Olympic champions CanWNT have a ‘point to prove’ at Women’s World Cup

2023-07-20

Charlie O’Connor-Clarke, Digital Content Editor (@charliejclarke)

Canada may be entering the 2023 Women’s World Cup as reigning Olympic champions, but they still can’t quite shake the underdog label.

Asked recently in Toronto about whether Canada will have a target on their backs in Australia as winners of the last major tournament they played in, Vanessa Gilles didn’t think so.

“In the football world I think people still view us as the underdogs,” Gilles said. “I think a lot of people still view the Olympics as, it was lucky, or COVID, and so I think going into the World Cup a lot of us — myself included — are going into it with another point to prove.”

It’s been two years since Canada’s gold medal triumph over Sweden in the Tokyo Games, and between then and now they’ve put together a record of 14-4-7, staying pretty much rooted to sixth or seventh place in the FIFA Women’s World Rankings. They’ve beaten top-10 teams like Australia, Brazil and Germany

Despite that, Canada seem to have been missing from pre-tournament conversation about who might win it all — some bookies don’t even have the Canadians in the top 10 betting favourites.

Not that they care, really.

“I don’t know what the expectation is for the world but for us, we want to win,” Kadeisha Buchanan said in late June. “We want to hoist that trophy in the end. I think no matter what people expect us to do we hold the highest expectations of ourselves.”

Canada are, of course, reigning Olympic champions but it’s nonetheless important to note that the circumstances of this World Cup in Australia and New Zealand could hardly be more different from Tokyo in the COVID-19-affected summer of 2021.

All of Canada’s group matches are expected to be played in front of packed-out, boisterous stadiums in Melbourne and Perth, including a final match — a potentially pivotal Group B decider — against tournament co-hosts Australia, which is always a tricky proposition at a World Cup. In Japan, every game was behind closed doors in cavernous, echoey stadiums where coaches could shout instructions to even their farthest players across the pitch.

Bev Priestman’s squad for this World Cup will therefore have to reach a little further back in memory to draw on experiences in the kind of environment this tournament promises. Thankfully, 17 out of Canada’s 23 players were there in 2019 when they played at the last World Cup in France. Only two players — important ones, granted, in Evelyne Viens and Vanessa Gilles — got their first taste of major tournament action in Tokyo, while four — Cloé Lacasse, Simi Awujo, Olivia Smith and Lysianne Proulx — have yet to experience one.

Still, the group is well aware of the differences this time around. There’s a lot more fanfare around a World Cup — especially one like this that’s anticipating record-breaking crowds and global interest — and therefore a few more distractions away from the pitch.

Gilles, who’s entering her first tournament outside of a COVID bubble, agreed it’ll be a new challenge for her.

“I remember saying after the Olympics, people asked me what did it feel like and for me it was almost like a practice tournament,” she said. “There wasn’t the pressure of home crowds, there wasn’t the pressure of going out, seeing family, because you couldn’t leave the hotel — it was solely focused on the football alone. This World Cup obviously is my first major tournament that isn’t COVID-bombarded. So it’s going to be interesting trying to juggle not only the football side but also everything that goes on outside of football. I think we have all the tools to do that, with the support staff and people with experience on our team to help us juggle that.

“It’ll be huge, but it’s an obstacle we’re excited for. Huge crowds, what we’re fighting for, that’s what people strive to play in.”

Likewise, Deanne Rose — who did play for Canada in France and has a little experience in this area — suggested Australia will feel a little different, but added that the growing interest in women’s football means this kind of excitement is something players will continue to get more comfortable with.

“I think it’s gonna be completely different,” Rose said. “In Japan we didn’t have any fans, you don’t have to deal with the loudness of the stadium and there’s a certain pressure that comes with that. I think it will be an adjustment, but I think too there’s been a lot more fans in the women’s game within the past couple of years anyway, so I think a lot of people are getting more used to playing in front of fans, being more normal in that type of setting.”

This Canadian team is not old, by any means; thirteen of their players are aged 27 or younger. However, they’re one of the most experienced teams at this tournament, thanks in part to how well the program incorporated young players in the senior team several years ago.

For the likes of Julia Grosso (50 caps), Jordyn Huitema (64) and Jayde Riviere (37) — all 22 years old — to have gone to the 2019 World Cup as teenagers, complementing a core of experienced cap centurions like Christine Sinclair, Kadeisha Buchanan and Sophie Schmidt, among others, has proven massively beneficial to Canada. Jessie Fleming, perhaps Canada’s most important player, is only 25 but has 115 caps already, having played at two World Cups and two Olympics.

“I think experience is massive,” said defender Shelina Zadorsky, whose 89 caps span back to 2015. “I think success comes from the veterans who paved the way and taught you the lessons you needed to learn wherever you’re at in your career; this team has a mix of veterans, young players, players who have been here many years, and I think bringing that all together is what makes this team so special. So I’m really grateful for that.”

There are plenty of questions to be answered for Priestman’s Canada at this World Cup, especially with a group that’s going to be difficult to navigate. There’s no denying, though, that last time they were tested in a tournament environment, they were more than up to the task.

Still, this one will be a little bit different. And for their part, Canada are embracing that.