In their second game since Tom Sermani’s firing the USWNT tied Canada 1-1 in a friendly, extending their unbeaten streak against our northern neighbors to 30 games.
The Americans were without stars Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, Tobin Heath and defensive wall Rachel Van Hollebeke, and it was clear that interim coach Jill Ellis missed their presence.
The Americans showed creativity in the midfield, but didn’t show the offensive prowess we’re used to. Meanwhile, Canada coach John Herdman seems to be building a potential future powerhouse for Canada. He started a back line that consisted of two 18-year-olds and an 11th grader. The young line held their own against the likes of Abby Wambach and Sydney Leroux and their future is bright for the upcoming 2015 Women’s World Cup, which will be played in Canada.
In front of 28,255 people, Canada opened the scoring in the 36th minute when 18-year-old Kadeisha Buchanan cashed in on a Diana Matheson cross. The Americans battled their way back and finally found their equalizer in the 78th minute from Sydney Leroux. Here are the full match highlights:
VIDEO: Here are full game highlights from the #USWNT's 1-1 draw with Canada in Winnipeg: http://t.co/3rpWw54AEo
— U.S. Soccer WNT (@ussoccer_wnt) May 9, 2014
The Canadians looked like the better team, and the game will certainly be a confidence builder for Herdman’s young club.
“The future is bright," Canadian teammate Desiree Scott said. "Kadeisha Buchanan, 18 years old, going toe-to-toe with some of the best strikers in the world and she scores a goal tonight. Unbelievable performance."
For the Americans, it breeds a little concern considering they’re five months away from World Cup qualifying, but it still isn’t time to hit the panic button.
First and foremost, the U.S. needs to find their coach. (And, in our opinion, Jill Ellis's final tryout for the position needed to end differently for her to win the job.) Second, they need to get healthy. The U.S. was without some of its best players - and hopefully that won’t be the case in 5 months. The offensive struggles will surly subside when Morgan, Wambach, and Leroux lead the attack with Rapinoe and Heath managing the midfield.
It wouldn’t surprise us here at The18 if this was a preview of the 2015 World Cup final. Canada is only going to improve, while the U.S. (recent struggles aside) will still be a favorite to win the tournament.
