANCREDI Melissa F 45 1 1

5 NEIL Andrea M 24 2

6 ANDREWS Sasha D 11

Totals 7 4/5 18 12 2

Legend:

A Absent © Captain D Defender F Forward

FC Fouls Committed FS Fouls Suffered FT Full Time GA Goals Against

GF Goals For GK Goalkeeper HT Half-time I Injured

M Midfielder Min Minutes Played N Not eligible to play

nn+ Additional Time (period follows) -nn Time when player substituted out

+nn Time when player substituted in PK Penalty Kicks (Goals/Shots) Pos Position

R Expulsions (Red Cards) SG/S Shots on Goal/Shots Y Cautions (Yellow Cards)

Football

Fútbol / Futebol

Women

Mujeres / Feminino

First Round

Primera Ronda / Primeira Rodada

Maracanã Stadium

Estadio del Maracanã

Estádio do Maracanã

20 JUL 2007

15:00

Match Report

Informe del partido / Relatório da partida

FBW400A09_01_19_C73 1.0 Report Created FRI 20 JUL 2007 16:59 Page 2/2

[fishman]

OUCH. Seven to nil? Yeesh. I wonder what the comments will be...let me guess:

"Where are the benefits from the Residency program?"

"Pellerud needs to go!"

"Hooper and Latham were right!"

Blah, blah, blah. I will say this, however: with the U20 aftermath still lingering, the last thing the CSA needed was for the Women to take a beating like this.

[CoachRich]

Very true.

I think another point to add is the CSA needs awake up as the WNT doesn't have the funds to do friendlies vs the top 9. Brazil is ranked #9.

How do we expect the WNT to get ready to go to the WWC by playing teams out of the top 9, boys teams & themselves.

Hopefully the WNT will meet Brazil in the Gold Medal round & have a good game.

Interesting note is the CR was from Chile so I wonder what the reports are going to be on him.

[The Ref]

Oops, did Pellerud get undressed. Oh am sure he will have an explanation.

[georg]

Remember the winners take on US and the loser Mexico. Also Lang was taken off @ 46 min. Let Marta score now...

[CoachRich]

The semi's bracket is BRA vs MEX & USA vs CAN on the 23rd

http://www.rio2007.org.br/data/pages/8CA3C784139C20FF01139C2C41550F77.htm

Look for Competition Summary

[CoachRich]

Brazilian women routs Canada's soccer squad at Pan Ams

http://www.globesports.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070720.wsptbrazi20/GSStory/GlobeSportsSoccer/home

[The Ref]

To quote Even Pellerud from Goble & Mail:

"I can't explain why we broke down, but we have one and a half months to take steps to change our performance before the [women's] World Cup."

Will one and a half months be enough. It is not only Brazil to contend with, other countries at the WC could be just as "sneaky"!

[Trillium]

quote:Originally posted by CoachRich

Very true.

I think another point to add is the CSA needs awake up as the WNT doesn't have the funds to do friendlies vs the top 9. Brazil is ranked #9.

How do we expect the WNT to get ready to go to the WWC by playing teams out of the top 9, boys teams & themselves.

Hopefully the WNT will meet Brazil in the Gold Medal round & have a good game.

Interesting note is the CR was from Chile so I wonder what the reports are going to be on him.

Geez stop making excuses for Pelerud and the CSA he had his team in the residenOH cy program .. he got schooled in the game... the score lines show he could not stop Marta... in the second half.

If you are pining your hopes on LANG to stop ...her in the first ..then she is withdrawn and MARTA put in four more goals..what does it say about the other players ?

Were we fit ?

Were we overwhelmed by a pro Brasilian crowd

[CoachRich]

Trillium, so much for you being a supporter, eh? Your comments about the players are pretty poor for me.

The team is a complete team that is well bonded & gets along together. This is something they have stated over & over again in interviews. Also, it's quite evident in watching their practices & when you talk to the team or see how they handle their interviews.

Scores don't tell you everything about a game especially in tournament play nor about the teams. I'd rather play the USA U20 than Mexico.

