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TEAM CANADA: South Korea Peace Queen Cup Finals 4th November 2006 CANADA FRUSTRATED 0-1 IN FINALS VS USA (from a CSA article) Well, we lost the game 1-0 and the team is all very frustrated. The most annoying part of it all is that we were every bit as strong and as good as the Americans. We are no longer the underdog team playing against them, whatever the FIFA rankings may show. We had the chance to beat them; we didn't, and it hurts. We missed an opportunity Just to try to take something positive from a negative, we have played very well all tournament and we look strong for our CONCACAF qualifiers coming up in Los Angeles later this month. Sincy won golden boot for most goals in the tournament, and the silver ball as runner-up MVP. The loss will sting for a long while, but we have made real steps here in Korea, and I am excited that we are going to continue along this road. I am sorry not to write more, but other than thanking everyone for their support, I am not in a writing mood. The USA are the inaugural Peace Cup Queen champions, having defeated Canada 1-0 on Saturday afternoon in Seoul South Korea. More than sixteen thousand Korean soccer fans showed up to watch both the two CONCACAF rivals battle it out for the title. Canada (now FIFA ranked 8th), and with an unbeaten 3:0:0 record in the Tournament, entered this game with all the confidence in the world. They had accumulated an astonishing 10 goals in three games, compared to the USA's (FIFA Ranked 2nd) four goals. With the likes of Christine Sinclair, Rhian Wilkinson and Martina Franko, the Canucks were definitely tournament favourites heading into this final. In fact, Sinclair has left all other contenders behind, scoring a tournament leading 6 goals.
The match was a hard fought battle, and the result could have gone either way. The game was a change in tempo for the Canadians, as both teams' defensive lines dominated the play. Canada's attacking trio of Sinclair, Wilkinson and Franko did pressure the USA's back four effectively, but they were kept off the score sheet. The second half of the game at 0-0 was filled with suspense, and neither team wanted to make a mistake. The USA did however manage to move up their game a notch and began to attack more. Eventually, it was the USA's captain and Tournament golden ball winner, Kristine Lilly, who struck with a well-taken goal at the 68th minute. Canada made several substitutions to try to force the equalizer, pushing hard in the final 10 minutes. The USA had to scramble in the 84th minute to clear away a Canada threat in front of the net. And, Canada continued to add pressure when moments later, the USA goalkeeper had to come out to thwart Melanie Booth.
The USA managed to hold on to their one goal lead, relaying on their strong defence. In the final score, the USA defeated Canada 1:0. Certainly, the two best teams in the Tournament delivered a thrilling final game. In an even first half, both teams attacked with intensity and quality, but two strong backlines withstood all the pressure, only giving up a limited number of goal chances. "Our fear of tired legs and fatigue due to a thin roster of 17 players never became a reality, and this underscores the importance and efficiency of the 2 months residential camp leading up to this tournament," said head coach Even Pellerud. " The USA started to push even more forward midway through the second half and fresh legs gave them a minor possession advantage. They organized a quick quality counterattack following a Canadian attack on the left flank and Lilly managed to get the winning goal, not exactly the first in her amazing career. The last 20 minutes of the game we pushed players forward and worked hard to get the equalizer and almost did, via a Melanie Booth penetration through the middle. The US Team then used smart delaying tactics and we ran out of time. We feel that we have closed the gap to the strong US Team. We look forward to playing them again soon.” The Peace Queen Cup Tournament has been an excellent confidence builder for the Canadian Women's National Team as they prepare for the upcoming Gold Cup at the end of November. Canada will face either Panama or Jamaica on November 22nd in California, USA for a berth in the FIFA 2010 World Cup in China. Game report: November 4th, 2006 – Peace Queen Cup Cautions: None Canada: Mcleod – Morneau – Hermus – Chapman (Robinson 84th)– Franko Sierra Mist Woman of the Match: Kristine Lilly Peace Cup Awards Fair Play Award: South Korea Golden Shoe: Christine Sinclair, Canada Tournament details: C. Individual Statistics
RhianWilkinsonSoccer.com is the Official Website of Rhian Wilkinson. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
