Canada v. Washington Freedom: May 23, 2010

[Vic]

Canada 3 - 3 Washington Freedom (WPS)

George Mason Stadium

Fairfax, VA, USA

2,238

NOTES:

- Erin McLeod played for Washington, not Canada

- Of Washington's strongest players, Sonia Bompastor was on the roster and played but Abby Wambach, Lisa De Vanna, and Homare Sawa were not

- Canada had 27 in camp and we have a groundswell of players circling and closing in on starting 11 quality but Canada's lineup is becoming quite predictable closing on the Fall qualifier. There are really only a couple of spots on the field up for grabs.

- both teams went three into the bench at the break, another 2-3 on the hour with Canada moving another two in the last 20

- a slow start for Canada; Washington scored all three in the first half hour with our strongest lineup on the field

photo: CSA

CSA Player of the Match: Kelly Parker

Washington:

11' - Welsh, 14' Mykjåland, 33' Welsh

Canada:

23' Julien, 51' Sinclair, 52' Robinson

Leblanc (Labbé 71'), Chapman, Zurrer, Nault (McCarthy 46'), Wilkinson (Raber 66'), Parker, Schmidt (Scott 46'), Moscato (Stewart 66'), Bélanger (Chénard 79'), Sinclair, Julien (Robinson 46')

CAN / WAS

Shots 6 / 9

Saves 8 / 3

Corners 5 / 5

Fouls 6 / 6

Offside 0 / 1

[Vic]

[Canadian Press]

Canada's national women's soccer team draws Washington Freedom 3-3 in friendly

FAIRFAX, Va. - Christine Sinclair and Jodi Robinson scored in the second half Sunday as Canada's national team fought back for a 3-3 draw in a friendly with the Washington Freedom of Women's Professional Soccer.

Christina Julien had the other goal for Canada, while Christie Welsh, Lene Mykjaland and Sonia Bompastor scored for Washington.

Trailing 3-1 at halftime, Canada's Kelly Parker sent a through ball to Sinclair in the 51st minute to cut the deficit to one.

Less than two minutes later, Parker was again the catalyst for Canada. Her shot was saved by Freedom goalkeeper Erin McLeod, but the rebound fell to Robinson, who made no mistake.

McLeod, of Edmonton, is a national team member, but Canadian coach Carolina Morace decided earlier in the week she would play for the Freedom in the match.

"It was a good experience overall," said McLeod. "The more (the) Freedom can play against teams like this, the better we will be."

The Freedom jumped on Canada early, scoring two goals in the opening 14 minutes. Beverly Goebel took a shot from just outside the box that deflected off the crossbar and fell right to Welsh, who fired past Canadian goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc on 11 minutes.

Mykjaland then beat the Canadian defence on the left flank and lobbed a shot home in the 14th minute.

But Canada answered when Parker made a run and sent the ball up to Julien, who beat McLeod.

Washington restored the two-goal lead in the 33rd minute when Sonia Bompastor sent a corner kick into the box that Welsh headed home.

"You never like the score to be 3-3 if you are a goalie, but it was a good test of character for us," said LeBlanc. "We had a lot of young players out there and I think they played really well."

[Vic]

[Women's Professional Soccer]

Washington Freedom and Canadian National Team Play To Draw at George Mason Stadium

FAIRFAX, VA – (May 23, 2010)…Washington Freedom came onto the field at George Mason Stadium as an attacking force Sunday in an exhibition match versus the Canadian National Team. Freedom dominated the first half, but were unable to hold onto the lead and finished with a 3-3 draw.

Freedom took the lead quickly with two goals in the first 14 minutes of the match. The first goal came from Freedom forward Christie Welsh in the 11th minute. Beverly Goebel took a shot from just outside the box that deflected off the crossbar and fell right to Welsh, who blasted the ball in past Canadian goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc.

Shortly after the first goal of the match, Freedom’s Lene Mykjåland beat the Canadian defense on the left flank and lobbed a shot into the back of the net in the 14th minute.

Freedom continued to pressure the Canadian defense early in the first half, but Canada was quick to answer when Kelly Parker made a run and sent the ball up to Christina Julien who was able to fire the ball into the lower left corner of the net, beating Freedom’s goalkeeper Erin McLeod.

Freedom’s defense was able to make a strong presence, contributing to many of the shots throughout the first half. In the 33rd minute, Freedom was able to gain a third goal when Sonia Bompastor sent a corner kick into the center of the box. Welsh dominated in the air and scored with a header, bringing the score to 3-1 which would remain for the rest of the first half.

