Well since I was a little slow getting back to writing here, those of you following the team probably know by now that we lost to Japan 6-0 in the quarter finals. While I don't think the score accurately represents the quality between the two teams, on the day, they ouplayed us and we didn't give our best. We were facing what everyone has considered the 2nd best team in this tournament and simply put through a combination of various circumstances (injuries, fatigue, and simply not being at our best), the result is what it is. Soccer is a weird sport and crazy things happen. While our game was going on, Mexico pushed Brazil to the brink of elimination only to lose in PKs.
Saddest thing about the game is the injury suffered by Andreanne Gagné. She has torn two ligaments and she will be out of soccer for a fairly extended period. While she is an opponent in the Quebec conference, I would not wish that on anyone. She has taken the news with a certain calm and reasoning but it has obviously dampered her spirits and those of the team (especially the girls who have gotten close to her). The nature of this tournament is that games are played out to determine all spots 1 to 12 so we still have two remaining. We have chose to look at it as our semi finals and finals for the 5th place spot which would still equal Canada's best ever result at this event. Tonight we play Korea and it won't be easy as we had set high goals and expectations for ourselves and there is always that natural down that comes from arriving a little short of where you hoped. As the games wind down, you can see life around the village slowly changing. More and more athletes have completed their events and with time to kill and not sport to get ready for, the social side of the games is coming to the forefront. Surely tomorrow or Sunday, we will see the traditional clothes exchange start to take place as athletes will be running around the village trying to get their hands of some cherished pieces of clothing that they might have spotted over the last t
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AuthorAfter many years of coaching at various levels and with different teams, I thought I would share some of my experiences and thoughts about coaching. Archives
January 2023
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