Over the next few days — and ahead of the league welcoming its second Canadian franchise, the Vancouver Whitecaps, into the fold — MLSsoccer.com will explore the state of Canadian soccer — where it's been, where it's at and where it's going. Here, MLSsoccer.com contributor Peter Mallett looks at the upswinging women's national team and the federation's bid to host the 2015 Women's World Cup.
The unofficial slogan for the Canadian women’s soccer team in 2011 is fast becoming "First Germany and then the world."
Though a revitalized Canadian women’s national squad say they relish the challenge of being grouped with powerhouse Germany in next summer’s FIFA Women’s World Cup, they also have much bigger designs further down the road.
The Canadians will be thrown into a pressure cooker atmosphere when they kick off against host nation Germany before a packed house at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium on June 26.
“Playing title holders Germany in front of their home crowd in the opening match is a big task,” Canadian coach Carolina Morace said. “Although the Germans might be a little nervous, too, so I see no reason why we shouldn’t take something from the opening match provided we play well.”
They also face African Champions Nigeria and rising women’s power France in Group A opening round action in the 16-team tournament.
Regardless of their success or failure on the field in Germany, the "and then the world" part comes with Canada’s bid to host the next World Cup, scheduled for 2015.
Their recently submitted proposal hopes to draw on the overwhelming success of the 2007 U-20 Men’s World Cup and the inaugural 2002 U-19 Women’s World Championship, both hosted by Canada.
[inlinenode:325335]On Dec. 20 Canada’s federal government gave the bid a financial shot in the arm by announcing it will ante-up C$15-million in funding for the tournament if FIFA executives award it to Canada.
“We have extensive credibility in hosting events in Canada, not only soccer but the [2010 Winter] Olympics as we saw earlier this year,” Canadian Soccer Association general secretary Peter Montopoli said.
A Canada-hosted World Cup would have an enormous target market to draw on as Canada’s No. 1 participatory sport boasts 873,032 registered players with almost half of those (377,320) female.
“I think everyone is aware that Canada is a serious contender for the bid and I think we’ve been doing our work in the backrooms in a positive way, from a political point of view, to show how serious Canada is about this bid,” Montopoli said.
Chile, Turkey, New Zealand and Scotland have also expressed interest in hosting the tournament with the winning country also earning the right to host the 2014 U-20 Women’s World Cup.
[inlinenode:325337]Back on the field, Canadian women’s soccer has enjoyed a noticeable renaissance under the guidance of coach Morace, who replaced former skipper Even Pellerud in Feb. 2009.
Canada were eliminated from the first round of the 2007 World Cup when they were roundly criticized for their outmoded style of play.
Under Morace, Canada have moved back into the top 10 of the FIFA rankings and currently occupy the No. 9 position.
The team has excelled with Morace’s technical expertise, emphasizing ball possession and midfield buildup.
The former Italian women’s national team coach guided Canada to a berth in the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup after defeating host Mexico in the semifinal and final of last month’s CONCACAF Championship tournament in Cancun.
Canada won all five matches in the tournament while outscoring the opposition by a whopping 17-0 margin.
Canadian striker Christine Sinclair, who recently won Soccer Canada’s Women’s Player of the Year award for the sixth consecutive time, couldn’t be happier with the impact Morace has had on the squad.
“Now everyone is playing with such confidence,” Sinclair said. “Everyone believes in her tactics and the style of soccer she is trying to play.”
Canada recently took another step forward on the field, winning the Sao Paulo International women’s tournament on Dec. 19 courtesy of a spectacular 83rd minute equalizer by Sinclair in a 2-2 draw with hosts Brazil.
