2010 CONCACAF U17 Tournament

[smartplayer]

No big fan of BR, but this team under him shows more character than the U20 team under CM.

[Lord Bob]

Never underestimate the power of putting 10 players behind the ball. I hate to be a spoil sport here but all this proves is that Canada can absorb tons of pressure. I saw no coherent and sustained attack and without that I am afraid you only progress so far. But a win is a win and I tip my hat to Rosie for a winning strategy and the players for great execution.

Canada played the prototypical game of an inferior team against a superior team. They looked like eleven women who didn't play together much taking on much more technically skilled adversaries.

And they looked fantastic in that role.

They had their share of scoring opportunities. They generally fought the Americans to a standstill at midfield. They played dirty and time-wasted but they also played smart. There was a lot of intelligence and athleticism on display on that pitch, and I'll take that.

[The Ref]

^ exactly what I was thinking. Besides this unexpected win, what a blow to the U.S.

[Guest Ed]

Surely not you Ed... seriously, we got a result we have five months to get ready for the World cup in T&T, you gotta hope the CSA will help make sure all the players in the pool will be given support to play on W league teams this summer to get the highest level of female game time possible. It time for Morace to start calling on our W league clubs to woman up and offer the players spots on the rosters.

Hopefully we are not sending the players back to local club leagues this summer but get them into more competitive club programs.

With six teams in Ontario and Quebec all the players in the U17 pool can be playing this summer then be pulled together for a good three weeks before world cup to play University teams in pre - season.

What's up with that? Me eating humble pie? I've never thought the USA was so far ahead at youth levels, despite the histrionics of many around here. But with the way Canada played against Mexico I never thought they'd get a result tonight, bunkering or not. I agree now is the time for Morace to get in their and improve on what we have.

[Jon Que]

This has got to rank as one of the greatest upsets in Canadian soccer history. Watch the highlights of all the beautiful goals the U.S. have scored. Tremendous passing, skill and most of all finishing. Got to be the most dominant team in any Concacaf tournament, but maybe that was their problem. They seem to score at will against other teams and then finally face a little adversity and then they still can't score and then they start to think they don't want this to go to overtime and definitely not a shootout. Canada had already faced the adversity (hung on against Panama and then losing the must win game against Mexico).

Canada lost to Japan today in sledge hockey (semi-finals). The Japanese coach said if we played Canada a 100 times we would lose 99 of those games. Such is sport.

The irony is Courtnall (who I assume was not good enough to make this U.S. squad) will now make it to the World cup and her 1st choice team will not.

I really hope they (CSA and coaching staff) can come up with a legitimate plan to allow this team to reach their full potential. They need a proper residency or a series of smaller residencies with lots of meaningful games.

There are probably a lot of countries with top U17 programs out their right now who are thinking thank-you very much Canada (North Korea, Japan, Germany, and Brazil)

[Bill Spiers]

Nice game report on ussoccer.com:

U.S. U-17 WNT Falls in Penalty Kicks to Canada in Semifinal of CONCACAF U-17 Women's Championship

ALAJUELA, Costa Rica (March 18, 2010) – A nightmare scenario evolved and came to fruition for the U.S. Under-17 Women’s National Team as it could not find a way to score on Canada during regulation and overtime, eventually succumbing in a penalty kick shootout during the semifinal match of the CONCACAF U-17 Women’s Championship. The loss eliminated the USA from participating in the 2010 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.

As CONCACAF member Trinidad & Tobago will host the next U-17 Women’s World Cup in September, just two World Cup berths instead of the usual three were available at this tournament, both going to the winners of the semifinals.

The 120 minutes were played with the USA as the aggressor while Canada dropped seven players back into defense and attempted to counter-attack through long balls to its forwards. The offensive strategy proved tame, but the defending from the Canadians was inspired. The young Americans were just not quite sharp enough on their final passes and finishing to close out the game.

Canada played an excellent tactical match, clogging the center of the field, man-marking U.S. playmaker Morgan Brian and forcing the young Americans to try to find a way around or though them. That task was made extremely difficult by the Canadians, who gave the Americans little space to attack in the final third.

The USA almost broke the game open in just the eighth minute as forward Taylor Smith got behind the Canada defense after a blocked goalkeeper clearance. She turned the corner toward goal, but couldn’t find a U.S. player in the seam and the ball was cleared for a corner kick after a scramble.

While the USA dominated possession, it was actually Canada who had the better chances in the first half, all coming off counter attacks, set plays and several giveaways in the back by the Americans.

Canadian forward Nour Ghoneim had the best chance of the first 15 minutes, hitting a low shot from 22 yards that forced a diving save from U.S. goalkeeper Bryane Heaberlin.

Herberlin, who played a great match in goal for the USA, had to come up big in the 18th minute, coming quickly off her line to swipe a ball off the feet of Ghoneim in the left corner of the penalty area.

