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Janine Beckie (Photo: Canada Soccer)
MATCH ANALYSIS: United States 2-0 CanWNT — 2023 SheBelieves Cup
2023-02-16
by
Benedict Rhodes, CanPL.ca Contributor (@BTFR17)
Canada Soccer

Final Score: United States 2-0 Canada
Goalscorers: Swanson 7′, 34′
2023 SheBelieves Cup

Match Recap

Canada’s women’s national team opened its run at the 2023 SheBelieves Cup on Thursday evening, falling 2-0 to the United States in front of nearly 15,000 fans at Exploria Stadium in Orlando. It was the first of three matches they’ll play during this international window at the invitational tournament — with games against Brazil on Sunday and Japan on Wednesday still to come.

The Americans wasted no time in this match, testing Canadian goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan seconds after kickoff. After making a quick move up the left flank, Mallory Swanson was able to get a shot off from close range, but Sheridan was equal to it. Sheridan was called into action again two minutes later, forced to make an athletic diving stop to deny a well-placed shot from Ashley Sanchez from the edge of the penalty area.

Relentless in their attack to open the match, the United States took the lead in the seventh minute, as Swanson beat Sheridan with a volley from just inside the 18-yard box. Canada was struggling to build any momentum in the early stages of the match, and after sustained pressure, Swanson was able to fire the ball home for the opener.

After that Canada started to grow into the game a little bit, but Lindsay Horan nearly doubled the home side’s lead in the 16th minute. She got her head onto a cross from Emily Fox, redirecting it toward the bottom left corner of Sheridan’s goal, but the ball struck the woodwork and was cleared away from danger.

After about 20 minutes Canada began to find a bit more space in attack, but a couple of crosses into the box didn’t find their intended targets. Following a few uncharacteristic giveaways early on, Canada was able to hold onto more of the ball and string a few opportunities together.

One of those giveaways cost them in the 34th minute, however. Vanessa Gilles tried to pass the ball back to Sheridan but didn’t angle her pass right, opening another opportunity for Swanson. The Chicago Red Stars forward ran onto the loose ball and calmly put the ball into the wide open goal as the Canadian goalkeeper scrambled in an attempt to get back and stop it.

Canada’s best chance of the first half came from a set piece, as a Jessie Fleming corner was narrowly headed over the bar by Christine Sinclair. A shot from Janine Beckie in first half stoppage time nearly found the back of the net as well, as the Portland Thorns attacker hit the ball well, aiming to the right of Alyssa Naeher, but the American goalkeeper dived to make an impressive save and push the ball away.

The match was much slower in the second half as the Americans tried to control the flow of the game and not give Canada opportunities to get back into it. A quick move up the field in the 75th minute ended with substitute Ashley Hatch firing a shot at Kailen Sheridan, but the Canadian goalkeeper got down to deny Hatch from close range.

Sheridan also denied Mallory Swanson her hat trick a few minutes later, finally getting the better of the American attacker after conceding twice in the opening half. That would be the last big chance of the match as the United States were able to grind out the final few minutes and thwart Canada’s late push for a goal.

After Brazil defeated Japan 1-0 earlier in the day, the United States climbed to the top of the 2023 SheBelieves Cup standings, with Canada in fourth after the first matchday.

Three Observations

Priestman offers no surprises with first lineup of 2023

The SheBelieves Cup, and the leadup to this summer’s World Cup in general, is an opportunity for Bev Priestman to tinker with her lineup and find what works best. Changing too much would be less than ideal, as consistency and developing partnerships on the pitch are just as crucial, and the latter is what Bev Priestman opted for in this match.

Reigning NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year Kailen Sheridan kept her place between the sticks, despite Sabrina D’Angelo impressing at Arsenal of late, with Sheridan retaining the number one spot she grabbed after Stephanie Labbé’s retirement last year.

From left to right across the backline, Allysha Chapman, Vanessa Gilles and Ashley Lawrence made up Canada’s defensive unit, playing behind the midfield duo of Julia Grosso and Jessie Fleming. Christine Sinclair started as Canada’s central attacking midfielder, in between Janine Beckie on the left wing and Adriana Leon on the right, with Jordyn Huitema up top.

That lineup is arguably Canada’s first-choice lineup with the players available to Priestman in this camp, though Nichelle Prince and Jayde Riviere are among the players to miss out through injury. There’s a case to be made that Quinn could, or even should, start for Canada, with Fleming at the number ten position and Sinclair up top or coming off the bench, but Priestman has been consistent in starting Sinclair behind the striker in recent camps.

Priestman brought Jenna Hellstrom off the bench at halftime, a rare appearance for the sporadically called-up forward, an opportunity for her to show what she can offer. Hellstrom replaced Chapman at the break, moving Janine Beckie to left back, before Beckie was moved to the right side and Lawrence to the left. Hellstrom didn’t make as much of an impact as she would have liked, given limited chances to get on the ball and make things happen, and was booked for a poor challenge in the 82nd minute.

