7/5/2011: Canada v. Nigeria

[navycyr]

I wonder what percentage of Canadian women soccer players are also soccer fans. That could be part of the problem.

You might be surprised ! Here in Quebec city, I would say most of the elite players follow men's international soccer closely with many of Man U fans (many of them traveled once to England and have seen Man U play).

[Posessionsoccerrules]

I wonder what percentage of Canadian women soccer players are also soccer fans. That could be part of the problem.

Generally speaking very few youth players ever watch high level soccer which is definately part of the problem in our non soccer culture. You would be hard pressed to have many female U18 players capable of naming 3 barcelona players.

[Trillium]

Dresden was depressing, we did not play well our best player was the left post, and there is lots wrong with this team, lots of players are being poorly evaluated, and there seems to be a great deal of confusion about what makes a good player, both on these boards and I suspect in Moraces head.

Of all the comments I have read the most important is that Morace has to start getting out to see players in the University levels and even down into the youth levels and local leagues, she has to find a way to set up a scouting system to find the past over players who do have ball dominance skills.

The vast majority of our current team do not.

What scares me is Morace has had them in camp for four months and they seem to have not learned how to take a pass, wieght a pass etc. and that goes to what kind of training is being done .. and her vision of what is wrong on the pitch.

I suspect we may be seeing her leave after 2012 and it will couched in terms of her blaming CSA and players, yet i cant get it out of my head that when you have a captive group you should be able to improve skills, so not sure what is really going on ...and the CSA clearly if they see the weaknesses are not coming out and talking about them.

We have a very long way to go ... we are defeated psychologically now, and I am not sure Morace knows how to repair that.

We do not have a team leader with the captains arm band, we need one.

[Posessionsoccerrules]

Excellent post Trillium.

I also believe Morace needs to evaluate university players accross north america. I am not sure she is in tune with the talent at her disposal and may be to reliant on her staff or national centre coaches who may not have the same eye or understanding for what she is looking for in a player. It is a well known fact that the US national coach (Pia Sundhage) attends many college games and has a read on all the top players. There are numerous players south of the border who play at elite soccer universities such as Penn State, Ohio State, UNC, etc. who could help the program.

The time is now to bring them in and groom them for the next world event.

Player identification and development at this time should be her number one priority.

Back to the drawing board.

[mtlfan]

I wonder what percentage of Canadian women soccer players are also soccer fans. That could be part of the problem.

I would guess no more than 5% of all girls registered.

[Free kick]

The Playing season for soccer in Canadian universities runs from September to the end of October. Maybe early November. So you have a season that runs for two and a half months. Can you develop any kind of world class athlete when you play and train competitively for only two and a half months? And, if you think you have future in he game, are you going to bother going to play in a canadian university.

In regards to getting out to see more players, that question was answered by Stephen Brunt when he was quoting Morace. World class athletes are developed in the proper environment. If you are not in the proper environment why bother. In hockey, we don't go looking in the Junior A or the senior league ranks to find players to represent Canada.

[Guest Ed]

Lots of gloom and doom in this thread. The girls could not deliver when it counted, buit I would not read too much into the final game. How in hell do you get up for a 3/4th place in Group A when you entered the tournament looking to go very deep?

Our defence on the left side was really weak in the last two games and it cost us dearly.

But overall, there is some room for optimism. The women had a terrific record in the CONCACAF qualifying and in the tournaments leading up to the WC. The coach is sound and unfortunately some of the players just can't play at the level she demands. We just have to keep on keeping on and not throw out the baby with the bath water. The Olympics could bring some redemption to the team.

[dekester]

Excellent post. There really is no proper enviroment for Canadian soccer players. I know we have our CSA puppets that support this board who will disagree.But our "system" is pitiful at best.

The world of soccer is passing us by at lightning speed. Until we have more Canadian women leaving home, and getting immersed in a true soccer culture we will not progress.

A few of us in our neck of the woods have for several years now encouraged male youth to invest a few thousand in a month or so in europe.

