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`.
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By JUAN CARLOS CORDERO, UNO International News Service, Hamilton.-
Football - Event Overview - Women
| Rank | Name | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | ||||
| 6 | ||||
| 7 | ||||
| 8 | ||||
Schedule
| Time Location | Venue | Event | Information | Status | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:05 | HAM | Women First Round Group A Match 1 |
|
0
0
0
0
1
1
|
Official
| |||
| ||||||||
| 14:05 | HAM | Women First Round Group A Match 2 |
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0
2
2
0
2
2
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Official
| |||
| ||||||||
| 18:05 | HAM | Women First Round Group B Match 3 |
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0
0
0
2
1
3
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Official
| |||
| ||||||||
| 21:05 | HAM | Women First Round Group B Match 4 |
|
2
3
5
1
1
2
|
Official
| |||
| ||||||||
| Time Location | Venue | Event | Information | Status | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17:35 | HAM | Women First Round Group A Match 5 |
|
0
1
1
1
2
3
|
Official
| |||
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| 20:35 | HAM | Women First Round Group A Match 6 |
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1
0
1
0
1
1
|
Official
| |||
| ||||||||
| Time Location | Venue | Event | Information | Status | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17:35 | HAM | Women First Round Group B Match 7 |
|
2
5
7
1
0
1
|
Official
| |||
| ||||||||
| 20:35 | HAM | Women First Round Group B Match 8 |
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0
2
2
0
0
0
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Official
| |||
| ||||||||
| Time Location | Venue | Event | Information | Status | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17:35 | HAM | Women First Round Group A Match 9 |
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0
1
1
2
1
3
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Official
| |||
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| 20:35 | HAM | Women First Round Group A Match 10 |
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0
0
0
1
1
2
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Official
| |||
| ||||||||
| Time Location | Venue | Event | Information | Status | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17:35 | HAM | Women First Round Group B Match 11 |
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1
1
2
0
0
0
|
Official
| |||
| ||||||||
| 20:35 | HAM | Women First Round Group B Match 12 |
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0
0
0
0
2
2
|
Official
| |||
| ||||||||
| Time Location | Venue | Event | Information | Status | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17:35 | HAM | Women Semifinals Match 13 |
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Scheduled
| ||||
| ||||||||
| 20:35 | HAM | Women Semifinals Match 14 |
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Scheduled
| ||||
| ||||||||
| Time Location | Venue | Event | Information | Status | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20:35 | HAM | Women Bronze Medal Match Match 15 |
Scheduled
| ||||
| Time Location | Venue | Event | Information | Status | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18:35 | HAM | Women Gold Medal Match Match 16 |
Scheduled
| ||||
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.
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