A giveaway by the USA led to another Canada chance as Haillie Price got a swing at a bouncing ball inside the six-yard box. Heaberlin got a piece of it, deflecting it off the crossbar, before she jumped on the loose ball.

In the 34th minute Smith raced in on a breakaway, but with two defenders in tow, the ball rolled just a bit too far ahead of her and Canadian goalkeeper Sabrina D’Angelo was able to smother at her feet. D’Angelo played an excellent match in the net for Canada, saving all seven U.S. shots on goal.

The USA could have gone ahead in the final minute of the first half after Brian played a nice give-and-go with Smith deep into the penalty area, but she couldn’t get a good strike on the ball from close range and D’Angelo reached back to save the rolling ball on the goal line.

Canada managed just one shot during the final 75 minutes of the match while the USA had ample opportunities to win the game. In the 65th minute a Brian header off a cross from Jaelene Hinkle went wide right even though D’Angelo was caught off her line.

Canada had a shot in the 81st minute and Heaberlin came up with what was at the time, a game-saving stop. She came out to stuff the one-on-one chance before the USA cleared away for a corner kick.

In the 89th minute, Smith had a golden chance on a free header from about eight yards out, but sent her chance high over the goal. Perhaps the USA’s best opportunity for a winner came just three minutes into the first overtime period as Smith got behind Canada’s defense on a breakaway, but shot right at D’Angelo who smothered.

Canada did a fine job of whittling the remaining minutes of the match to send the game to penalties and then executed its kicks well.

Canada shot first and Alison Clarke sent Heaberlin the wrong way to bury Canada’s first chance. Brian answered with an excellent strike into the left corner followed by Diamond Simpson, who powered her shot into the lower left corner. Abby Dahlkemper tied it at 2-2 with a well taken kick into the lower right side.

Heaberlin then had a chance to change the match, getting a nice piece of a poorly struck shot by Yazmin Ongtengco, but the ball amazingly spun over her body and rolled over the goal line. That proved to be a crusher for the USA as Clarissa Wedemeyer then hit her shot over the crossbar.

Nicole Setterlund roofed her spot kick, but U.S. substitute Havana Solaun coolly converted to keep the U.S. in the game. Still, Chantal Campbell just had to make her team’s fifth and final kick, and she did, sending Heaberlin the wrong way as she stroked a perfect shot into the right side of the net.

The USA’s tournament started with tears, for the Haitian team that USA faced in their first match, and also ended in tears as well, with the distraught American players barely consolable as they left the field. The USA will still play in the third-place match against either Mexico or Costa Rica on Saturday, March 20 at 6 p.m. ET, but their World Cup dreams are over, thus marking the first time a U.S. team has failed to qualify for a FIFA Women’s World Cup tournament.

U.S. U-17 Women's National Team Match Report

Match: U.S. Under-17 Women’s National Team vs. Canada

Date: March 18, 2010

Competition: 2010 CONCACAF U-17 Women’s Championship; Semifinal

Venue: Alejandro Morera Soto Stadium; Alajuela, Costa Rica

Kickoff: 4 p.m. local (6 p.m. ET)

Attendance: 250

Weather: 65 degrees; cool, breezy

Scoring Summary: 1 2 1OT 2OT PK F

USA 0 0 0 0 3 0

CAN 0 0 0 0 5 0

Penalty Summary:

CAN: Clarke (goal), Simpson (goal), Ongtengco (goal), Setturlund (goal), Campbell (goal)

USA: Brian (goal), Dahlkemper (goal), Wedemeyer (high), Solaun (goal)

Lineups:

USA: 1-Bryane Heaberlin; 6-Olivia Brannon, 3-Abby Dahlkemper (Capt.), 2-Jaelene Hinkle; 5-Kaili Torres (16-Cari Roccaro, 87), 11-Clarissa Wedemeyer, 10-Morgan Brian, 8-Kaysie Clark, 7-Alex Doll; 12-Taylor Smith (25-Ashley Spivey, 111), 13-Lindsey Horan (9-Havana Solaun, 84)

Subs not used: 4-Laura Liedle, 14-Cassie Pecht, 15-Isabel Farrell, 18-Abby Smith

Not Eligible: 19-Jennifer Gonzalez, 24-Caroline Stanley

Head Coach: Kazbek Tambi

CAN: 18-Sabrina D’Angelo; 5-Haillie Price (19-Abigail Raymer, 53), 6-Yazmin Ongtengco, 11-Alison Clarke, 17-Alexandra Courtnall (3-Sabrina Hemond, 87); 4-Chantal Campbell, 12-Nicole Sutterlund (Capt.), 13-Kinley McNicoll; 8-Diamond Simpson, 10-Nour Ghoneim, 16-Haisha Cantave (9-Caroline Beaulne, 53)

