After the nerve-wracking night with Brazil, Canada dreams to defeat Colombia and go for Gold in Pan Am Games women's soccer.

 

 

 

By JUAN CARLOS CORDERO, editor-in-chief in Hamilton at Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games Women's Soccer. Phots by Roberto Amaya. Full Pan American Games Coverage by Bianca Carolina Cordero-Ramirez, Alison Lemon, Hugh Avendano, and Guy Speer Junior.

 

For all Canadians at CIBC Hamilton Soccer Stadium, it was a nerve wracking night. All the calculations were clear after seeing Costa Rica being defeated 2-0 by an Ecuadorian national team that was proud to win at least one match with both goals scored by 16-year old South American sensation and prodigy, Kirlley Real.

 

All the fans, media and coaches were betting: to lose to Brazil by fewer than five goals and Canada would advance to semifinals. Certainly, not the kind of winning soccer you can expect, but a realistic one objective for a team that defeated Ecuador 5-2 but lost 2-0 to Costa Rica.

 

 

 

Canada's Pan Am National Team coach Danny Worthington expressed their dream: “Coming into Colombia we’ll be disciplined, we’ll be tight, but we will be giving them the opportunity to play the way they want to play.”

 

John Hermann, Canada 2015 World Cup National Head coach, appeared as the   assistant coach, first giving instructions on the field, then going to the media tribune to observe, and running back to the ground after a 0-0 in the first half screaming loudly, and trying to calm the experienced players of the team.

 

The game dominance of Brazil, No. 6 in FIFA Rankings, was intense and more that the cold statistics tell. The Verdeamarelha players run the ball with intention to score, with a lot of triangles and wall passes, precision and fundamental skill techniques that the young Canadians could not match, even when they tried hard.

 

After the first goal by Andressa Alves at 55 minutes assisted by an amazing run from midfield by Andressa Cavalari, after stealing the ball, Canadians started to try more, possessing the ball and working hard to avoid another goal. Quinn was not coping with the fast ball possession and then coaches decided to bring in Gabrielle Carle, a 16-year old, to replace Emma Fletcher, an usual reliable player, but now overrun in the middle. At most of the moments - though stats says Brazil possessed 53% of the ball and Canada 47% -, Brazilians played fancy 15 or 20 touches of the ball without being chanllenged or attempt to do that.

 

.At 74',  Janine Beckie was replaced by Nkem Ezurike, 1.80 mts height, and Sarah Kinzner - 1.72 mts - entered for Chelsea Stewart. The impact was felt immediately, because the rivals could not go to the other side of the field easily, and even Formiga, one the greatest in the world, got a yellow card for fouling intensely. Cristiane Rozeira, who scored the second goal at 87`, should have gotten the same or even a red for a tackle from behind over Canada's central defender  and FIFA Young Player of last World Cup, Kadeisha Buchanan. The forward went right to breake a leg, but the referee only show the yellow.

 

Now, in the semifinals Canada will face Colombia at 20:35 p.m., in a match that  will follow the first semifinal between Brazil and Mexico, scheduled to start at 5:35 p.m. at Hamilton CIBC Soccer Stadium.

 

Speaking with John Herman after the game, he recognized that even when he has a couple of destroyers in midfield, it was difficult to put pressing mark all over the field as you can expect when an skillful team as Brazil has the ball - no allow them to touches more than 3 times - , because the Brazilian team was so fast with and without the ball. `We stand a chance to go for final against Colombia. They are playing very well, we know, but we will play smart for that game to stand a chance for the gold medal`.

Sports Photos

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  Football (Soccer) - Women - Brazil - Canada
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  Football (Soccer) - Women - Brazil - Canada
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  Raquel Fernandes - Kadeisha Buchanan - Football (Soccer) - Women - Brazil - Canada
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  Canada - Football (Soccer) - Women
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  Cecilio Waterman - Kevon Black - Football - Men - Panama - Canada
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  Brian Bernaola - Matheus Simonete - Football - Men - Peru - Brazil
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  Gonzala Maldonado - Luan Garcia - Football - Men - Peru - Brazil
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  Rebecca Quinn - Raquel Rodriguez - Football - Women - Canada - Costa Rica
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  Football (Soccer) - Women - Canada
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  Football (Soccer) - Women - Canada - Ecuador
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  Football (Soccer) - Women - Canada - Ecuador
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  Football (Soccer) - Men - Canada - Brazil
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  Emma Fletcher - Football - Women - Canada
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  Nkemjika Ezurike - Football - Women - Canada
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  Stephanie Labbe - Football - Women - Canada
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  Maria Levasseur - Football - Women - Canada

 

 

 

By JUAN CARLOS CORDERO, UNO International News Service, Hamilton.-  

 

 

 

Football - Event Overview - Women

Athletes

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Summary

Ranks and Medals

Rank		Name
	5	Costa Rica
	6	Ecuador
	7	Trinidad & Tobago
	8	Argentina

Schedule

Sat, Jul 11

Time Location	Venue	Event	Information			Status
11:05	HAM	Women First Round Group A Match 1		Mexico	0 0 0 0 1 1	Official
				Colombia
14:05	HAM	Women First Round Group A Match 2		Argentina	0 2 2 0 2 2	Official
				Trinidad & To..
18:05	HAM	Women First Round Group B Match 3		Costa Rica	0 0 0 2 1 3	Official
				Brazil
21:05	HAM	Women First Round Group B Match 4		Canada	2 3 5 1 1 2	Official
				Ecuador

Tue, Jul 14

Time Location	Venue	Event	Information			Status
17:35	HAM	Women First Round Group A Match 5		Argentina	0 1 1 1 2 3	Official
				Mexico
20:35	HAM	Women First Round Group A Match 6		Colombia	1 0 1 0 1 1	Official
				Trinidad & To..

