It's a word that no fan of any team ever wants to hear: "rebuilding".
For supporters of club teams, accustomed to the thrill of chasing trophies (or avoiding relegation) year after year, the idea of rebuilding is anathema to the ingrained mindset that this year is the most important year ever (until next year comes, anyway).
But national-team play is different. Cycles are more stretched out, and the best coaches are the ones able to play the long game most effectively. So when women's national team coach John Herdman let the r-word slip on Friday, while discussing his squad's return to action at next week's four-nation Yongchuan Cup, it didn't raise any eyebrows -- nor should it have.
The reality is that while the bronze medal at the London Olympics was a wonderful culmination of his first year on the job, there's a hell of a lot of work to be done if the team is to have similar success at the next big show: The 2015 Women's World Cup.
"It's a young group," Herdman told the media, speaking of the 21-player roster he'll take to China. "But it's the start of a new journey."
[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
Indeed, only 12 of those 21 players were part of Canada's Olympic roster, and one of them -- captain Christine Sinclair -- won't even be playing, as she serves her four-game suspension for speaking out after the team's loss in the Olympic semifinals.
"I didn't really have an option," Herdman said, when asked why an ineligible player was on the roster. "Christine wanted to be here. ... She knows how important it is from a leadership perspective to stamp her mark on the culture and impress on these younger players."
When asked whether her absence would be a "blessing in disguise", in that it would give other players the chance to show what they can do, Herdman agreed without agreeing -- that is, he conceded it would be important for others to get playing time, but that he's "never, ever going to say it's a blessing to have Christine out of your team. She scores goals because she can."
Still, if ever there was a time for Sinclair to have to sit a few out, this is probably an ideal one. Herdman spoke at length about the need for this tournament to be a "safe environment" for players to try things out and demonstrate their capabilities, without the fear of "ramifications".
It's all part of the two main goals Herdman has set out for this team ahead of 2015: Developing a new tactical approach, and solidifying the flow of new players through the development system.
"Steadily, we're progressing. You can start to see (we) are becoming a more possession-based team," said Herdman. "But there are still some gaps in our tactical approach.
"We are trying to shift the mindset to a team that constantly wants to go forward... as well as trying to bring in some width, which is why we've opted to go with some young players that play in wide areas, as well as bringing in Jodi-Ann Robinson."
One of those young wide players is Nichelle Prince, a standout from last fall's U17 Women's World Cup. Herdman called her an "unbelievable athlete" with "the ability to run at players" (a rare and welcome trait for any Canadian side) who, if she continues to develop, could be a big part of the Canadian equation in 2015.
"She's not a finished article by any means, but she's certainly shown the signs."
Prince is joined by U17 WWC teammates Ashley Lawrence and Kadeisha Buchanan. Lawrence, the two-time reigning Canadian U17 player of the year, has impressed Herdman with her positional versatility and "all-around game", while Buchanan has got "some real potential".
Buchanan will be part of an especially young central defensive corps that includes Shelina Zadorsky (Canada's captain at last year's U20 Women's World Cup) and 25-year-old Emily Zurrer, who has 53 caps with the senior national team but missed the London Olympics with a hamstring injury.
"This is a great opportunity for Emily to show some leadership," Herdman said, noting that veteran centrebacks Carmelina Moscato and Candace Chapman are both currently nursing injuries of their own.
The influx of newcomers from the Canadian youth ranks -- a group that also includes U20 WWC alumni Christabel Oduro and Adriana Leon -- is no accident. Herdman said, quite simply, he needs to know what sort of talent pool he'll be working with over the course of the next three to four years, and will use the next six months as an exploratory time in that regard.
"Sometimes to achieve winning, you've got to forget about winning," Herdman said when asked of his squad's prospects for the Yongchuan Cup, which also includes South Korea, Norway and the host China.
The team will still bring those good old Canadian "non-negotiables" -- spirit, passion, energy -- but scoreboard success is secondary to experimentation, both by individual players on-field and in the grander player-pool sense.
"Mistakes are going to happen," he said. But that's fine; Herdman is now seeking out "players who can really make a difference and add a new dimension... I'm really looking for those mavericks.
"We're going to take the shackles off our front players to find those players who can make things happen up front."
It was when asked for his thoughts on the Chinese team that Herdman eventually let the r-word slip.
"They're no pushover," he said of the once-powerful side now ranked #17 in the women's game. "We're in a similar situation, both nations are rebuilding."
But however verboten the idea of "rebuilding" may seem to some, consistently successful national teams are always rebuilding. Herdman noted that top teams such as Japan, France and the U.S. are able to constantly replenish their ranks with up-and-comers, a luxury that Canada doesn't yet have.
So now, the hard work begins in trying to create that situation. Herdman and his staff face a number of burning questions, the answers to which will only start to become clearer once the Yongchuan Cup is done...
Where will the future contributors to this team come from? Will Herdman be able to create stronger links between the youth standouts and the senior squad? Is the team capable of maintaining the level of expectation that was set after the London Games?
What will the Canadian women's national team look like without Christine Sinclair?
And, most importantly, will the Olympic bronze go down as the harbinger of a new era for the Canadian team, or a mere historical anomaly?
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Canada's roster for Yongchuan Cup
vs. China (Jan. 12), vs. South Korea (Jan. 14), vs. Norway (Jan. 16)
Buchanan, Kadeisha | 1995 | Mississauga, ON, CAN | Brams United SC
Cameron, Tiffany | 1991 | Mississauga, ON, CAN | North Mississauga
Gayle, Robyn | 1985 | Mississauga, ON, CAN | Mississauga Dixie Hearts
Kyle, Kaylyn | 1988 | Saskatoon, SK, CAN | Silverwood Rangers
Lawrence, Ashley | 1995 | Calendon East, ON, CAN | Brams United SC
LeBlanc, Karina | 1980 | Maple Ridge, BC, CAN | Golden Ears Angels
Leon, Adriana | 1992 | Maple, ON, CAN | Vaughan Azzuri
Matheson, Diana | 1984 | Oakville, ON, CAN | Oakville SC
McCarthy, Bryanna | 1991 | Ajax, ON, CAN | Ajax Warriors
McLeod, Erin | 1983 | Edmonton & Calgary, AB, CAN | St. Albert
Oduro, Christabel | 1992 | Brampton, ON, CAN | Brampton United Flames
Prince, Nichelle | 1995 | Ajax, ON, CAN | Ajax SC
Robinson, Jodi-Ann | 1989 | Richmond, BC, CAN | Richmond SC
Schmidt, Sophie | 1988 | Abbotsford, BC, CAN | Abbotsford
Scott, Desiree | 1987 | Winnipeg, MB, CAN | Maples Cougars
Sesselmann, Lauren | 1983 | Green Bay, WI, USA | St. Bernard Elementary School
Sinclair, Christine | 1983 | Burnaby, BC, CAN | South Burnaby Metro Club Bees
Stewart, Chelsea | 1990 | Denver, CO, USA & The Pas, MB, CAN | Real Colorado
Wilkinson, Rhian | 1982 | Baie d’Urfé, QC, CAN | Lakeshore
Zadorsky, Shelina | 1992 | London, ON, CAN | Kitchener
Zurrer, Emily | 1987 | Crofton, BC, CAN | Cowichan Valley
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