Ten minutes after the break Priestman made two more changes, bringing in Cloé Lacasse and Quinn to replace Adriana Leon and Christine Sinclair, respectively. Quinn was put at the base of midfield alongside Grosso, with Fleming pushed up higher into Sinclair’s number ten position. Lacasse in particular was effective at time, bringing an energy off the bench that Canada was lacking in the first half.

Simi Awujo replaced Julia Grosso in the 65th minute, getting another opportunity to prove why she was named the 2022 Canada Soccer Young Player of the Year, slotting in beside Quinn. Evelyne Viens and Jade Rose were Priestman’s final two changes, replacing Huitema and Beckie, respectively, in the 77th minute.

How much Priestman rotates the squad for Sunday’s match against Brazil remains to be seen, but as always with such a short turnaround, at least a couple of changes are expected.

Sinclair for Quinn is one to consider certainly, and with Huitema unable to make a huge impact on the game, starting Lacasse or Viens up top could also make sense. Resting one of Kadeisha Buchanan or Vanessa Gilles in favour of Shelina Zadorsky’s presence at centre-back is another one to keep an eye on, as is a potential appearance for Clarissa Larisey, who showed signs of promise in her first few Canada appearances last year.

Americans come flying out of the gates, and Swanson finishes her chances

It took the United States just ten seconds to get the ball into Canada’s box and fire a shot at Kailen Sheridan. It was a bit of a wake-up call for Canada, and was a sign of the relentless pressure the Americans would sustain for much of the first 45 minutes.

After stopping that initial effort at her near post, Sheridan made a brilliant diving stop to turn the ball over the crossbar a few minutes later, denying a shot from Ashley Sanchez that seemed destined for the top right corner — and Vanessa Gilles blocked another shot moments after that.

Winning the ball back again and again with an intense press at the beginning of the match, the United States took the lead in the seventh minute. After Alex Morgan got a touch on a ball into the penalty area, Mallory Swanson struck a volley that curled past the diving Sheridan to give the home side the lead in front of a crowd of nearly 15,000 fans. It was a special night for Morgan, as the longtime superstar was honoured pregame with loved ones for this being her 200th appearance for her country.

It was one to remember for Swanson as well, as the Chicago Red Stars forward doubled the lead with a simple finish in the 34th minute. Vanessa Gilles was pressured by Morgan on the left flank, forcing an errant pass backward, intended for Kailen Sheridan. The pass was wide of the mark, played to the edge of the penalty area where Swanson ran onto it and tucked it home to double the lead.

The Americans could have scored four or five times in the first half — a tempo they didn’t keep up for the full 90 minutes, but a reminder that they can cause serious problems when given the space and time to do so.

Defensive stability and midfield adjustments needed ahead of Brazil clash on Sunday

Uncharacteristic errors were the difference for Canada in this match, as several of them in the first half in particular led to some key chances for the United States.

That was noticeable from the first few seconds of the game, as Mallory Swanson and Lindsey Horan immediately sliced through the Canadian lines before Swanson fired a shot at Sheridan. In the following minutes, especially after the Untied States took the lead a few minutes later, Canada were shaky at times, and gave up the ball on several occasions in midfield and in their own defensive third.

A breakdown in communication and positioning led to a giveaway from Vanessa Gilles in the 34th minute, which Mallory Swanson pounced on to double her team’s lead.

Gilles was out wide, and when she tried to pass the ball to Kailen Sheridan, put it into an area of the pitch that no Canadian was occupying. Kadeisha Buchanan didn’t come across from her position on the opposite side of the penalty area, and neither Julia Grosso or Jessie Fleming dropped deeper to fill that space, giving Swanson an uncontested shot at a wide open net.

The United States certainly weren’t at their lethal best in this match, but took advantage of two first half opportunities and were able to deal with most of Canada’s attacking efforts.

Canada’s defenders will be in for another tough match on Sunday against Brazil, when they will take on the world class attacking duo of Marta and Debinha. The two NWSL stars are capable of doing serious damage to the best defensive teams in the world — of which Canada are one — so they will need to use Friday and Saturday to regroup and prepare ahead of what will be another difficult test.

That duo combined for a goal earlier on Thursday, as Marta, who was returning from a lengthy absence through injury, found her compatriot with a precise low pass before a tidy finish sealed all three points against Japan.

Going forward Canada didn’t have the strongest game either. One lineup change that might have a positive impact on both sides of the ball would be to bring Quinn in for Christine Sinclair. Doing so would allow Jessie Fleming to play in Sinclair’s attacking midfield role, and put Quinn’s defensive stability deeper in midfield for some extra cover next to Julia Grosso.

CanPL.ca Player of the Match

Mallory Swanson, United States

Scoring a first half brace, American forward Mallory Swanson took advantage of her opportunities, and if not for a few saves from Kailen Sheridan, could have had a hat trick.

Canada will take on Brazil in their second match at the SheBelieves Cup, at Geodis Park in Nashville. That game kicks off at 6:30 pm ET/3:30 pm PT. Watch it live on OneSoccer.

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