CHINA vs CANADA Pre-Game Thread

[Vic]

China is more 25 than 15. They're really in a bad way. With Jie retired the back line is sketchy and with Duan and Yan injured as well as Ma Xiaoxu (for like the 47th time) they have no quality or go-to players in the attack. I feel bad for the guy they brought in but I imagine he has a green light to rebuild from scratch.

Feel free to lay down the smack but Leblanc is one of the best keepers in the world. I laughed actually and thought it was pretty funny, like when Rooney misses a penalty or Ronaldo misses a sitter. And btw, Robert Green is also a great keeper! His problem in the WC was his Canadian girlfriend dumped him just before it. He played a superb game this past weekend and after the game had this message for the press:

Going after Leblanc is also the top layer of the onion in the game. The bigger problem is we had about a handful of good quality international caliber players on the field. The rest struggled to produce the kind of decision-making you need to be effective in high-end women's soccer. That may get us past a sitting duck Chinese team, but it's not going to get us far against the kind of team you run into once you're out of the group stage in Germany. Unless we can find a way to get another half-dozen up to that level we'll be praying for a run of luck next summer instead of being a legitimate contender.

[kj52]

I would hesitate to go after Leblanc for one soft goal. I'm not sure how many here are regular watchers of WPS on tv but I've seen most of the televised games and try not to miss any with either Leblanc of Mcleod playing. In my opinion Leblanc has shown herself week after week to be one of the world's top keepers and it would be foolish to even consider replacing her know.

[Guest Ed]

Good result for Canada. Thought the refereeing was very poor and our girls were fouled incessantly in the first half. After a shaky start, Matheson was terrific. I don't think Kane turned the ball over once in the evening. Moscato looked a bit weak beside them. The back four are OK defensively but none really have the ability to put the ball down on the deck and when they did typically got in some trouble for the effort. The front three were effective, Sinclair with a superb goal after Tancredi gutted one in on desire alone. Belanger has huge upside but can leave you wondering what the heck from time to time.

Overall, an enjoyable performance.

[Old Style Pilsner1555362318]

Wonderful match to make the trip up from Niagara Falls with fellow Voyageur Alex D. Only complaints would have been the sparse attendance, no viable presence of strong Canadian support, BMO stormtroopers who told us to sit down inside a minute of kick off, luckily we relocated to the wonderfully empty section 111 and were able to stand to our hearts content.

[hamiltonfan]

how many turned up for the game? great to see the ladies win

[Joe MacCarthy]

Lots to like about this game but first the not so good. I'm still not sold on LeBlanc. She basically had four chances and two of the outcomes were not good. The bonehead goal and the missed punch clearing were countered by the successful punch clear and the nice tip over the bar. She didn't do her usual Jacques Plante roaming imitation but to be fair it's the first time I've seen her in a fair while. McLeod is my choice and always has been and I wish Swiatek hadn't called it quits so soon.

Noticed Brittany Timko on the bench, injured? They should make a place for her, she should be out there somewhere and can play almost any position and play it well. What happened to Veronique Miiranda? I thought she had a lot of potential.

I was most impressed by Rapunzel Kyle. Both the men's and women's team have been lacking a player who seems to make it their business to get involved and get their nose dirty. If that's what a destroyer is then she's it. I can't think of how many times she just took the ball from somebody. Her touch wasn't so great at times but sometimes you can't have everything.

I can't say I've been much of a Matheson fan. I find her play somewhat like JDG. (given more credit than may be warranted) but she showed me something in that game. Perhaps it is her new position but she really excelled vs China (except her corner kicks). Why isn't Wilkinson taking them? Like the idea of Wilkinson as a back, I've always liked her grit and speed. Chapman and Zurrer are very smooth (makes me wonder what happened vs the Jerries)

And of course what can you say about Sinclair. All world (as usual) and she seems to have found another gear. Perfect run and setup for a Belanger header that didn't score.

[Razcle]

how many turned up for the game? great to see the ladies win

"It was an impressive performance by Canada that, unfortunately, went largely unnoticed. An announced crowd of 5,427 fans filled the seats, with both ends of the stadium and the upper tier of the west stand completely empty."

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/sports/soccer/story/2010/09/30/sp-canada-china.html#ixzz11LyrvnK8

[hc1]

For what its worth - the US just played 2 games against this same team from China, winning 2-1 and then playing to a 1-1 tie. (The last game was played before a crowd of 2,505 in Philly. There was apparently a big baseball game on that night, but still...).

So - it sounds like we are either as good or as bad as the US at this stage.

[Soccer9]

^^ Are you saying baseball would affect the attendance at a Women's National team game in the great USA? :-) :-)

[StrandOne]

Wow, GREAT REVIEW! I watched the game and I think you pretty much nailed it! Yes, Kaylyn Kyle played with a ton of fire. I kinda wish she'd shot the ball more but I was impressed by her too. A Voyageurs referred to Miss Lang as dead weight yet I believe she assisted a goal when she came on in the second half. Perhaps he was DEAD WRONG. Karina got more game starts than Val Henderson but still not a full season of games. How does that affect a player? I think she's ready for round robin play in Cancun. And yes, always nice to see younger players getting a shot at playing alongside the big girls.