Canada will be hoping to lock up top spot of Group A at the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup when they take on the Netherlands Monday afternoon in Montreal in their final match of the group stage round.
The host nation remain atop their group following an opening round 1-0 win over China and a draw against head coach John Herdman’s former team New Zealand Thursday.
Netherlands opened their tournament on a high with a 1-0 win over the Kiwis, but fell to China by a 1-0 decision and are tied for second in the group.
It’s no secret the Canadians have struggled to get anything going on the attacking front thus far, having yet to score from open play through two games. Their lone goal came courtesy of a penalty kick goal from captain Christine Sinclair in their opening match. Herdman’s side have generated many opportunities, the lack of ability to finish has cost them, however.
Although tournament debutants the Dutch have scored the same number of goals, they have looked much more threatening going forward than their counterparts. Led by young and spirited forward Lieke Martens, Oranje haven’t looked one bit nervous in their first World Cup tournament.
Vivianne Miedema is another name Netherlands head coach Reijners Roger will look to to inspire his side to victory. Despite being just 18 years of age, Miedema has 19 goals from 23 caps for her national side. More impressively, the FC Bayern Munich forward was top scorer for her side in qualifiers with 16 goals.
Sinclair, her countries top goalscorer with 154 career goals, there will be no doubt who the Dutch defence will give most of the attention to. The Burnaby, British Columbia native is Canada’s most influential player, and as many anticipate, it will boil down to her performances whether the Canadians progress far or the tournament or not. She will more than likely need to step up to propel her country to victory.
There has been speculation in the media in the buildup to this match surrounding whether it is too late or worth the risk for Herdman to change his team’s tactics. The Canadians played a 4-3-3 formation in their opening two games, and it did not work the way they would have hoped. The midfield and forward lines have struggled to link up and solidify a solid attacking foundation that has led to several attacking plays breaking down.
One positive for Canada, however, remains the play of 19-year-old centre back Kadeisha Buchanan. Buchanan plays for the West Virginia University Mountaineers and was a relatively unknown name to the public prior to the tournament, but the teenager has been the bright spot for her team and has raised her profile as a solid defender.
A win for Netherlands will open this group up right wide open. There remains a possibility for Canada to eliminated from the tournament, depending on how the other game in the group, China - New Zealand, plays out.
Both sides will want to finish first in the group to have a shot at facing a ‘weaker’ opponent in the first round of the knockout stages. A capacity crowd is expected at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal and the Canadian players will be hoping to use the home field atmosphere to their advantage.