RHIAN SOCCER AND MEDIA REPORTS

CANADA WOMEN USE PANAMERICAN GAMES TO WARM UP FOR OLYMPICS QUALIFIER                         11th October 2011

From B. Constantineau at the Vancouver Sun

The Canadian women’s national soccer team are in dire need of a morale boost. So, the October PanAmerican tournament in Guadalajara, Mexico, is really just a building block to their future performance. The real test comes in January 2012, when Canada hosts the CONCACAF Olympic qualifying tournament in Vancouver.

<"Obviously we want to win a medal — hopefully gold,” says captain Christine Sinclair after the national team held a training session in North Vancouver. “But more importantly, we are building towards Olympic qualifications. We’re not willing to sacrifice that, for winning a gold at the Pan Ams.”

The Canadian squad flies to Mexico on Wednesday to prepare for group-stage Pan Am Games matches against Costa Rica, Argentina and Brazil. Head coach John Herdman feels he has brought a more inclusive leadership style to the team than was seen at a poor showing at the World Cup in Germany. Canada has dropped from 6th place in world rankings to ninth.

From what I could see, the team was in pieces from that World Cup experience,” said Herdman, “So I’d definitely say I’m in a honeymoon period at the minute and I think my approach has been refreshing for them. I think the previous approach was quite directive.” Herdman wants the players to be part of the planning process.

“As a coach, I’m just part of it — it’s not about me,” Herdman said. “It’s about the players being able to do what they do and I’m just one part of the leadership that’s going to help this team achieve at the Olympic Games.”

Sinclair, who will be Team Canada’s flag bearer at the PanAm Games opening ceremonies, said that Herdman has brought “new energy” to the national team. "He took New Zealand from a team that was getting killed 10-nothing pretty much every game to a World Cup team,” she said. “So we all trust what he’s capable of and we’re just eager to get started.”

Herdman will take a few younger players to Mexico to join the veterans. Some players are unavailable because of professional commitments so eighteen-year-old midfielder Diamond Simpson of Mississauga, Ont., and 21-year-old Vancouver defender Shannon Woeller have made the Pan Am team roster.

Herdman's early impressions of his squad are that off the field, the players showed themselves to be a “tight group with a family culture.” On the field, Herdman said the team showed flashes of technical brilliance and a strong spirit, but they had trouble coping with pressure. “When things aren’t going our way and the rhythm isn’t quite right, we tend to revert back to a certain style and the players are desperate to address it,” he said.