Subs not used: 1-Rachel Beanlands, 7-Kylie Davis, 15-Shannen Jainudeen, 20-Zakia McIntosh

Not Eligible: 2-Sophie Therien, 14-Katherine Caverly,

Head coach: Bryan Rosenfield

Statistical Summary: USA / CAN

Shots: 13 / 6

Shots on Goal: 7 / 4

Saves: 4 / 7

Corner Kicks: 5 / 3

Fouls: 10 / 10

Offside: 4 / 0

Misconduct Summary:

None

Officials

Referee: Shane DeSilva (TRI)

Asst. Referee: Cindy Mohammed (TRI)

Asst. Referee: Flor Escobar (JAM)

Fourth Official: Caradella Samuels (JAM)

ussoccer.com Woman of the Match:

Bryane Heaberlin

[navycyr]

"In any contest between power and patience, bet on patience."

~ W.B. Prescott

That resume what happened in the game against USA. Canadian girls were patient, defending bitterly, waiting for their opportunities, with a great one missed around the 80th minute, and it finally paid on PKs.

On the other side, we have to admire the power demonstrated by USA in this tournament, but in the game itself, as the game was progressing, not being used to be shutted down, they were looking more and more impatient as the game was progressing, attempting more and more to dribble the ball through our D, longer and more imprecise passes. In the second extra time, they were not even a threat to our D.

Let's celebrate the victory of patience over power like W. B. Prescott said so well !

[ray]

Canada were not the most skilled team on the pitch but found a way to win. Our program needs every oportunity it gets so we'll take this. Let's use this as another step to move women's soccer forward.

BTW, just wondering, when was the last time the US failed to qualify for a World Cup in soccer (either gender, any age group)?

[ThruBall]

Congratulations to the Cdn team. Great Job.

Looking back this will be a game that will often be quoted to stir the emotions and steel the nerves for those qualifying squads to follow. When you advance against a 32+ opponent by virtue of being perfect in penalties and not having scored a goal in 300+ minutes of regulation time, you half to come away knowing you always have a chance. Just play the best game you can and believe in your team! These girls were perfect to the challenge on this night.

Off to the world cup!

Go Canada Go!

[Sam]

Massive win for the Morace system. Could be the start of something really special if we are seeing these girls with the national team in 2015

[red card]

Paul James in Globe says yesterday's match should be watched by all Cdn footy teams and says our style should be something in between:

What this game highlights is the realities of our where our national soccer identity is. Rosenfeld played to our current strengths: athleticism, power, and speed along with a resilient, determined mentality. Combined with a good tactical plan, yesterday’s result highlights what can be achieved.

There is no doubt that, at times, the aesthetic style was a bit unattractive but, at the same time, it was hard not to feel proud of the character displayed by our Canadian team. All of our other national team programs could learn something from watching this particular game tape.

The contrast between the over possession oriented Morace approach and the over direct approach of Pellerud has now actually assisted us as a soccer nation if we care to look and accept what our own style and identity should be. It is somewhere in between the two polarized ideologies.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/blogs/james-on-soccer/canadian-soccer-style-should-be-somewhere-in-between/article1505690/

[navycyr]

For those who have not seen it, I suggest you go to http://www.concacaf.com/page/Home/0,,12813,00.html and look at the highlights of the Mexico - Costa Rica game. Those Mexicans definitely know how to kick the ball ! Mexico player at the start of the second half of overtime dribble the ball for about 7 yards before blasting a shot under crossbar for the winning goal and a place to World Cup, not the same player who has beaten us on a FK. Goalkeeper has to be alert because a good shot might come from anywhere in her half of the field ! Although she already knows by experience, hope D'Angelo takes good notice prior the final against Mexico!

[smartplayer]

Massive win for the Morace system. Could be the start of something really special if we are seeing these girls with the national team in 2015

Sam, I don't think Morace had anything to do with the win. It was all hard work and determination from the players with a little luck that won the game for Canada yesterday.

[Vic]

Can't remember the last time I was this close to tears from a game.

I do not believe anyone has ever eliminated the USA from a Women's World Cup.

One of the greatest games in Canadian women's soccer history.

[Trillium]

Paul James in Globe says yesterday's match should be watched by all Cdn footy teams and says our style should be something in between:

What this game highlights is the realities of our where our national soccer identity is. Rosenfeld played to our current strengths: athleticism, power, and speed along with a resilient, determined mentality. Combined with a good tactical plan, yesterday’s result highlights what can be achieved.

There is no doubt that, at times, the aesthetic style was a bit unattractive but, at the same time, it was hard not to feel proud of the character displayed by our Canadian team. All of our other national team programs could learn something from watching this particular game tape.

