ANALYSIS – There will probably not be another year like the 2024 CANWNT year, and that is mostly not for the right reasons. It seemed that the national team was over the pay dispute with Canada Soccer, but a bigger bombshell happened during the Olympics, which will be looked at as one of the weaknesses or failures of 2024.
2024 CANWNT Year Review: A Strange and Crazy Year
Strengths
CANWNT Has Shown the Ability to Score Goals when Things Get Tough
A big reason for the CANWNT getting the game at least through extra-time throughout the year was an ability to fight back. This was shown in the ability to fight back against the USWNT in both the SheBelieves Cup and the Concacaf W Gold Cup. This was also shown late in normal time, when Vanessa Gilles scored the game-winning goal against France to keep their Olympic hopes alive.
Focusing though on the SheBelieves Cup and the Concacaf W Gold Cup, in both games Canada was behind late, and Adriana Leon equalized the game twice to give Canada a chance to win it in the penalty-shootout. Also, this was seen in the semi-finals of the SheBelieves Cup, when Canada scored a late equalizer thanks to Vanessa Gilles’ goal to also make that game go to penalties.
There is a lot one can say about the CANWNT, but one thing you cannot say is that they quit.
The Emergence of Other Players on the National Team
This might be the biggest thing to note about the CANWNT. There are certain players that made their mark this year with the national team. This includes Evelyne Viens, who really took a step up this year for the CANWNT. She scored two game-winning goals for the national team, once against New Zealand in the Olympics and the lone goal in extra-time of the Concacaf W Gold Cup against Costa Rica.
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There is also Olivia Smith. Yes, she was cut from the national team for the Olympics but still was able to score three goals for her national team. She also provided the game-winning assist to Vien’s goal in the Concacaf W Gold Cup quarterfinal round against Costa Rica. In fact, Smith was voted as the Young Player of the Year Award from the Concacaf W Gold Cup. Other players that emerged includes Marie-Yasmine Alidou, who scored her first two national team goals for the national team this year.
Weaknesses
Inability to Win in Penalty Shoot-Outs
The ability to convert penalties and win in penalty shoot-outs was a big reason why Canada won the Olympics in Tokyo 2020 (took place in 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic). Unfortunately, in 2024, they were unable to replicate that success. Canada in total had four penalty-shootouts, only winning the penalty shoot-out against Brazil in the 2024 SheBelieves Cup. The one Canada might feel got away from them was the 2024 SheBelieves Cup Final. Early in the penalty shoot-out, Canada had the edge, however, with both Jade Rose and Cloé Lacasse’s penalties being stopped, it changed the momentum for the U.S.
READ MORE: Germany Beats Canada in a Penalty Shoot-out Thriller
Canada probably deserved better this year, however, credit to both Germany and the U.S., both goalkeepers were sharp, specifically Ann-Katrin Berger, who made a fantastic save in the penalty shoot-out against Adriana Leon of Canada.
The Scandal’s Affect on the Players
For those who do not know, before Canada’s first Paris 2024 Olympic game against New Zealand (known as the Football Ferns), Canada was caught cheating. During New Zealand’s training session, the training was stopped as they noticed a drone. This is what the New Zealand’s Olympic Committee said to Reuters of the Guardian about this matter:
“On July 22, a drone was flown over the New Zealand women’s football team training session in St Etienne,” the NZOC said on Wednesday. “Team support members immediately reported the incident to police, leading to the drone operator, who has been identified as a support staff member of the wider Canadian Women’s football team, to be detained.”
Team analyst, Joseph Lombardi, was found out to be the culprit of this incident, and assistant coach, Jasmine Mander, was found culpable as well as she knew about Lombardi’s intentions. There is also now former CANWNT head coach, Beverly Priestman, who lost her position, who was found out to be the one encouraging this type of practice within the national team.
