MONTREAL

For months they carried their 2012 Olympic bronze medals in their front pockets, taking them out to show classrooms of school kids, adoring adults and soccer fans from coast to coast.

Ever since, the Canadian girls carried their Olympic experience in their back pockets. Now the time has come to pull it out and use it for all it’s worth.

It’s Canada-Netherlands here Monday night and their one-in-a-lifetime home FIFA Women's World Cup experience likely hangs in the balance.

They could finish first, second or third in their group and either go to Vancouver to play a third-place team or to Edmonton to play a second-place team in the Round of 16 elimination game.

This is where London 2012 kicks in.

“I think there’s a genuine connection here,” said Canadian coach John Herdman. “In London, after the second game everybody had written us off. We got beat by Japan and sort of scraped our way past South Africa. They scored three goals but we still scraped out way through.

“Then we drew 2-2 against Sweden and people thought we had no chance. I remember the press writing something around that time. But then, all of a sudden, you get a result and then another result and then you’re on a roll.

“And this team has that capacity, I’m sure. I’m absolutely sure. And they genuinely believe that.”

There’s no understating the situation going forward.

“We’re here to do one thing,” added Herdman. “The chance is never coming back again. This group of women has a crack at a home World Cup. That’s the motivation — to do it here in Canada. It’s once-in-a-lifetime.”

Having succeeded in the five-ring circus in London is a big thing going into this game under the big tent in Montreal.

“I think it’s important. Experience can get you through,” said Herdman.

“I mean some of these girls have some bad experiences. But when we need to, we go back to London. We talk about it, even in this situation. We get a win against South Africa and still people are writing us off and we’re in a similar situation here.

“We just keep a positive mind. We’ve been there. We’ve done it. And for these younger players, the stories that are told really resonate.”

For the Dutch, this is their first World Cup. Canada has a definite advantage.

“I think it’s huge,” said Canadian midfielder Sophie Schmidt.

“Just to have the experience from those knockout stages, the pressure that is there and how to cope with it is really big. Knowing everything that happened in the Olympics, we’re ready for anything that can be thrown at us,” added Schmidt.

“I think the way we progressed and grew through that tournament is something we’re trying to do here, too,” said midfielder Diana Matheson

“When you start building a winning history, it makes a difference. We have that more now than we used to. There are higher expectations with the team. I think there is with the young ones, too,” added Matheson, who scored the winner against France in 2012's bronze-medal game.

“Absolutely,” said Melissa Tancredi, the veteran who played such a big part in the Olympic success. “When you’ve been in those situations, do or die, that kind of adversity kind of raises your game while at the same time brings a sense of calmness to your game as well. You put the right players on the field for those types of games and it’s a trust thing. I think we all have trust in each other and ourselves.”

Herdman, who used the same lineup for the first two games, is going to make changes. You don’t broadcast them in this kind of situation, but he did announce that they’re coming.

“We know the changes,” said Tancredi. “Obviously they are tactical changes. They are all great changes and hopefully they’ll make a difference for this team.”

Christine Sinclair said, to her, the most important thing they have to take into these next games isn’t London 2012 but Canada 2015.

“This is a World Cup at home. It comes with pressure and expectations. I think each one of these group games has been preparing us with the pressure and the fans,” she said.

There is that. The pressure is obvious. And 40,000 fans are expected.

@sunterryjones

terry.jones@sunmedia.ca