The contrast between the over possession oriented Morace approach and the over direct approach of Pellerud has now actually assisted us as a soccer nation if we care to look and accept what our own style and identity should be. It is somewhere in between the two polarized ideologies.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/blogs/james-on-soccer/canadian-soccer-style-should-be-somewhere-in-between/article1505690/

Moraces "Over Possession" mmm had we determined that or just the old boys like Paul James had determined she has over possession driven system ?

To expect the U17 team success will work in a U20 or a men's game is silly.. the way it worked was that the US players, were not experienced enough on how to break Canada down, a more experienced team a few years older would break down a lot of what was done successfully.

We need to possess the ball once we win it back .. what the U17s did well was to have a second defender or a third in some cases as we played the flat back four defence, they picked up the ball once the initial challenge was made .. what is now needed is to encourage the players to possess, take few steps .. know the pattern to be played then to play the best option avaiable or to hold the ball and accept a physical challenge if no best option exists.... rather then hoof the ball up with no concept of what comes next.

[The Ref]

To expect the U17 team success will work in a U20 or a men's game is silly.. the way it worked was that the US players, were not experienced enough on how to break Canada down, a more experienced team a few years older would break down a lot of what was done successfully.

I agree with what you say Trillium. And not to take away anything from the terrific work of our girls, I would speculate that the U.S. coaching staff didn't have a plan B to deal with what Canada had presented. The U.S. would have been convinced that Canada was going to be an easy game. Surely the U.S. had beaten two weaker team before, but then they took Costa Rica, a strong team, to the cleaners. All in all they had not conceded a single goal, so why would they not be confident. Big mistake, when the time came to change tactics they had nothing prepared and couldn't change on the fly. This of course is just my speculation.

Regarding Canada, their posture worked well, but one cannot expect to end all games 0-0. It would not qualify you and group games don't go into extra time or PKs. I look forward to see the outcome of Canada vs Mexico por the title and the U.S. vs Costa Rica for third place. Maybe things will get clearer then.

[Guest Ed]

The funny thing was, they actually played the ball a bit better with their passing options yesterday than against Mexico. I think they were nervous as they expected to have a real shot at beating Mexico and were taken aback. On the other hand, against the USA where they were playing as heavy underdogs, they showed more cool. Lots of room for improvement but they werent' spanking the ball all the way down field and were using their outlets on the wings much more often (esp on the right flank). Great memories for all those girls though!!

[Sam]

Sam, I don't think Morace had anything to do with the win. It was all hard work and determination from the players with a little luck that won the game for Canada yesterday.

I didn't actually get to watch the game and you may be right Morace may not have had much to do with it. But regardless it is a big win for the Morace system. Winning the Cyprus Cup along with this result at least confirms that the Women's team is on the up and that Morace is changing something for the positive.

[mtlfan]

I liked the way Number 9 took on the USA defence not only 1v1 but also 1v3. The team never paniced, always calm. A good game to use as a training film.

[navycyr]

Giving Morace credit or blame either for the U17s or U20s is premature. She has not been there long enough to influence the Canadian program. U17s and U20s had similar runs at the Concacaf although with different outcomes, both defending well but unable to score goals in important games. U20s having not scored in either the semis and the final and our U17s unable to score in an important game against Mexico and again vs USA. Would'nt it have been of rare and unfortunate mistakes by goalkeeper Leblanc, who had a very good tournament, U20s would have also gone to PKs with 0-0 score. But like it has been said earlier you can't count on ending the game 0-0 to win it. What needs improvement, in both teams, is offense. Defense can lead you very far as France showed in the last world cup loosing to Italy on PKs but they could count on Thierry Henry who animated the offense. We need not to forget what led us where we are, that is defense, and find solutions on offense. If we can manage to do that, then we will climb in international ranking. But if we improve offense at the expense of defense we will not have achieved anything.

[Lord Bob]

Less than ten minutes in, Canada has a 1-0 lead over Mexico courtesy McNicoll. Live on CONCACAFTV.com.

EDIT: Canada holds a 1-0 lead after the half. We're not going to play much better than that. Certainly aren't running the Mexicans off the turf but we're the dominant creative force, have had the bulk of the possession, and have had a few very nice opportunities besides our goal.

It feels so weird saying that about a Canadian national team.

[Guest Ed]

As part of my humble pie diet, check this out: http://www.canadasoccer.com/news/viewArtical.asp?Press_ID=4028

[Lord Bob]

Ongtengco sent off for a tackle that I call clean. Jesus fuck.

[mtlfan]

WTF Bull shit call She attacked the ball and was first to the ball

CONCACRAP REF

[navycyr]

Ongtengco sent off for a tackle that I call clean. Jesus fuck.

Unfortunately it is always a risk when you leave a player that plays physical on the field when she has already earned a yellow card !