With the United States Out, Canada is the Favorite

North America will retain Olympic gold as Canada becomes the prohibitive favorite and winner of the top spot on the podium. Canada gets the nod for a number of reasons.

Saturday’s stunning loss on Saturday to the Swedes sends the USWNT packing and opens the door for a multitude of heir apparents.  Not many saw the USA side’s defeat coming-at least not yet as the team has made every Olympic final since soccer’s inception as an Olympic sport. However, no USA team in the 2016 finals is now a reality.  Now soccer aficionados can look forward to see who is the next gold medalist and not have any worries about having to face the world’s top team.

The following is my choice to win the gold.

North America will retain Olympic gold as Canada becomes the prohibitive favorite and winner of the top spot on the podium.  Canada gets the nod for a number of reasons.

The Les Blues has been a team on mission as evidenced by their first ever win over Germany and a 9-0-2 mark in their last eleven matches.  Head coach John Herdman has a smooth combination of youth and veterans playing like the Three Musketeers all for one and one for all.  Now with the USA out, look for Canada to up their game even more.  They have found ways to win in ways that would have demolished others.

Let’s start up top where no international side has the speed, the athleticism or the desire to keep up with the 2012 Olympic bronze medalist.  Upstarts in that Olympics, the Canadians boasts of no less than five players who have been woven in and out of competitions in any number of interchangeable combinations.  Pick your poison.  Will it be 21 year year Janine Beckie who is this Olympics top scorer and the holder of the fastest goal in Olympic history and Christine Sinclair who is second on women’s soccer  all-time scoring list?  Or maybe you like 20 year old Nichelle Prince and the other veteran Melissa Tancredi whose two goals on Wednesday paved the way for Canada to win their group with a perfect 3-0 mark. Throw in 17 year old Deanne Rose who, despite being listed as a midfielder, is as dangerous as any offensive player in the game.

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In the middle of the pitch, there is no tougher match-up in soccer than the tenacity and grit of the veteran core of Diane Matheson, Desiree Scott and Sophie Schmidt.  Then there’s the youngster Jessi Fleming who at 18 years old is quickly leaving her mark on the game.  Everyone knows that if you can control the middle of the pitch you will control everything that happens in the match.  So far no one has been able to dominate or intimidate them and the farther Canada goes, the greater the odds that no one will.

Led by Houston Dash defender Allysha Chapman and fellow veteran Josee Belanger, the backline is nothing short of prolific. Chapman is a never ending dynamo of intensity upon which the entire line in front of Stephanie Labbe feeds. However, Labbe’s injury in Saturday’s first half against France and Belanger’s lack of availability due to yellow card accumulation will have the Canadian side testing its depth. Fortunately, the team has has plenty with Rebecca Quinn, Ashley Lawrence and Rhian Wilkinson among others.  Seldom are teams getting clean looks and easy shots against a defense bent on wearing down the opposition attack.

Labbe posted her second clean sheet of the tournament and is quickly turning thoughts of former national team goalie Erin McLeod into a distant memory.

Perhaps the biggest reason though for Canada being the new favorite and the new darling is Herdman himself. Since arriving in 2011, the Canadian national side has won gold at the 2011 Pan-AM Games, a bronze at the 2012 London Olympics, and a second at the 2016 CONCACAF Olympic Quaifiers.  Now with a win over France, whom they also defeated for the bronze in London, they will be back in the medal round once more.

“We showed that Canadian grit again. That’s what takes teams through tournaments. You just have to grind things out,” said Herdman following the win over France.  “Wow, did we defend and I thought our goalkeeper was outstanding. Our whole team defensively was very disciplined and then we had our moment of quality as Sophie Schmidt’s goal was outstanding. It was just another real team performance. I am just proud of what we are showing as we are off to the medal rounds, but we are not done yet.”

The Englishman has built a team that is a team.  They are playing like the well oiled juggernaut that was the USWNT until the Swedes stepped in.  Facing Germany for the second time in the tourney with a finals berth on the line, the team will be looking to prove that Wednesday’s win over the Germans was no fluke.

Don’t bet against this Canadian side.