Not with any CSA puppets/comrades. But on their own, and utilizing expertise in Europe.

Hopefully the ladies will ignore the CSA and spend six weeks in Europe at a ladies pro youth team, and see how it goes.All our top male players have done so.It will be no different for the ladies.

The Playing season for soccer in Canadian universities runs from September to the end of October. Maybe early November. So you have a season that runs for two and a half months. Can you develop any kind of world class athlete when you play and train competitively for only two and a half months? And, if you think you have future in he game, are you going to bother going to play in a canadian university.

In regards to getting out to see more players, that question was answered by Stephen Brunt when he was quoting Morace. World class athletes are developed in the proper environment. If you are not in the proper environment why bother. In hockey, we don't go looking in the Junior A or the senior league ranks to find players to represent Canada.

[DJT]

Lots of gloom and doom in this thread. The girls could not deliver when it counted, buit I would not read too much into the final game. How in hell do you get up for a 3/4th place in Group A when you entered the tournament looking to go very deep?

I agree completely.

But overall, there is some room for optimism. The women had a terrific record in the CONCACAF qualifying and in the tournaments leading up to the WC. The coach is sound and unfortunately some of the players just can't play at the level she demands. We just have to keep on keeping on and not throw out the baby with the bath water. The Olympics could bring some redemption to the team.

And again.

[Trillium]

The Playing season for soccer in Canadian universities runs from September to the end of October. Maybe early November. So you have a season that runs for two and a half months. Can you develop any kind of world class athlete when you play and train competitively for only two and a half months? And, if you think you have future in he game, are you going to bother going to play in a canadian university.

In regards to getting out to see more players, that question was answered by Stephen Brunt when he was quoting Morace. World class athletes are developed in the proper environment. If you are not in the proper environment why bother. In hockey, we don't go looking in the Junior A or the senior league ranks to find players to represent Canada.

So should we sent our young players to Europe to be in clubs there ?

Should that be part of what Morace should do for the next WWC cycle to find the best 15 and 16 year old prospects and get them into proper training enviorments ?

Shut down the NTC's and use the money to subsidize placing players into German or French clubs ?

[navycyr]

The Playing season for soccer in Canadian universities runs from September to the end of October. Maybe early November. So you have a season that runs for two and a half months. Can you develop any kind of world class athlete when you play and train competitively for only two and a half months? And, if you think you have future in he game, are you going to bother going to play in a canadian university.

In regards to getting out to see more players, that question was answered by Stephen Brunt when he was quoting Morace. World class athletes are developed in the proper environment. If you are not in the proper environment why bother. In hockey, we don't go looking in the Junior A or the senior league ranks to find players to represent Canada.

Here in Quebec, universities are playing in winter in interior stadiums. There are now 2 seasons of universitary soccer. But I don't think it will help develop better players. At that age, I think it helps keep them game fit, since development occurs at younger age.

[navycyr]

Lots of gloom and doom in this thread. The girls could not deliver when it counted, buit I would not read too much into the final game. How in hell do you get up for a 3/4th place in Group A when you entered the tournament looking to go very deep?

Our defence on the left side was really weak in the last two games and it cost us dearly.

But overall, there is some room for optimism. The women had a terrific record in the CONCACAF qualifying and in the tournaments leading up to the WC. The coach is sound and unfortunately some of the players just can't play at the level she demands. We just have to keep on keeping on and not throw out the baby with the bath water. The Olympics could bring some redemption to the team.

Agree with you Ed except for one thing. Left defense also cost us dearly in the first game against the Germans. I think this was our biggest flaw and solutions should be found for the Olympics. More worrisome is our incapacity to score goals not by lack of opportunities but lack of technical abilities. That, you can't correct in a twelve months time span.

[Richard]

"Of all the comments I have read the most important is that Morace has to start getting out to see players in the University levels and even down into the youth levels and local leagues, she has to find a way to set up a scouting system to find the past over players who do have ball dominance skills."

I have seen Morace at CIS and PCSL games in BC, she does get out to watch but keeps an extremely low profile, understandably.