While in the bottoms of our hearts we are all shocked and disappointed with the result of the women's national side at the World Cup in Germany, maybe we need to look beyond our own beliefs in equality, justice, and "oh they got so much money for a fancy vacation in Rome and we flipped the bill so we're going to be upset about it!" and think had they won the whole thing would you feel the same way? Would we say all this money was wasted and this should never happen again? The reality of the situation is that in 4 years we will be flipping the bill for a much grander budget and with this being the results driven business that it is; will we settle for less then a semi final? Will we again bitch and moan and cry for blood if our expectations are not met?
This team came out and every preparation possible was made within the budget that they were allotted to certify that this team would produce the best result. If you want to blame the coach for the result on the field that argument can only go so far because you are only able to play with the cards you are dealt. Your offensive fire power is limited to Christine Sinclair who averages a goal every 1.37 games so her not scoring in the second game is a bit of a no brainer when she's handicapped by a phantom of the opera mask and dizzying headaches. Once you take her out of the equation nobody on the team scores at a pace better then a goal every four games. Morace decided to go with the speedy Jonelle Foligino upfront to compliment Sinclair with workman like attitude to chase down 1 on 1 balls with defenders. Unfortunately Foligino found herself on her hands and knees more often then not. Melissa Tancredi played hard but again is not an all out goal scoring threat more then she is target forward and an aerial weapon on corners and set pieces. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
To say that Sinclair was invisible in this tournament is unfair. In past tournaments however completely justifiable. When it's come down to the important game she was singled out and nullified by strong defences, and had not produced the timely goal when it was needed most. This time around her inability to finish against the French is justifiable due to the physical limitations previously mentioned. To try and tell a Christine Sinclair that she is not going to play in the most important game of her life to date is impossible and that is really the end of that conversation.
The harsh reality of the situation is that this team broke down defensively. It started in the midfield and the crack went all the way back to the 18 yard box. While Diana Matheson was able to get the occasional shot off on the oppositions goal she has never been known to be an offensive threat. Granted that under Morace's new system she has seen a bump in her offensive production, she was inevitably taken out of the game by both the French and the Germans. Having watched the majority of the Vancouver Whitecaps Women's games last year I can honestly say that the performance of Kaylyn Kyle left much to be desired. No individual play was especially shocking but she was admittedly nervous in the first game and it clearly showed. She was promptly removed at half in the first game after her uncharacteristically poor showing. Now the argument can be made that the W League is nowhere near the level of competition for the UEFA Women's Champions League that the majority of both the French and German squads fought for a few weeks ago, but that is the best competition for Canadian squads in the here and now. Nerves are all I am willing to put it down to. Kelly Parker as a replacement was equally ineffective but she was the best possible replacement from what was available to Morace. This is where the true dilemma arises. Depth.
Take a quick look at the defensive back line that was used. Beyond the always reliable Candace Chapman, they were all for the most part converted attackers. Rhian Wilkinson as a left back, Brittany Timko as a right back, and even Emily Zurrer as a centre back, those are invariably the best defenders who were available to play in this tournament after Marie Eve Nault and Robyn Gayle failed to answer the bell when Morace called upon them. Candace Chapman is a natural defender and will always be on the team until she decides she's had enough or injuries force her to call it quits, but the other three are not natural defenders, but they are the best that we have to fit that system or were even available to play. Timko won the Golden Boot in the U-20 tournament many moons ago, Rhian Wilkinson has been a winger as far back as anyone can remember and Emily Zurrer was converted to a defender by Ian Bridge when he ran out of options.
It is very easy to point fingers when you feel that you need someone to blame. The reality is that we all need to point our fingers at ourselves. We need to take a long look in the mirror and say this is just as much my fault as it is theirs. Yeah it will feel stupid to be brushing your teeth and looking deep into your own eyes with disgust and saying "I fucked up" but thats what 16 or so of our friends, sisters, girlfriends, schoolmates, and neighbours are doing right now while we question them, their coach them, their budget, or the association that they play for. These women tried to the best of their abilities to meet our expectations. They all worked with what they were given and fell short of our desires and expectations, but they should all know that they have nothing to be ashamed of.
Let's get back to this whole business of pointing our fingers at ourselves.
