Spain vs Canada in Logroño - Friday May 24th

[Olympique_de_Marseille]

http://www.canadasoccer.com/canada-to-face-spain-in-preparation-for-the-fifa-women-s-world-cup--p162186-preview-1

Edited May 21, 2019 by Olympique_de_Marseille

[Olympique_de_Marseille]

@Unnamed Trialist since the game is May 24th and not June 1st, can you go?

[Unnamed Trialist]

6 hours ago, Olympique_de_Marseille said:

@Unnamed Trialist since the game is May 24th and not June 1st, can you go?

Oh geez, I really had no idea it was on, thanks for letting me know. So that is a Friday at 7 pm, in Pamplona. 

Hey, since Barça was knocked out of Champions so ridiculously yesterday, I could even have considered the following week!!

It may be hard to justify the trip to family, for time and cost and missing late work that day, as just going to Montpellier is a big enough deal. For me it is a five hour drive, with toll roads and all--further than Montpellier even.

Are you going? Do you know anyone else who is?

[Olympique_de_Marseille]

1 hour ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

Are you going?

No, staying in Canada. I just asked because you are the only V in Spain that I know of. 

+The other Voyageurs travelling to the WWC are all arriving in Europe early June I think.

[Olympique_de_Marseille]

Edited the first post.

CSA have finally confirmed the game! This Friday in Logroño (NOT Pamplona as originally planned).

 

Anybody going?

[Unnamed Trialist]

That is even further away for me. 

Does anyone have info on where Canada will be training and based this week, it is available? And in the lead-up to the first match in Montpellier?

[narduch]

One Soccer is covering this match.

Its at 1pm ET tomorrow.

[Unnamed Trialist]

Took me a while to figure this out, as there was nothing published, but the women have been training on the Zubieta practice fields of the Real Sociedad, near San Sebastian.

It was maybe 100 km from the original venue, Pamplona, and maybe double that by road to Logroño. It is a very nice setting. If you look at the videos on the twitter account you can see they are in the upper field seen here.

Edit: just occured to me that the Real Sociedad women's team won the Queen's Cup rather spectacularly just a few weeks ago, this is where they train as well.

 

Edited May 24, 2019 by Unnamed Trialist

[Unnamed Trialist]

Now I figured that out, I found a full preview of our pre WC stage, organised by a local football tournament management company. All in the province of Guipuzkoa where San Sebastian is:

http://www.donosticup.com/donosticup/de/canada-prepara-el-mundial-en-guipuzcoa.asp?nombre=9384&sesion=1&cod=9384

We arrived last Monday, play today, and have training, apart from the in La Real facilities, in Zarautz, which is a small nearby coastal town known for surfing, and Irun, right on the French border on the coast.

On the 4th we are heading to Montpellier. I imagine they'll bus or train as there are few flights to Montpellier, that is about a 6 hr trip.

Here we are training in Zubieta.

 

Edited May 24, 2019 by Unnamed Trialist

[MM3/MM2/MM]

Good move by Onesoccer, without them unlikely this game would be available in Canada.

[HochelagaFC]

The stream on One Soccer doesn’t work for me on my laptop and cellphone, am I the only one like that?

[The Ref]

Is there a live stream somewhere?

 

[Unnamed Trialist]

My onesoccer stream started about 2 minutes late, then was fine, albeit 45 seconds behind Spanish tv. So I am watching Cuatro, as they also have better colour commentary.

We had a fine half, pressuring the ball up high and in numbers. Spain had early possession, but we pushed that into mostly in their own half as they could not combine out, nor get their attackers ever into position to take us on. Lawrence has been great, but pretty well the whole team is very much on form and playing with high competitive intensity. 

Both teams have left strikers a bit alone up high, Hermoso for Spain and for us Sinclair, who was not very active this half. We just need to make those final combinations with a bit more intention. Overall, a very well competed half, played very cleanly as well, at close to full game pace.

[Unnamed Trialist]

For those who didn't see, the second half was similar to the first.

Spain had some fresh legs in the middle and could break our pressure a bit better, but in general we dominated and took their game away from them. They had no real chances, they changed strikers and put on Nahikari but she didn't touch the ball.

Huitema came on at the half and had a shot, she's good but still needs to learn off the ball movement; then Leon later had a chance blocked, she was also a sub. But we were missing the final cross or pass with a bit more intention: we tended to just toss it in after doing rather precise quick build up and then breaking through into the final third. Sinclair dropped back to participate more with Huitema on the field, so touched more 2nd half, also went to the wing and centred in, her mobility helped us.

For me all of Scott, Lawrence, Schmidt, Beckie, Fleming, and the centre backs Zadorsky and Buchanan, all very strong. Lawrence was spectacular really. We played few subs, just 4, and it was clear we were giving our leading starters a full match where possible.

[red card]

Commentators on OneSoccer feed said basically the same thing. Impressed with Lawrence & Fleming especially. Canada in good form ex the final pass. Spain has more work to do.

KHM has appeared to shift the Canadian play to be locked down on defense. Given the advance of Lawrence & Buchanan and solid play from the rest (only Chapman sometimes looks vulnerable), this may have naturally occurred anyway. But while not interesting to watch for a friendly, this is the style that usually gets you far in WC play. 

[Unnamed Trialist]

9 hours ago, red card said:

Commentators on OneSoccer feed said basically the same thing. Impressed with Lawrence & Fleming especially. Canada in good form ex the final pass. Spain has more work to do.

KHM has appeared to shift the Canadian play to be locked down on defense. Given the advance of Lawrence & Buchanan and solid play from the rest (only Chapman sometimes looks vulnerable), this may have naturally occurred anyway. But while not interesting to watch for a friendly, this is the style that usually gets you far in WC play. 

Spain has 4-5 starters from FC Barcelona who were not even called in, that will raise the level, as the top teams in Spain by far are At Madrid and FCB.

I think against Cameroon playing like this, we have to win handily. 

[apbsmith]

Thanks for all the feedback @Unnamed Trialist

Greatly appreciated as I missed the match. 

We are in Excellent/Incredible form in 2019 so far. I believe we are at 1 goal conceeded in 9 matches?

Lawrence was the standout for me in the Toronto game, although the entire team met or exceeded expectations in Toronto.

Enjoy the WC, and please keep all the updates coming on here for those who can't make it. Appreciate your footy knowledge and breakdown on here. 

[HfxCeltic]

They followed my trek through Spain a couple years ago. 1 week in Logrono and 4 days in San Sebastian - gorgeous region. I tried to get my brother-in-laws family in Logrono to attend the match and support Canada as they live about a 10 min walk to the stadium, but it was too short notice.

Watched the match and agree with UT - controlled the 2nd half, but the decisiveness in the box limited Canada. We seemed a bit rushed to get shots off and didn't take that extra second to consider options.