Sure Marta was on fire but what do you expect from the FIFA female footballer of 2006......she is a unbelieveable player. Add that to a stadia of 45,000 pro Brazilian fans who aren't really that civil & it must have been a unique learning experience for our WNT considering the number of games they have had against top 9 competition in front of a full crowd of rival supporters.

Hopefully you understand a residency camp without any games vs the top 9 competitors has limited value with no benchmarking. Brazil is the first top 9 team they have played & it is a telling story of how a residency camp on it's own is a small part of a WC program.

They have a couple of days to learn & re-group so hopefully they will find new spirit & make some changes to progress into the Gold Medal round vs Brazil.

Fit, well who knows how traveling to a foriegn country & eating LOC food is going to impact the team fitness. Would be nice if the CSA would have enough funding for a WC program so a team could take their own chief/cook don't you think?

Btw I'm not a supporter of the CSA old boys club & lack of transparency. I advocate & promote changes within the BC soccer system, NT programs & especially the CSA. That is a fact, it is well known with in the soccer community, soccer admins & all over the Internet.

[CG]

While I am surprised at the score, I would not join those who immediately assume they are done. Sport is replete with championship teams overcoming a drubbing like this. Once you are behind three goals in soccer, its the same as when you are behind 9 goals in hockey. The team falls apart. Some go individual and fight like wildcats to preserve honor while others alongside them are overwhelmed with shame and their feet or hands become disconnected from their brains. Panic ensues, passes go awry, and the score skyrockets even further.

For some teams, when the shock subsides, it is replaced by a will for revenge that will burn down a house. Lets see when they meet the US. All I know is that I would not want to play against a good team that just lost their self respect. I would be concerned some of my own teammates would throttle back expecting a cakewalk, only to find an oponent as dangerous as a wounded badger. This womens team is more cohesive than any in a long time. I will personally give them the benefit of the doubt, especially given these stats, found on GoBigRed.

Tables at the Futbol24 site:

19 - Top 5 offensive teams

Num. Host. Goals Goals/match

1. Canada (W) 22 7.33

2. Brazil (W) 19 6.33

3. USA (W) 13 4.33

4. Mexico (W) 7 2.33

5. Argentina (W) 3 1.00

20 - Top 5 defensive teams

Num. Host. Goals Goals/match

1. Brazil (W) 0 0.00

2. Canada (W) 1 0.33

3. Mexico (W) 1 0.33

4. USA (W) 2 0.67

5. Argentina (W) 3 1.00

[CG]

"a residency camp without any games vs the top 9 competitors has limited value with no benchmarking. "

CoachRich, why don't we just see about that. Without that residency camp I doubt we would have a team which in your own words "is well bonded & gets along together". The alternative, would have been to assemble players from all over to play some top 9 teams with Kerfoots money. While that has definite value, there was obviously no money to do both. I realize you are evangelic about getting more money from the CSA for the Women's team, it wasn't there. However to dismiss a residency camp as "limited value" is a stretch.

I will personally await the final verdict before making my decision about this team and how it was handled. Your postings suggest that you are a terrific fan of the WNT. Your postings also make clear your imagination is restricted to your view that these women did not get the help they needed. I think you underestimate them.

After the world cup, I truly hope the scope of your imagination of what is possible is expanded. Can these women not rise up and defeat the best in the world? Think Team Canada in 1972 for one example after those massive home ice shutouts. Of course our girls can too. If they do, I hope you will retract your assertion that Kerfoot and Pelleruds plan was of limited value.

Cheers

"Oops, did Pellerud get undressed. Oh am sure he will have an explanation."

Duh, what else would you expect. From any coach.

[Trillium]

Originally posted by CoachRich

Trillium, so much for you being a supporter, eh? Your comments about the players are pretty poor for me.

Being a supporter involves ... watching ..and commenting when you see it off the rails... before hand and after, this thing has been off the rails for long time.

The team is a complete team that is well bonded & gets along together. This is something they have stated over & over again in interviews. Also, it's quite evident in watching their practices & when you talk to the team or see how they handle their interviews.