Wed, Jul 15

Time Location	Venue	Event	Information			Status
17:35	HAM	Women First Round Group B Match 7		Brazil	2 5 7 1 0 1	Official
				Ecuador
20:35	HAM	Women First Round Group B Match 8		Costa Rica	0 2 2 0 0 0	Official
				Canada

Sat, Jul 18

Time Location	Venue	Event	Information			Status
17:35	HAM	Women First Round Group A Match 9		Trinidad & To..	0 1 1 2 1 3	Official
				Mexico
20:35	HAM	Women First Round Group A Match 10		Argentina	0 0 0 1 1 2	Official
				Colombia

Sun, Jul 19

Time Location	Venue	Event	Information			Status
17:35	HAM	Women First Round Group B Match 11		Ecuador	1 1 2 0 0 0	Official
				Costa Rica
20:35	HAM	Women First Round Group B Match 12		Canada	0 0 0 0 2 2	Official
				Brazil

Wed, Jul 22

Time Location	Venue	Event	Information			Status
17:35	HAM	Women Semifinals Match 13		Colombia		Scheduled
				Canada
20:35	HAM	Women Semifinals Match 14		Brazil		Scheduled
				Mexico

Fri, Jul 24

Time Location	Venue	Event	Information			Status
20:35	HAM	Women Bronze Medal Match Match 15				Scheduled

Sat, Jul 25

Time Location	Venue	Event	Information			Status
18:35	HAM	Women Gold Medal Match Match 16				Scheduled

 

 

JUAN CARLOS CORDERO, editor-in-chief UNO International News Service at Hamilton for Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games.- Pictures by Roberto Amaya

All Sports Full coverage with Bianca Carolina Cordero-Ramirez, Alison Lemon, Hugh Avendano, Guy Speer Junior.

A lack of experience on Wednesday night could eventually cost Canada's women's national team a spot on the podium at the Pan American Games. We will see tonight at 8:35 in CIBC Hamilton Stadium when Canadians will face the toughest opponent, Brazil, that has 6 points in two games and has scored 10 goals and received only 1.

Canada was forced to play its first-round Group B match against Costa Rica without defender Kadeisha Buchanan and midfielder Ashley Lawrence. Both players were forced to leave the Pan Am Games to honour commitments at West Virginia University, where they're taking summer classes.
Without their World Cup team members, Canada fell 2-0 to Costa Rica - ensuring Sunday's game against the Brazilians is a must-win for the host nation.

"The frustration is, (Buchanan) has to go and do the college stuff, she'd much rather be here with the team in our home (country) doing the business," said assistant coach John Herdman. "If she's out there tonight, things are a bit different. I think that's what we missed tonight.
"There was a promise that they would do summer school and catch up on some of the courses they missed. I think that's really important on the scholastic side that your respect that balance that's required."

Buchanan, who was named the World Cup's top young player, along with Lawrence will re-join the club later this week and will be available for Sunday's game. Goalkeeper Stephanie Labbe will also be available to the team against Brazil after serving a one-game suspension as a result of her red card in Saturday's win over Ecuador.

Nineteen-year-old Kailen Sheriden replaced Labbe on Wednesday.

After failing to register a shot on target in the first half, Costa Rica scored twice on four shots in the second half.

Shirley Cruz opened the scoring in the 60th minute when she headed a corner kick from midfielder Katherine Alvarado past Sheriden for her first of the tournament.

Karla Villalobos added some insurance in the 73rd minute when she beat Sheriden with a right-footed strike from in the area while on a breakaway.

"It was definitely a tough loss," said Sheriden, who will celebrate her 20th birthday on Thursday. "But there's a lot we can learn and as a young team, I think that's important for us."

Canadian forward Marie Levasseur had two quality scoring chances to put Canada on the board late in the second half.

In the 78th minute Levasseur created some space for herself in the area with some nice footwork, but her strike was tipped over the bar by Costa Rican keeper Dinnia Diaz.

Levasseur broke in alone in the 82nd minute, but her shot went off the woodwork.
Costa Rica (1-1-0) lost its only other game 3-0 to Brazil on Saturday while the Canadians (1-1-0) defeated Ecuador 5-2.

Canadian forward Janine Beckie, who had a couple of chances in the first half, knows exactly what to expect from the undefeated Brazilians on Sunday.

"Fast-paced, well organized offensively and maybe a little bit disorganized defensively, which I think we can take advantage of," she said. "They can put the ball in the back of the net so we're going to have to be really tight and organized as a defence.

"It'll be nice to have Kadeisha and Ashley back for that game."

Brazil remains atop the Group B standings with 6 points in two games, following a 7-1 victory over Ecuador on Wednesday night. Canada is tied second with Costa Rica, but 1 goal difference and - 1 for the Ticas that play today Sunday at 5:35 pm against Ecuador, last in the group with 0o point.