(Orlando) The Canadians conceded a bitter 2-0 loss to the United States at the SheBelieves Cup on Thursday, perhaps distracted by their standoff with Soccer Canada.
Mallory Swanson scored in the seventh and 34e minute, and the Americans, ranked higher than their opponents, quickly took their ease against a tattered Canada.
PHOTO MIKE WATTERS, USA TODAY SPORTS
The Canadian players wore the purple jerseys during the national anthems before the game.
The Canadians, ranked sixth in the world, found some semblance of rhythm midway through the first half before giving Swanson their second goal on a defensive error. There was little action in the second half, but Vlatko Andonovski’s players kept the scoreline in front of an expected crowd of 14,697 at Exploria Stadium.
Canada captain Christine Sinclair said given the atmosphere around the encounter it could have gone either way.
“Either we fight for everything and come out on fire, or we come out flat. And I think you saw those first 10, 15 minutes, we went flat, she said. I think we looked like a tired team, a mentally drained team, coming up against a good team, well, they are the reigning World Cup champions for a reason and you have to be at your best to compete against them. We weren’t tonight. »
This match should have been a celebration of women’s soccer between the Olympic gold medalists in Tokyo and the defending World Cup champions. The celebration was instead overshadowed by the Canadian women’s union battle with their governing body.
During the interpretation of the national anthems, the Canadians wore t-shirts with the message “Too much is too much”. They wore a purple ribbon on their wrists during the game. Purple is associated with the fight for gender equality.
They also wore their training tops inside out during the pre-match warm-up to hide the Soccer Canada crest, as they did in training on Wednesday.
Before kickoff on Thursday, the two teams gathered in the center circle — the Americans alongside the Canadians — then closed ranks, turning the circle into a heart shape as a sign of solidarity.
The Canadians announced last Friday that they would not train or play until their grievances were resolved. They boycotted training the next day and had to be sent back to the field under threat of legal action by Soccer Canada.