Canadian women's soccer team continues its important evolution under coach Priestman
Change in field formation proves successful in 2 wins over Australia
The Canadian women's team's pair of recent friendlies against Australia proved to be much more than a fact-finding tour ahead of next year's FIFA Women's World Cup.
Canada, No. 5 in the world rankings, swept the two-game series against the 12th-ranked Aussies, with forward Adriana Leon accounting for all three of the Reds' goals, capped by Tuesday's come-from-behind 2-1 win at Sydney's Allianz Stadium.
The Olympic champions travelled to the other side of the world not only to test themselves against a top opponent, but also to help them prepare and acclimatize for next summer's World Cup, which will be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand July 20-Aug. 20.
"Everything we've experienced, it only makes you more and more excited as a coach, as a player, to be part of because you know [Australia is] going to put on a fantastic show at the World Cup," Canadian coach Bev Priestman said after Tuesday's win. "But then you talk about the learnings — jet lag, everything, hotels, stadiums, pitches — it was exactly why we came here.
"I think it's really fitting to start the journey and experience these sorts of moments. It really has got the group, myself, excited about what's to come."
WATCH | Signa Butler's 3 takeaways from Canada's performance:
Beyond collecting valuable intel about the playing conditions Down Under, Canada continued its important evolution under Priestman, remaining true to its core values of being a defensively sound team, but at the same time being more adventurous and fluid in its attacking play.
Over the course of these two games, Priestman deployed an offensive-minded 4-2-3-1 formation, straying from her preferred 4-3-3, with captain Christine Sinclair playing deeper in a second striker role, as opposed to the main striker. The results of the formation change were overwhelmingly positive, allowing Canada to dominate Australia for long stretches.
The switch in formation also allowed Canada to become more tactically flexible, something that Priestman identified as a priority after this summer's World Cup qualifying tournament in which Canada finished second behind the U.S.
"It gives us certain strengths, and maybe takes away other areas, too. So, I think it's one of the strings in our bow," Priestman said of her new 4-2-3-1 setup.
"What you learn when it comes to winning tournaments is consistency in lineups and what you do, but also [opponents] figure out the way you play very easily. To be able to change that, to rotate players in different positions means freshness, and that's really what I learned.
"This summer, I walked away from [World Cup] qualification and thought I needed to think of a different way of getting new players or different players in different positions, to be really fresh across a tournament."
WATCH: Leon sinks Australia with 2 goals:
Changed formation
Vital to the success of Canada's 4-2-3-1 formation was the play of Jessie Fleming and Julia Grosso, who operated as a double pivot in central midfield. The two started in Saturday's 1-0 win in Brisbane, and then played the second half together in Sydney.
Fleming has been used to playing alongside veteran Desiree Scott and Quinn as part of a midfield trio that sees the other two do the dirty work, thus allowing her to focus on following her creative instincts. This new partnership with Grosso shows promise, as the duo were actively involved in both breaking up Australia's attacks and launching counter-offensives.
"I think they showed they really controlled the midfield. When you talk about turnovers and things that get you stretched, I thought both of them showed incredible bravery to take the ball, show for the ball, and then not only just do that but play forward," Priestman said.
Canada was missing its entire starting back line for these matches, as fullbacks Ashley Lawrence and Jayde Riviere, and centre backs Kadeisha Buchanan and Vanessa Gilles were all missing through injury or due to personal reasons.
And yet Canada didn't miss a beat of the defensive end. Bianca St-Georges only had three caps to her credit prior to this Australian tour, but the Quebec native started both games at right fullback and played with the poise and maturity of a veteran.
WATCH: Leon's rocket gives Canada win in 1st friendly vs. Australia
Jade Rose, a 19-year-old centre back and standout with Canada's under-20 team, put in a player-of-the-game effort on Tuesday in only her third appearance for the senior side. She set up Leon's winning goal with a sublime through ball, and shut down Australian striker Sam Kerr, a finalist for last year's Ballon d'Or Féminin, awarded to the best female player in the world.
"Jade Rose steps in, an under-20 player, and she dealt with one of the best [forwards] in the world, but then goes and sets up a goal with some great creativity," Priestman said.
Priestman also expanded the Canadian player pool in Australia. Celtic forward Clarissa Larisey and 18-year-old NCAA midfielder Simi Awujo came on in the 75th minute for their first Canadian senior caps in Saturday's win, and both impressed in their brief cameos.
Priestman's selection process for her World Cup roster became more difficult based on these last two games, with the new and fresh faces expected to be part of her plans going forward after they stepped up in Australia.
"For me, more than anything, I've come away [with] a new shape, new players in that shape, and some new faces that have really stepped up and did whatever they could for their country, which is fantastic," Priestman said.
Priestman revealed on Monday that Canada expects to play more games in the October and November international windows, but that those matches likely won't take place in any Canadian venues.
Canada's group stage opponents for next summer's World Cup will be determined during the official draw on Oct. 22 in Auckland.
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