Training for the Big One

Head Coach John Herdman and Team Canada Prepare for Women’s World Cup

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Canada women’s soccer team head coach John Herdman spoke to the media in a conference call on Tuesday, ahead of the 2015 edition of the Cyprus Cup. Photo Lord Bob

While Canadians eagerly await to host the FIFA Women’s World Cup this coming June and July, Team Canada is already preparing for the main event by playing in the Cyprus Cup. Canada won their first game this past Wednesday, a 2-0 victory over Scotland.

“We’re on a bit of a roll,” said Canada’s women’s soccer team head coach John Herdman. “In Cyprus we’re hoping we can keep our roll going because its great confidence for our players.”

The team is taking this pre-World Cup tournament seriously, Herdman said during a conference call on Tuesday.

“Cyprus Cup is always a real important opportunity to develop,” he said. “[We’ll] be using this tournament to build our team, to build our ID, players, systems, tactics.”

The Cyprus Cup, which began on Wednesday and will continue until March 11, has three groups of four teams. Canada is in Group A against Scotland, Italy, and South Korea. The annual tournament has taken place in Cyprus since 2008, but the hosts have never taken part. Canada captured the first ever Cyprus Cup with a 3-2 win over the United States.

With half of the tournament’s teams appearing in the World Cup this summer, Canada will have a chance to play some of their summer opponents early.

“I think the greatest challenge [for Canada] are the teams that are in the tournament,” Herdman said. “Even in the group stage, there’s not a guaranteed 3 points in there, and you’re going to have to work hard. That’s the big challenge for every World Cup team.”

Herdman believes that there are still opportunities for players to make his roster for the World Cup. He thinks the Cyprus Cup will play a factor on assigning roles for players.

“Every time I pick a squad now over the course of this tournament, I get a clearer picture of the sort of players we’ll have,” Herdman said. “We’ve been working for three years now to try and put the right players together and build the structure and tactics that fit our group.

“[It’s about] building a shared purpose in this tournament and clarity in what role you actually play on the team and whether or not you can work with that role and accept the responsibility required to be a starter or finisher.”

Herdman has high hopes for his players and the team as a whole.

“We put more pressure on ourselves, deliver with quality and that’s what we’re doing,” Herdman said. “We’re not in a development phase.”

Fans can look forward to seeing Canada play at home on June 6, when the FIFA Women’s World Cup kicks off in Edmonton.

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