I'm looking at you. Yes you. The person who is reading this because when it is all said and done you love this game. You care enough to read these articles on a not so flashy but well informed website because you care more then the casual fan. I'm going to assume you love this country and you are as heartbroken as I am to see our squad fail once more when all our own hopes and dreams rested on their shoulders. I bet you were disappointed to see every failure by our Men's sides over the last 2 months as well, be it U-17 or Gold Cup or whatever. We should know better then to place the blame on Peter Montopolli, or Carolina Morace, or Christine Sinclair for these results this week. Part of the blame has to be placed on our failure to act until we have these last 3-4 years. We have stepped up and called the ASA to task, we have gathered in protest to "Sack the CSA", we are finally showing that we truly do SUPPORT LOCAL FOOTBALL, and things are changing. Things are changing a lot faster then the causal observer may ever realize or then the mainstream media would lead them to believe. In this attention deprived world we have created fast is never fast enough for the results we want. We need results and we need them now. If we don't get them immediately somebody damn well better lose their job, or we will flame them to eternity via twitter, facebook, or whatever world wide web outlet is readily available.
There is a revolution happening. You see it don't you? I assure you that it is happening. It is happening from coast to coast. It is being spearheaded by people like Jason De Vos, Carolina Morace, Paul Barber, Aarron Winter, Richard Grutschholden and all the people who we have handed the reigns over to in the past 2 years. We are finally seeing big business step in and shoulder some of the load that the CSA once had to bear on its own. You need only look as far as the CSL. We are seeing minor league teams rise up from the ashes of soccer hotbeds that have kept the embers burning below the surface by keeping our children engaged in the sport our families brought over to this country before we were even a twinkle in an eye. We are seeing a youth development model that will no longer see the emphasis placed on results but player development. Over the next 6 months we will see an Elite Youth League blossom here in BC lead by Paul Barber and the Vancouver Whitecaps. For years this end of our country has been playing their competitive season at an entirely different time of year simply because the option was there. Whether it benefited the players or not. Which it clearly did not. This is just in BC, while these changes are happening roots are taking hold in a similar form in Ontario lead by Jason De Vos and the Oakville Soccer Club where competitive leagues will be set up in more regionalized groupings with more attention then ever being placed on players getting the appropriate instruction based on their goals and current skill sets. Carolina Morace is doing her best to improve the quality of the women's development system while those two groups seemingly ignore an entire gender.
If you've read this far I congratulate you because this has really become more of a rant then an article of any sorts and it is probably hard to find any real point to where this is going. I'm not entirely sure where this is going either beyond asking for everyone to just be patient. We are clearly moving in the right direction. Absolutely question everything that you see, you read, and you hear. Stand up for what you believe in, that is what this country is based on, it's ingrained in our collective moral fabric, but remember that 50% of any conversation is listening. Dig a little deeper. That is what really will help the whole situation, be informed, promote dialog, engage in conversation, offer solutions rather then just complain. Then we can spring in to action. Once we've put our personal beliefs aside we can finally work towards one solid goal. Everyone can agree that in the last year we saw a marked improvement in the quality of soccer played by this team and the apparent reality is that the quality has improved elsewhere in the world as well. Our old model was flawed and we realized that finally, so we've made the changes needed to the best of our understanding. In all likelihood it will probably take an entire cycle before we actually can get bitchy about not getting the results we expect. In all reality this revolution with our women's program has only started in the last 2 years. Imagine how different things could be after 6 years of nurturing these seeds we've only just so recently planted.
We really thought they were world beaters. We the fans. We fuelled the fires that burned in the hearts of these girls and women, fires that probably didn't need to be stoked any more then they already were by their own motivations and desires. They came up short and well you know what? Shit happens. Tough beans. You can only learn from your mistakes, and I can assure you that in 4 years on opening day of the 2015 World Cup, Kaylyn Kyle will not be the one walking out of the tunnel in awe of the giants. She'll be that giant. Her and every other woman dressed in red and white standing beside her.
Let's all calm down. Lets stay the course on the plan we've set out. Let's all stop pointing fingers at who is to blame and grow from this experience. We have finally been able to place our faith in people who are far more qualified then ourselves to make the decisions that will shape our future. If we are worse off in four years then we are right now then we can point and blame.