Cyprus Cup : Big Red Rallies Past The Emerald Isle

"The Big Red Machine" that is the Canadian Women's National Team have defeated the Republic of Ireland, via score of 2-1, to take 5th at the 2014 Cyprus Cup.

Yes, you read that right. 5th.

Let the finger pointing begin.

Adriana Leon moving the ball passed an Ireland defender.

 In a scene that has become a little too familiar of late, Canada found themselves down a goal early as Ireland's Ruesha Littlejohn gave the Emerald Isle the lead 13 minutes in. They were able to drop numbers behind the ball and attempt to defend for their lives in what would have been a landmark win for them in their first meeting against Canada at the senior level.

Second half resiliency by Canada was what sealed the deal as Big Red came out hard & fast. A 56th minute goal by Diana Matheson (her second of the tournament) put Canada right back in the match. She would be the difference maker again as she placed the ball at Sophie Schmidt's golden boots who netted the winner at the 90th & final minute of the match (Schmidt's 3rd of the tournament). 

Diana Matheson & Christine Sinclair at the Irish for CanWNT first goal

“The second half was phenomenal from Canada,” said CanWNT Coach Herdman. “That’s how we can play. We know we can play like that. I thought the girls showed that kind of passion and spirit and an ability to play the game the way we want them to play.”

A slight fall from grace for the Canadians, a team that is widely regarded as a Top 3 finisher at next year's Women's World Cup, as this was the first year they were not in tournament final, a streak that dates back to the 2008 tournament (Canada has won 3 & lost 3 in that time).  An even more shocking finish after boastful remarks from Coach John Herdman before the tournament equating several teams as "3rd tier" and easily beatable. The Republic of Ireland, a nation ranked 33rd in the latest FIFA standings, gave Canada all they could handle & more. Much like the England match, the Irish figured out the offensive strategies of the Canucks and defended against it solidly until the very end when Canada took the W. The superior training & skill level of the Canadian side showed as the Irish slowed towards the end of the match, bowed by the continued Canadian onslaught.

Was it the dominating win Canada had hoped to have (like the wins over Finland & Italy)? No. However, a win is a win is a win, as they say.

Desiree Scott showed once again why she is a Big Red cornerstone

 Results have not been forthcoming for Big Red. In seven games against top 10 opposition this year Canada has no wins on five losses. They haven't scored a goal against top opponents since April 4, 2013 and have been outscored 9-1 in those seven games. In fact, the five of the six wins they have this last year are against teams ranked 17th or lower. Italy (No 12) is the highest ranked victory Canada has claimed this past year. Canada scored eight goals in four games at the Cyprus Cup, and only two of them came from strikers (one from Christine Sinclair, one from Adriana Leon). Does that sound like a team that is prepared for a World Cup?

Now, understandably, most of those matches have been friendlies, a chance for Herdman to try new things plus give meaningful minutes to the younger call-ups like Nova Scotia's Nkem Ezurike (CanWNT first cap). Kadeisha Buchanan and Sura Yekka have shown promise, while Rebecca Quinn earned her first CanWNT caps in during the tournament, as did the recent addition of Rachel Quon (another CanWNT debut player). It's that kind of depth that aided Canada in a big way when they lost Laura Sesselman early in the tournament to a knee injury. Ultimately, they won three of four games (beating the three teams they'd be expected to beat) and lost to a team (England) that's similar in many ways and is always 50/50 opportunity for the win.

Rhian Wilkinson made her 150th start for Big Red this tournament

The National team players will now start their preparations for their respective Club seasons, many of which will return to the NWSL which started their team practices on Monday, with their eyes set on the friendlies later this year on home soil. Those friendlies (one of which is against border rival USA) will play a large part in setting the tone ahead of the 2015 Women's World Cup, also on home soil. The WC Team is starting to take shape, with a few newer players making some serious bids at earning a spot on that roster with their performances in Cyprus.

All in all, Cyprus has been a learning environment for Big Red, seeing where changes need to be made offensively if Canada wants to assert themselves as the team to beat. 5th place may be a hard pill to swallow for some, for others it's a reminder of the work that still needs to be done.

Still, it's better than 7th.

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Cyprus Cup Final Standings: 1st FRANCE, 2nd ENGLAND, 3rd KOREA, 4th SCOTLAND, 5th CANADA, 6th REPUBLIC OF IRELAND, 7th AUSTRALIA, 8th ITALY, 9th NETHERLANDS, 10th SWITZERLAND, 11th NEW ZEALAND, 12th FINLAND