A complete team ..well bonded..damn next you will tell me they like to hang out together and eat pizza after a training session, this is not u13 girls ... its serious international sport, let us hope the Canadian Olympic Association and some of our gold medal winners..i.e. Susan Natress et al get a chance in the team village to talk to the players giving them some incite... to competiting at a multi-sport event

Scores don't tell you everything about a game especially in tournament play nor about the teams.

Agreed but the time of the goals .. the fact they came from one player... the failure by the coach to adjust and assign markers to slow her pace down .. reads volumes .. if your a coach and the other team has star player ... you shut them down ..was no one or no rotational group of players capable of stopping MARTA ?

I'd rather play the USA U20 than Mexico.

I hope you have the read the FIFA fair play code.. you are almost saying hey ....we did not want win so we could play the USA u20 women...who have been sent to get experience in a multi sport games...in preparation for when the individual players move to the national team ... oh wait damn americans planning in advance what a concept in athlete preparation

Sure Marta was on fire but what do you expect from the FIFA female footballer of 2006......she is a unbelieveable player. Add that to a stadia of 45,000 pro Brazilian fans who aren't really that civil

I thought attendance was less in the range of 25,000...about what you would draw if they had gone to brasil early and played some tune up games in some state capitals... Palmas ...or in Uberlandia or Curtiba ... as as to civil...so your ascribing to the crowd the atributes of a non civil ...approach to watching there own National team play at home in a historic stadia...hell again the Canadian team could have done lots to have some support in the city and stadium..i doubt its been done...no practice on the beach at Copa..no visit to childrens hospital...nada..nunca...preparation that costs nothing but some effort and thought

& it must have been a unique learning experience for our WNT considering the number of games they have had against top 9 competition in front of a full crowd of rival supporters.

Did the WNT even bother to do simulation at BC place to be used to the size and space of Maracana ?... ask Even and deep thinkers that one..its commonly used in other sports..to help your athlete adjust to the exterior evironment ...two hours at BC place playing a intersquad game with crowd sounds etc...again doable in the budget

Hopefully you understand a residency camp without any games vs the top 9 competitors has limited value with no benchmarking. Brazil is the first top 9 team they have played & it is a telling story of how a residency camp on it's own is a small part of a WC program.

Agreed but i am sure the team could have had games to tune up..i would still like to see how the existing money is managed, leveraged and stretched...i doubt its well done at all

They have a couple of days to learn & re-group so hopefully they will find new spirit & make some changes to progress into the Gold Medal round vs Brazil.

Agreed but National coach in his public statements claims to not know why the lay down and were run over... surely a scary sign....who can motivate this team ...by leadership or example, i dont think Sinclair can ...nor Lang ..who else, can make a speach to get them going..we know Even cant...

Fit, well who knows how traveling to a foriegn country & eating LOC food is going to impact the team fitness.

So we dont eat ...rice and meat here ...give me a break ..food is not an issue, hell most national athletes exist on Kraft dinner...

Would be nice if the CSA would have enough funding for a WC program so a team could take their own chief/cook don't you think?i suspect if Even in thought of it .. he could have had a volunteer chef...travel to make meals..maybe he will do so for China ...in six weeks...

Btw I'm not a supporter of the CSA old boys club & lack of transparency. I advocate & promote changes within the BC soccer system, NT programs & especially the CSA. That is a fact, it is well known with in the soccer community, soccer admins & all over the Internet.Did I suggest you were a close supporter of the existing cabal of CSA folks from BC...those who only see BC and no one else in the country ...if i did my sincere apologies... but i just get you support the program ..and the program has been built and crafted by Even Pelerud... Mr. Kerfoot of BC and the Vancouver Whitecaps organisation....the seven to zero loss has to be a wake up call to get...some more experienced leadership back onto the team to deal with ...tough games to come over the next year and half...

[CoachRich]

CG - Thank you for your kind comments & I will try to be more clearer.

Let me clarify that the residency camp has tremendous value but until you benchmark what you have done there vs your top competition in a game you don't know what the full value/effectiveness of the program & preparation has been. This has been one of the teams issues w/ the CSA on lack of funds for home games vs top competition. They have stated in interviews in print, radio & tv. WNT calls it Gender Equity/Equal Opportunity or as Walsh said the "ogranization that is suppose to be supporting us doesn't give a crap about us" (CBC Radio - Women's WC Preparaton). I hope the above clarifies my comments about value & benchmarking.