“All around, the first half was great. We made changes in the second. It took us time to adjust. They gave us some good competition. It was a great game for us,” said Washington Freedom striker Christie Welsh.

Canada dominated the beginning of the second half, coming out with two quick goals to even up the score. Canada’s Kelly Parker sent a through ball to Christine Sinclair who was able to get a toe on the ball and get the first goal of the second half in the 51st minute. Less than two minutes later, Parker sent a shot in that was saved by McLeod, but the deflection went to Canada’s Jodi Robinson who sent the rebound into the back of the net to even the score.

“The goals we let up in the second half came from a lack of focus, a lack of sharpness. I think we righted ourselves after that,” said Freedom head coach Jim Gabarra.

Erin McLeod, the goalkeeper for both the Canadian National Team and Freedom, who announced earlier in the week that Canadian Coach Carolina Morace decided she would play for Freedom, was happy to see her club team and national team face off.

“It was a good experience overall,” said McLeod. “The more Freedom can play against teams like this, the better we will be.”

Canadian goalkeepers Erin McLeod and Karina LeBlanc will face each other again next week when Freedom takes on Philadelphia Independence on May 30 at 6:00pm at Maryland SoccerPlex and on Fox Soccer Channel.

WASHINGTON FREEDOM VS. CANADIAN NATIONAL TEAM GAME QUOTES

Erin McLeod, Washington Freedom Goalie

“It was a good experience overall. The more Freedom can play against teams like this, the better we will be.

“Christine Sinclair is not only one of the most talented players, she is also one of the smartest.

“I definitely felt extra pressure when I went out today. I was afraid of making mistakes, and Nicci Wright (goalkeeper coach) said that was my first mistake. It is part of being more mature, and if I want to become one of the best players in the world, these are experiences that I have to go through.”

Christie Welsh, Washington Freedom Forward

“The first and second halves were two completely different games.

“All around, the first half was great. We made changes in the second. It took us time to adjust. They gave us some good competition. It was a great game for us.”

Sarah Huffman, Washington Freedom Midfielder

“We are learning more and more to mimic what men are able to do on the field. We might never be as fast as them, but we are becoming more and more skilled as additional resources are given to us.”

Jim Gabarra, Washington Freedom Head Coach

“It was a good opportunity to bring our product to Northern Virginia, and for other players, younger players, to step up and play against higher quality competition.

“The goals we let up in the second half came from a lack of focus, a lack of sharpness. I think we righted ourselves after that.”

Carolina Morace, Canadian National Team Head Coach

“It was my decision for Erin to play for Freedom. She is proud to play for her country, but she is also proud to play for Freedom. She was very proud that we were asked to come here. I have to say ‘thank you’ to Washington Freedom. They gave us delicious hospitality and this was a great experience.”

Karina LeBlanc, Canadian National Team Goalie

“It was great. We haven’t played out there together in a while. We need to get some more games in, but we showed good character. Freedom was up to the task.

“You never like the score to be 3-3 if you are a goalie, but it was a good test of character for us. We had a lot of young players out there and I think they played really well.”

[Vic]

[Freedom Fan on BigSoccer]

3-3 draw. Much to my surprise, the Freedom really took it to Canada for most of the first half, going ahead 2-0 on goals in the 11th and 14th minute.

Beverly Goebel set up the first goal by taking a seemingly pointless shot from about 25 yards out, but Karina LeBlanc had to jump up and to the side to make sure it didn't go in. Then when it bounced off the crossbar and landed in front of Christie Welsh, she had a mostly open goal to put it into.

Three minutes later, Sonia Bompastor ran a tightrope down the left sideline past several opposing players, then sent a cross in that Lene Mykjåland was able to put away.

In the 22nd minute, Canada got a 4-on-3, and Kelly Parker was able to draw the defense in with a run up the middle before passing off to the right to an open Christina Julien, who was able to send an angled shot past Erin McLeod.

Eleven minutes later, the Freedom earned a corner kick. Bompastor sent a ball in from the left that Christie Welsh was able to head in for her second goal.

The Freedom substituted liberally to start the second half (Abegg, Singer, and Whitehill for Eveland, Moros, and Sauerbrunn) and lost focus for a while, giving up two quick goals in the 51st and 53rd minutes. Kelly Parker got another assist by feeding Christine Sinclair for a toe-poke goal, then she took a shot that McLeod parried but couldn't clear, leaving (as with Welsh's first goal) Jodi Robinson with an easy putaway after the ball came to her.