As a result, the CANWNT may feel that their chance of getting a medal was lost. Yes, they got out of the group stage, but it was a lot harder than it should have been and they were probably more mentally drained compared to the other national teams in the Paris 2024 Olympic games. They also do not have a permanent CANWNT head coach. Since Priestman’s departure, Andy Spence took over as the head coach of the Paris 2024 Olympics. There have also been other head coaches filling the interim role of head coach after the end of the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Player of the Year: Vanessa Gilles
There is no player who deserves the honour more than Vanessa Gilles, who was the only Canadian player ranked in the top 100 (she was ranked 66th) by The Guardian’s Rich Laverty, Pamela Duncan, Garry Blight and Steven Bloor. She scored four goals for her country in the year 2024, including two in the Paris 2024 Olympics. For a central defender, that is unheard of. She also played a big role in the defence along with Kadeisha Buchanan and other players such as Jade Rose. This is what Stafford, who is now the head coach of Anna Maria College, said about Gilles (Source: Karissa Donkin of CBC Sports):
“It’s almost like she sees what she’s going to do and believes that she’s going to do it,” said Stafford, who now coaches at Anna Maria College. “She just manifests things into reality. I’ve always been in awe of Vanessa for that ability because it’s the greatest I’ve ever seen in my coaching career.”
This is also what Clare Rustad, a former CANWNT player, said about Gilles:
“I think Vanessa Gilles has been a real touchstone for this team from a leadership perspective both on and off the pitch,” former national team player and CBC analyst Clare Rustad said on CBC Sports Primetime after the win against Colombia.
READ MORE: CANWNT Advances to Knockout Stage Despite Huge Obstacles
Three of Gilles four goals were extremely important. The one against Brazil tied the game, which Canada would eventually win in a penalty shoot-out in the semi-finals round of the 2024 SheBelieves Cup. Gilles also scored the game-winning goals against both Colombia and France, which is a big reason why Canada made the knockout stage of the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Best Game of the Year: Dramatic Victory Over France
After getting the -6 points deduction by FIFA because of the drone spying scandal, Canada had to win all three games to advance. There was no opportunity or chance for a slip-up. The margins were really small and the game against France was a do-or-die situation for the Canadians. Canada did not lead for most of the game and in fact, gave up the first goal of the game early on. However, magic happened in the second half. Jessie Fleming scored the game-tying goal, while Gilles would end the game with a dramatic game-winner to keep their hopes alive.
France was ranked second in the world when Canada faced them according to the FIFA Rankings. So, this victory, in Paris, was something to marvel at. Gilles also gave an emotional speech about the drone spying scandal and why the CANWNT are not cheaters:
“So what’s given us energy is each other, is our determination, is our pride to prove people wrong, our pride to represent this country when all this shit is coming out about our values, about our representation as Canadians,” Gilles said. “It’s not us. We’re not cheaters. We’re damn good players. We’re a damn good team. We’re a damn good group and we proved that today.”
That game was the only one where Canada defeated a team ranked higher than them. It was also the only game where Canada won a game against a top 10 ranked team in regulation as the win against Brazil happened in the penalty shoot-out.
What To Look Forward to in 2025
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There is actually not much to look for in the year 2025 for the sixth-ranked Canadian women’s national team side. There is no Concacaf W Gold Cup, Olympics, or the FIFA Women’s World Cup to participate in. That might be a good thing though for Canada for two reasons.
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One, the CANWNT desperately needs a new head coach. If they want to be an elite team, they need a high-level and high-performing head coach to replace Beverly Priestman, and they have a whole year to figure that out. Second, the Northern Super League (NSL/SLN) will start with six professional women’s soccer teams across Canada in five provinces. This means that the women’s national team will most likely take a back seat to the new pro women’s soccer league in Canada, which will be broadcast on well-known networks such as TSN and CBC.
Grade: B+
As for a rating for this national team, a B+ is probably fair. They did not lose a game in regulation but could not get the job done with the penalty shoot-outs, which played a role in Canada finishing the year empty-handed with no trophies. Still, it is a pretty high rating as Canada has shown their quality this past year, and it is a big improvement from their disastrous year in 2023.
Photo Credit: CANWNT X Account on July 31, 2024.