Now that the WNT have played a top 9 team like Brazil, I see the WNT evaluating, planning, adapting & coming out ready to give it to the US & then Brazil.

From my understanding Kerfoots generous support was for the residency camp only. There was no plan to use his money for WNT home games w/ top teams as that is the role of the CSA but as Linford said, that would bankrupt the CSA.

W/ regards to my imagination, I'm far from discouting the WNT as they have tons of interal strength as a team, as individuals & have been well prepared for a WC & Olympic run on limited CSA funds & no sponsorship. They have great team officials who know what they are doing too.

Like you, I hope the best for the team but even if the outcome is not what they were shooting for, I will still support them.

Cheers,

[CoachRich]

Trillium - thank you for taking the time to respond.

I would suggest to you that some of your WNT program answers you are after are found in the lack of funding of the WNT program by the CSA. They only have the WWC program, all the others have been shelved for now. Ian Bridge is now assigned to the WWC...man, he's still a great player when he practices with the WNT.

Also the lack of a businees plan & national development plan of the CSA certainly doesn't help any of us.

As for the residency program, your question should be addressed to the CSA as they have done nothing. They can't even pay for a home game so that being the case if there was no Kerfoot program how would the WWC team prepare or even exist.

Please read Linford's statements about the direction of the CSA & you will see that little has changed since the WNT players sued the CSA in 2003 for game revenues. Also, the WNT interviews from the players.

Here's to a good result for the WNT vs the USA on Monday

[fishman]

Having now seen the highlights (thanks, Sigma, for the link), it is really, really obvious what Pellerud needs to address immediately.

When a team plays a flat-back four, it is critical to drop when there is no pressure on the ball, and to have a compact shape. Brazil continuously exploited the Canadian's high line, as evidenced by Marta's goals coming directly or indirectly from through balls. Additionally, the back four had some pretty poor shape.

If the first defender doesn't apply pressure, the back four has to drop, and keep dropping, until pressure is applied. By doing so, they keep the ball and the attackers in front of them.

That is especially critical when you have a pace and work-rate mismatch in the middle...Canada's centrebacks obviously couldn't win footraces, nor were they willing to commit some fouls or win some tackles. Franko, Hermus and then Andrews were all victimized.

Pellerud, sort that out, mate.

[Trillium]

Originally posted by CoachRich

From my understanding Kerfoots generous support was for the residency camp only. There was no plan to use his money for WNT home games w/ top teams as that is the role of the CSA but as Linford said, that would bankrupt the CSA.

So you agree having WNT games at a price point as in the U20 games ...would bankrupt the CSA ?.. i don think so, in fact the games could be sponsored for total cost of presenting and the revenue from the games going fully to the sponsor..just like you sell a rock act...since the CSA is not capable of promoting the product at least let others buy a tour date...I am sure the City of Ottawa would pick up a game...as would Saputo and the Toronto FC to put another date in the BMO stadium

W/ regards to my imagination, I'm far from discouting the WNT as they have tons of interal strength as a team, as individuals & have been well prepared for a WC & Olympic run on limited CSA funds & no sponsorship. They have great team officials who know what they are doing too. So you are fully behind Even Pelerud and the way he has directed the residency program and team preparation ? or are you saying you like the equipment manager...and assitant coaches ...just who are you talking about ..names please ...

[redhat]

I blame the Chilean ref.

Of course not. We got beat fair and square by a very talented team with a

superstar like Marta. It was a strange game, having lost it pretty much in

the second half. Pellerud will hopefully lead the team in learning from it.

You have to take a beating once in a while, so you learn from it.

(Didn't the Canadian hockey team lose to Kazhakstan and Switzerland at one time?)

[Vic]

Could be wrong, but I believe the Brazilian women have played one exhibition game this year - on the road.

[CoachRich]

Good idea on sponsorship/concert idea but the problem is the host has to pay for the other team to visit. Someone would have to front the money. Although the WNT games are a lot cheaper to host than the MNT programs, Linford has said hosting at WNT home game would bankrupt the CSA. Also, he is quite clear that the MNT program comes first.