At that point I figured that with six goals scored and a third of the game yet to be played we'd get another three goals or so, but it was not to be. Both teams tightened up and sharpened their play

Christie Welsh proved that the Freedom scoring machine doesn't rely on Abby Wambach. Beverly Goebel had another strong performance in her first 90 minutes in "a really long time" (her words). In fact, the whole team played very solidly in the first half even without the national teamers.

[Vic]

[CSA]

Canada's women's national team played Women's Professional Soccer club Washington Freedom to a 3:3 draw today in Fairfax, VA. The Freedom twice built up a two-goal lead, but the Canucks came back with a pair of goals less than two minutes apart in the second half to ensure the draw. Christina Julien, Christine Sinclair and Jodi-Ann Robinson scored for Canada while Christie Welsh (twice) and Lene Mykjåland scored for Washington.

"We started off slow and heavy," said Canadian national head coach Carolina Morace. "We made changes before the second half and we got better. Overall, it was two steps back from our performance in Cyprus (earlier this year)."

Canada was perhaps a little heavy because of its training which in fact has been geared towards the 3 June international match against Norway. The camp is of course part of the team's bigger preparations for the 2010 CONCACAF Women's Gold Cup. Regardless, coach Morace was not happy with the team's peformance.

Fortunately, the team still has a few days together before leaving for Norway near the end of this month.

As for this match, Canada's starting XI featured Karina LeBlanc in goal, Rhian Wilkinson at right back, Candace Chapman and Emily Zurrer at centre back, Marie-Eve Nault at left back, Kelly Parker, Sophie Schmidt and Carmelina Moscato at midfield, and Christina Julien, Christine Sinclair and Josée Bélanger up front.

Washington's starting XI featured Erin McLeod in goal, Rebecca Moros at right back, Nikki Marshall and Becky Sauerbrunn at centre back, Kristi Eveland at left back, Beverly Goebel, Sonia Bompastor, Allie Long and Sarah Huffman at midfield, and Lene Mykjåland and Christie Welsh up front.

Inside 15 minutes, the Washington Freedom were up 2-0 with a pair of goals by its experienced stars. In the 11th minute, Olympic champion Christie Welsh pounced on a rebound to make it 1-0. Just three minutes later with a run down the left side, Norwegian international Lene Mykjåland fired it into the back of the net for a 2-0 lead.

Canada came back and cut the lead in half in the 23rd minute. On the heels of a great run by Parker, Julien finished for Canada's first goal of the match.

Ten minutes later, however, Washington had another goal as the host pushed the scoreline to 3-1. This time, a Washington shot and Canadian deflection led to a Washington corner kick. Off a rebound inside the box, Welsh scored her second goal of the game to restore the two-goal lead before the end of the first half.

Returning from the break, both Canada and Washington made three substitutions each. On the Canadian side, coach Morace pulled Nault, Schmidt and goalscorer Julien in favour of Bryanna McCarthy, Desiree Scott and Jodi-Ann Robinson.

The new lineup waited just seven minutes to even the score. In the 51st minute, Parker played a wonderful through ball to Sinclair in the box who reached out to get a kick on the ball for Canada's second goal.

In the next minute, it was Sinclair doing the work in the box, feinting a shot on the left before playing it up top to Parker in the middle. Parker's shot was stopped by McLeod, but substitute Robinson connected on the rebound to even the score. It was 3-3 after 52 minutes.

"Jodi-Ann Robinson gave us some speed and creativity that we didn't have in the first half," said Morace.

After the scored was tied up, neither team sustained much in terms of constant pressure. Canada's next best chance came off a Scott corner kick that Zurrer head straight on, but above the net. In all Canada made seven substitutions while Washington finished with six.

Canada's last four substitutions were Moscato and Wilkinson off in the 66th minute for Chelsea Stewart and Sari Raber, LeBlanc off in the 71st minute for Stephanie Labbé, and Bélanger off in the 79th minute for Laura Chénard.

Canada's women's national team's title sponsor is Winners and presenting sponsor is Teck. The Sunday exhibition match was played in front of 2,238 fans at George Mason Stadium.

[Vic]

Carolina Morace (English) and Josée Bélanger (French):

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

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hHCjgWYNG8

[Vic]

The Freedom's explosive Lisa De Vanna, who was MIA from the friendly with the Australian national team in the Asian qualifiers, broke her leg in a collision with the Chinese goalkeeper and is out three months.

[The Ref]

Bummer! Wish Lisa a prompt recovery.