Analysis: Canada Crumbles To US In 3-0 Defeat
By It has not been a great week for Canadian international soccer.
For on Wednesday evening, Canada suffered its biggest defeat under new head coach Casey Stoney, losing 3-0 to bitter rivals United States, in a match that left much to be desired.
Set Pieces Do The Damage
Set pieces have been both the bane and the blessing of Canada for the last four years, it seems.
With strong and physical defenders like Vanessa Gilles and Kadeisha Buchanan (who was not called up this window), Canada are usually huge threats off set-pieces. But Wednesday’s match showed just how vulnerable they can be when faced with defending set-piece opportunites. Two out of the three US goals came directly from set-pieces, and both times it was all too easy.
Sam Coffey’s goal came after the ball had dropped into the box in front of her from a Rose Lavelle free-kick. Instead of flying limbs from onrushing defenders crowding her before her shot, Coffey was able to look up and see a clear view to goal. Only a half-attempted boot stretched out by Jordyn Huitema threatened to block Coffey’s effort, as everyone else had seemingly turned to stone once the ball dropped. For a team that has as much quality as Canada does, it was simply unexcusable.
But then came another similarily unexcusable goal just nine minutes before half-time. Another Lavelle cross, this time from a corner, found young Claire Hutton, the 19-year-old midfielder, who headed it down and past Kailen Sheridan to double the Americans’ lead. Once again, the Canadians switched off, as no one was even close to Hutton when she met that cross. Only Jade Rose made another half-hearted attempt to intercept it, but her jump came when the ball had already left Hutton’s head.
They were two goals that Casey Stoney will already know are completely unacceptable. Whether its against the US or the likes of Haiti or Costa Rica, Canada need to be stronger in those set-piece moments as they are the perennial game-changing scenarios that make or break teams.
Unbalanced Midfield Leads to US Domination
Casey Stoney put out one of the strongest XI’s we’ve seen under her management for this friendly (i.e. grudge) match against the US. Jessie Fleming, Julia Grosso and Emma Ragen all started in a midfield three that saw Ragen sit as the lone anchor, allowing Fleming and Grosso more room to roam forward and jumpstart attacks.
Against weaker teams, that kind of midfield will do plenty of damage. Ragen has shown that against a certain level of quality, she is capable of being the lone anchor to break up play, stop attacks and win back the ball. In theory, it’s also a great midfield to try to press high and win back the ball, with Fleming and Grosso having plenty of energy to run around and press. The problem for Stoney and co., which became quite evident quite quickly, is that against an incredible team like the US, those tactics just won’t work.
The US devastated that midfield thanks to their quick transitions, good defensive lines and aggressive play. Too many times Canada gave the ball away, allowing the US to break on an attack and too many times no one from the midfield was able to stop it before it cross the half-way line. Fleming and Grosso were often caught high up the field or in no-mans land, while Ragen was trying to catch shadows as the US quickly broke through around her.
The middle of the park became the playground for the US, using those big open spaces in between the Canadian midfielders to progress the ball and hit long passes in-behind the defence. Had the US been a bit more clinical in their finishing, they could have easily been three or four goals up at the half – that’s how destructive there attacks were. To make matters worse, all this came against a much rotated US side as well. Had it been the strongest US XI, the scoreline may have gotten even uglier.
Canada were able to quell those attacks a bit more in the secodn half, especially with the introduction of the more defensive and physical Simi Awujo, but by that time it was already too little, too late.
Time To Look Forward, But Time For Change?
The silver lining from that brutal defeat was in the changes that Casey Stoney made – albeit too late. In the last five minutes of the match, when the game was already 2-0 down, Stoney brought on the youngings in Holly Ward and Annabelle Chukwu. Yet despite the bleak scenario to which they were introduced, both players became the immediate threats for Canada, nearly linking up for a goal just two minutes after their arrival into the match.
Fans online were groaning that the subs came in way too late – a critique that Stoney will need to answer for – but it at least showed that the young players are up for battling against some of the best in the world. Now Stoney will have to go back to the drawing board, as Canada has a hefty break before they play again in October.
Between now and then, Stoney must make some tough choices with big competitions on the horizon for 2026 and 2027. There may be some starting players that have been with this squad since that famous 2021 year whose time may soon be up. There may be some fringe players that simply are not good enough when playing at the highest of levels. With such young and fearless players like Ward and Chukwu already making waves, there must be decisions made about who gets moved on to make space for the up-and-comers.
The one thing that Stoney has now is time, but she must use that time to look at every possibility and make the best decision for the program ahead of next year. No one should be exempt from exclusion and no one should be guaranteed anything as Stoney will look to establish her team for the 2027 World Cup.