Also, you can't compare WNT games in cost to U20 or any of the MNT programs where pros are involved. The cost to host a MNT is HUGE due to player insurance, lodgings, travel & etc.

As to getting CSA help, not going to happen. Presently the CSA has no manpower or money to front something like you suggest or anything else for the WNT. I'm not sure if you know but the majority of the CSA office staff have been temporally relocated to Toronto.

Yes, we agree that the CSA is not geared to promote concepts like your idea & other creative marketing. The WNT has tried to do their own thing in getting sponsors but sadly, there are some internal issues w/ how things work w/ sharing sponsor monies & w/ CSA Soccer Properties who work w/ IMG to find the CSA sponsors for every program but the WNT didn't get anything. How the WNT got the Kerfoot program through is amazing.

The WNT still have yet to see anything revenues from the U19 WC which was brought up in the GlobalTV interveiw w/ Randene Neill....no financials is a ding dong. Asking about getting access to some of the CSA revenue from the U20 is a no as well.

Yes, I support Even, rest of the team officials & the team with their program.

Cheers,

[The Ref]

quote:Originally posted by Sigma

Highlights.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfc6fqrgsCo

Nice find Sigma. Maybe Marta scored a basket full of goals, but I must confess that in my view our women looked amateurish at best. Did anybody tell them this was a real game?

[The Ref]

To CoachRich

As you are so close to the WNT, what is their general belief as to their fate next September in China. Also who is in charge of the mental preparation and evaluation of the players. Do they plan any more games after the PanAm, if so, who, where.

[CoachRich]

Rhian's jounral gives a frank view of the WNT experience vs Brazil -

http://www.rhianwilkinsonsoccer.com/journals/journal67%20Brasil%20Wins%20Canada%20in%20Adversity.html

Those interested in the PAG WNT team officals can find them here by searching by sport -

http://www.olympic.ca/EN/2007rio/2007_handbook/index_coaches.shtml

If you go back to

http://www.olympic.ca/EN/index.shtml

the have some good coverage.

[Trillium]

Rhians ..blog...excerpts...

What exactly went wrong for us to lose so badly is a bit of a mystery, and probably there was a combination of factors involved: Individual errors, poor connections, lack of desire, lack of heart, poor reaction to the crowd, lack of success with the long ball, being together too long, who knows? ... I could go on. I believe it was a combination of many or all of these things.

poor communications ... lack of desire, lack of heart...that is scary when its put in black and white...what will Even do to put some heart back into this team..

We were playing a very strong Brazilian team, after a series of easy victories, where we had outscored the opposition by 22 to 1. We needed to be at our best, and we were not. In the second half we came out flat and they punished us immediately. They exploited every mistake we made. Then, instead of getting mad, and digging in our heels, we caved in. We went through the motions, something that might have still allowed us to win against a lesser team, but not this Brazilian one. We gave them an inch and they took a mile.

It sounds to me like a train wreck and the engineer had no ablity to moderate it to get some spirit going..would love to see just what Even did during the game to get his players back into it at the three to zero point..

We played the match at the International Stadium, Maracana. It is a holy site for Brazilian soccer, and there were thousands on hand. I am not sure of the exact number, but whatever it was, they were making enough noise to have doubled it. I have never played in an environment like that before and I was thrilled to be getting the opportunity - thank goodness none of us understand Portuguese or our loss might have been even harder to handle with all the heckling and barracking they gave us. The crowd really got behind their team and they got what they wanted tonight; I am looking forward to redemption in our last two matches.

Well the comment on Youtube...seem to suggest they found the keepers calves cute as she kept going down...But full value to Rhian by telling it like it is, I hope she can help restore some individual pride to the players on the team, before the next two big games.. the crowd should pro Canadian next time against the US..lets hope the CSA boys there know how to get the crowd behind us...( frisbees anyone .. tossed tee shirts to the crowd...

[Macksam]

I don't follow the Women's national team too much but aren't we one of the best teams in world when it comes to Women's soccer? If so, how in God's green earth did we lose to a team in comparable stature so badly?