Match Thread: World Cup Group B - Matchday 1 - Nigeria v Canada - July 20, 2023 - 10:30pm ET / 7:30pm PT / 12:30pm local time (July 21)

[Unnamed Trialist]

6 hours ago, Free kick said:

I don't quite understand how Canada ended up in a group with Australia (the hosts).   Shouldn't we have been a seeded team in pot 1?   Canada is ranked seventh in the world and we end up in a group with the tenth ranked team in the world who happens to be the host.

Sounds like a Concacafing effort by FIFA.

Edit.: Nevermind,  i think i figured it out.  Australia is co hosting with New Zealand, so that bumps us technically to the nineth ranked and in pot two. But still.

We got bounced down a spot in the last window before they decided the pots, Spain pushed up a notch. All based on that very last window. 

Canada is not the most skilled team, male or female, when it comes to calculating ranking and then acting accordingly.

[Califax]

Tough score to wake up to. 

Edit: and we missed a penalty. even more so now.

Edited July 21, 2023 by Califax

[VinceA]

I've never been convinced Huitema is the solution long term at striker. She works hard but there were at least two headers she should have done better on. She's young still but I don't know.

In general it feels our FWs aren't selfish enough. That's something they share with the men it seems.

 

[CanSoccfan11]

7 hours ago, rkomar said:

I thought the players (both teams) had a poor first touch most of the time.  Maybe the pitch was really slippery, because the ball was always getting away from the players.  They would try to push the ball ahead and it would end up three metres away.  Very frustrating to watch, and also making it really hard to put a string of passes together.  If the field was a problem, I'm not looking forward to them coming back for the third game.

That is what I saw.  There was a number of heavy touches at very inopportune times that killed what was looking like promising build ups.

We definitely missed Flemming today.  I have mad respect for Sinclair but she probably should be used as a sub these days.

 

[CanSoccfan11]

1 minute ago, VinceA said:

I've never been convinced Huitema is the solution long term at striker. She works hard but there were at least two headers she should have done better on. She's young still but I don't know.

In general it feels our FWs aren't selfish enough. That's something they share with the men it seems.

 

I thought she got better as the game went on but I agree she needed to do better on those headers.  I think when she gets a bit stronger she will be able use her athleticism cut around defenders more and create more chaos.

[clamlinguine]

47 minutes ago, CanSoccfan11 said:

That is what I saw.  There was a number of heavy touches at very inopportune times that killed what was looking like promising build ups.

We definitely missed Flemming today.  I have mad respect for Sinclair but she probably should be used as a sub these days.

 

Sinclair was too old last world cup.

Edited July 21, 2023 by clamlinguine

[Kent]

I missed virtually all of the first half, and was surprised and a bit disappointed to see that Sinclair had started. I feel like she should be more of a late sub player these days. But when she won the penalty I was happy that she was there to take it, because taking a penalty is something that an experience player should still be able to do, and with a lot less nerves too so maybe even better suited. It's a shame it was saved this time around. Hopefully Flemming is ready to go for the next game, regardless of whether we get another PK opportunity or not.

Disappointing result, but we still control our destiny. Win the next 2 games and we top the group (unless Nigeria also does it and beats us on a tie breaker).

[The Ref]

8 hours ago, VinceA said:

I've never been convinced Huitema is the solution long term at striker. She works hard but there were at least two headers she should have done better on. She's young still but I don't know.

In general it feels our FWs aren't selfish enough. That's something they share with the men it seems.

 

Totally agree.  We need real forwards.  I think Priestman is erroneously expecting too much of some players.  Big mistake to start Sinclair and bigger mistake have her take a crucial PK.  Not a good idea to play with a lone striker and bury Leon in the left wing, so that leaves no centre striker.  The team started playing better when Sinclair went out.  But it was too late.

 

[Unnamed Trialist]

20 minutes ago, The Ref said:

Totally agree.  We need real forwards.  I think Priestman is erroneously expecting too much of some players.  Big mistake to start Sinclair and bigger mistake have her take a crucial PK.  Not a good idea to play with a lone striker and bury Leon in the left wing, so that leaves no centre striker.  The team started playing better when Sinclair went out.  But it was too late.

