Canada's first game ... a 2-1 loss, but still proof that they are contenders!!http://www.cbc.ca/sports/fifawomens/story/2007/09/12/canada-norway-worldcup.html
The First Half
I was so impressed and excited at Team Canada's performance in the first half. They dominated the Norwegians and created more scoring opportunities, and won most challenges. I thought that this was one of the strongest Canadian teams I had ever seen, and I could see them as legitimate contenders for the title!
The score should have been 2-0 in the first half. The first goal that was called back looked to me to be an error on the part of Norwegian goalkeeper Bente Nordby. Melissa Tancredi's challenge was fair, which was quite evident in the replays.
I was happy to see Candace Chapman out there (especially after missing out in the 2003 World Cup because of her knee injury) and what a great goal she scored. She was composed, calm, and did a great job in the midfield.
Christine Sinclair was a threat pretty much every time she touched the ball. Melissa Tancredi had a fantastic performance and I question why they would have taken her off in the second half. She and Sinclair seemed to connect well together, and created a lot of goal-scoring opportunities. That seems to be the question asked by most fans: What was the tactical reasoning behind taking Tancredi out and bringing Wilkinson in? Why fix something that isn't broke, right?
The Second Half
The second half seemed to look like a totally different game and a totally different team. Norway adjusted their game plan and, came out much stronger, while Canada seemed to run out of gas, which is no surprise considering their style of play. Canada plays very direct, focusing on long balls to the strikers. This is a very physically fatiguing style of play - the constant running back and forth, especially when you lose possession a lot (which was happening in the second half), is exhausting. When Canada gained possession, they would knock it forward but with no purpose. Sinclair touched the ball a total of seven times in that second half Considering she is the key player for Canada, she needs to be on the ball as much as possible (perhaps she may have been more useful in a supporting midfield position).
The second half was definitely a disappointment, and if it wasn't for incredible goalkeeping by Erin McLeod, it could have been much worse.
Canada needs to be able to adapt their style of play and not be one dimensional. That will be especially important heading into Saturday's game against Ghana.
