Top-ranked U.S. women cruise to comfortable 3-0 win over Canada in soccer friendly

CBC

2 days ago

Nine games into her tenure as Canada coach, Casey Stoney got a reality check Wednesday in a 3-0 loss to a young U.S. side.
It did not make for pleasant viewing.
The U.S. had 66 per cent possession, outshot Canada 22-7 (8-3 in shots on target) and had a 6-0 edge in corners. Canada led in fouls, 13-5.
Sam Coffey and Claire Hutton scored first-half goals for the top-ranked U.S. in the international friendly at Audi Field
Yazmeen Ryan added an insurance goal in the 89th minute, beating Kailen Sheridan from the edge of the penalty box with Canadian defenders backing away.
After going 6-1-1 under Stoney, the Canadians were outclassed Wednesday.
"Everything's been too easy. I think we've played opponents that have been far lower-ranked. And we come against the No. 1 in the world and we fell short," said Stoney. "So yeah, I think it's a reality check. I think it's a reality check for everybody.
'It is one game but it's an opportunity to reset. And we need to reset quickly. We need to get players into a physical condition to be able to perform at the highest level. And we definitely weren't there tonight."
WATCH | Canada dominated by U.S. in women's friendly:
Canada dominated by U.S. in Continental Clasico soccer friendly
10 hours ago
Duration 1:58
Stoney called her team's performance "inexcusable" and said her players' fitness wasn't good enough.
"A lack of commitment and desire, which is not this team," she said. "Losing draws, losing 50-50s, not getting up to the ball, not pressing — it's not good enough. I'm not going to hide away from it."
Noting the evening's heat — It was 29 C, feeling like 32 C at kickoff — Stoney acknowledged the conditions were tough.
"It was warm, I get that. But it was the same for both teams. And they looked a hell of a lot sharper than we did," said a clearly unhappy Stoney, who will have to wait until October for the next international window.
It was a fifth straight shutout for the Americans, who had previously blanked Jamaica, China and Ireland (twice). The U.S. has outscored the opposition 25-5 in 10 outings this year.
The victory margin could have been bigger Wednesday. The Americans moved the ball around with ease while eighth-ranked Canada struggled to get its game going on a warm night at Audi Field.
The Canadians, often a step slow, gave the ball away in the first half and were caught short too many times on defence as the U.S. attacked.
The Americans went ahead in the 17th minute off a free kick by Rose Lavelle that Canada failed to clear. The ball fell to Coffey, whose low shot found the corner with Sheridan rooted to the spot, for her fourth international goal in her 38th appearance.
Hutton made it 2-0 in the 36th minute off a Lavelle corner, rising unchallenged to head the ball home past a diving Sheridan. It was a first senior goal for the 19-year-old Kansas City Current midfielder in her sixth appearance.
Without a major tournament in sight this year, both coaches have been evaluating their roster depth. Stoney has used 35 players this year.
Stoney made seven changes to the starting 11 that beat No. 43 Costa Rica on Friday in Toronto, with only Sheridan, fullback Ashley Lawrence and midfielders Jessie Fleming and Julia Grosso retaining their place.
Lawrence has just switched clubs, leaving England's Chelsea for Lyon in France.
The Canadian starting 11 went into the game with a combined 813 caps, compared to 427 for the U.S. Eight of the Canadian starters had 50-plus caps, compared to just three for the U.S.
The American women were coming off back-to-back 4-0 wins over No. 25 Ireland.
U.S. coach Emma Hayes made 10 changes to the team that beat Ireland Sunday, essentially reverting to the same starting lineup as in the first Ireland match last Thursday. Forward Lynn Biyendolo was the only holdover.
Sunday's win over Ireland was the American women's 600th, coming in the 40th year of the women's program. Fifty-three of those wins had come against Canada.
Canada went into Wednesday's contest with a 4-53-9 all-time record against the U.S. in a rivalry that dates back to 1986 when the Canadian women's program was established. The Canadians have not won on American soil since Nov. 11, 2000.
In their most recent meeting, last April at the SheBelieves Cup in Columbus, Ohio, the two teams played to a 2-2 draw before the U.S. won a penalty shootout 5-4. The Americans also won by penalty shootout in the game before that, the CONCACAF W Gold Cup semifinal in March 2024.
Canada's last win over the U.S. was a 1-0 decision in the Tokyo Olympic semifinal in August 2021. That was the Americans' first loss to their northern neighbours since March 2001, in the group stage of the Algarve Cup.
The U.S. had 63 per cent possession in the first half and outshot Canada 8-5 (6-2 in shots on target).
Stoney sent on Nichelle Prince, Shelina Zadorsky, Simi Awujo, Holly Ward, Marie Levasseur and Annabelle Chukwu from the bench in the second half.
Canada's previous loss under Stoney was a 1-0 setback April 8 at the hands of No. 32 Argentina in Langford, B.C. — "a game we should never lose," said Stoney.
Hayes is 21-2-2 as U.S. coach since her debut in June 2024, with 2-1 losses earlier this year to No. 4 Brazil and No. 7 Japan.
Canada was missing the injured Kadeisha Buchanan, Sydney Collins, Cloe Lacasse, Jayde Riviere, Olivia Smith and Lysianne Proulx.