 

To be fair, the same could be said about other teams. Spain has no top killer striker either, they use Jennie Hermoso and she leaves the striking position and wanders around and there is a hole there. Other teams, I think if you look around the strikers that have a high reputation in the women's game are mostly fairly manageable and stuff their stats vs. lower teams. Even Kerr is not that hard to manage for a top team, Popp, the list goes on. 

As for the PK, I think we recall what happened last WC, when Sinclair let Beckie take that crucial penalty (vs. Sweden), which she missed. Sinclair was criticized for not stepping up in the critical moment, being who she is. Okay, it was 4 years ago, but still: she took it yesterday because they decided they should not have another player bearing that responsibility and Sinclair opting out. 

I agree, overall, the decision making can be insulting. She turned on a rival player first half, freed herself up about 30 from goal, had someone breaking down the right and other options in the middle, and she fired it right at the only defender in front of her, so hard it richocheted somewhere weird. If the defender had not been there it would have flown over the end line. All she had to do was push it down the wing and create the 2 on 1, or centre. It was amateur hour, but that is the women's game, you are not allowed to tell a star they can't fucking well do that sort of garbage.

[rkomar]

Which forward didn't fire the ball straight into a defender at some point?  So many times a forward would get the ball in the open, take the time to look around for a better option than shooting, and then get closed down in the time it took to do that.  Nigeria was working hard in that respect, and it left our players no time to think.  I don't remember us getting a single shot on goal in the first half, so it wasn't just Sinclair who was wasteful in attack.

[Unnamed Trialist]

2 hours ago, rkomar said:

Which forward didn't fire the ball straight into a defender at some point?  So many times a forward would get the ball in the open, take the time to look around for a better option than shooting, and then get closed down in the time it took to do that.  Nigeria was working hard in that respect, and it left our players no time to think.  I don't remember us getting a single shot on goal in the first half, so it wasn't just Sinclair who was wasteful in attack.

Leon was at least thinking, Huitema has more criteria, then Viens and Lacasse were there to be a bit more vertical. I really do think Sincy was worse. And more so since we say, hey, you can drop back and be our playmaker since you can't handle being our target striker. And she has no ability to be a playmaker at all, it is embarrassing at times.

[BearcatSA]

5 hours ago, rkomar said:

Which forward didn't fire the ball straight into a defender at some point?  So many times a forward would get the ball in the open, take the time to look around for a better option than shooting, and then get closed down in the time it took to do that.  Nigeria was working hard in that respect, and it left our players no time to think.  I don't remember us getting a single shot on goal in the first half, so it wasn't just Sinclair who was wasteful in attack.

There is a lot of effort and work rate up top, and I always appreciate that, but little genuine class with intrinsic skills to make things happen.  

We still have that kind of player that is going to try to out-athlete an opponent in duels and doesn't have the technique and/or savvy to protect the ball or draw fouls when plan A doesn't work.

If we are going to go far, it is with lots of graft, defence and set play conversion, being a tough nut to crack like we were in the Olympics.

 

 

[Sinc_Tanc_Olympic_Action]

I know there's been a lot of criticism over Sinclair's poor penalty.  Alex Morgan's missed penalty over Vietnam wasn't any better and I would argue hers was more saveable as it was down the center.  When you are trying to break some kind of record, that sure gives you pressure.

Just wondering who you guys would have chosen to take the penalty against Nigeria?  I am trying to think of who the players were on the field at that time.  Personally, I would have picked Buchanan.  Buchanan's record, I think, is 1/1 with Canada but she took the fifth and winning penalty for her club under immense pressure.  Lawrence and Grosso might be options too.  

 

Edited July 27, 2023 by Sinc_Tanc_Olympic_Action

[TGAA_Star]

Grosso should have taken the penalty 

Edited July 27, 2023 by TGAA_Star

[BearcatSA]

On 7/21/2023 at 8:53 PM, BearcatSA said:

There is a lot of effort and work rate up top, and I always appreciate that, but little genuine class with intrinsic skills to make things happen.  

We still have that kind of player that is going to try to out-athlete an opponent in duels and doesn't have the technique and/or savvy to protect the ball or draw fouls when plan A doesn't work.

If we are going to go far, it is with lots of graft, defence and set play conversion, being a tough nut to crack like we were in the Olympics.

 

 

Same comment stands vs Australia except with terrible defending and nothing on set plays, and so you get blasted out of the tourney via a circus cannon.