ANALYSIS – Shelina Zadorsky impressed in Tuesday’s game as she made her 100th appearance for her national team. It was a hard-fought game, with some controversial non-calls that were made that will also be talked about.
Shelina Zadorsky Makes Her 100th Appearance in Draw Against Mexico
The CanWNT Looked Dangerous With Their Set-Pieces
The CanWNT were a dangerous team with their set-pieces. There were in fact a few cases where a great cross was delivered. The first dangerous chance was in the 23-minute, where Jessie Fleming earned her team a dangerous free-kick. The dangerous free kick had to be saved by the Mexican goalkeeper, Esthefanny Barreras. There were also crosses that troubled the Mexicans all game long. Some examples include:
- Jessie Fleming delivered a great cross following a corner, but Evelyne Vien’s header was off target.
- Ashley Lawrence did a great job in creating scoring opportunities for her teammates, but nobody was able to capitalize.
The CanWNT had 18 shots, but only two shots on goal. This means that even though they created scoring opportunities, they had trouble forcing the Mexican goalkeeper to make a save. This will be something to watch as Canada now prepares for the Summer Olympics next month. The only chance that they did capitalize was the Kadeisha Buchanan goal, which was assisted by Zadorsky.
Shelina Zadorsky Impresses in Her 100th Game
Shelina Zadorsky earned her 100th appearance for the national team against Mexico. She also looked sharp in today’s game, assisting in Kadeisha Buchanan’s goal, and also had a few scoring chances herself. This is what Zadorsky said about making her 100th appearance after the game:
“I know it’s such an honor to be part of this team and to be able to reach 100 here at BMO Field.”
Also, this is what Beverly Priestman said to a question asked by this writer on Shelina Zadorsky and what she means for the team:
“I think what Shelina means, she brings like a real with the ball, left footed centre-back that gives you a different feeling to a team. But yeah, I think a team-first player, really good values, great human being, always smiling. And I think you know, they’re the sorts of players that you want on the team.”
Priestman also mentioned about the positive minutes of goals and clean sheets that she delivered for the team this year. The most notable one might have been the 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup game-winning goal against Costa Rica in the quarter-final game earlier this year.
Mexico Caught Fire After Scoring Game-Tying Goal
It seems that the Mexicans strategy was to sit back and counter-attack for most of the game. However, this started to change once Lizbeth Ovalle scored a wonderful goal off a Canadian turnover. Now, the Canadian defence should not be blamed for the goal conceded, as it is a hard one to connect and shoot with accuracy and power. Sometimes, one just has to tip their hat to the opposing team.
However, after that goal was scored by Lizbeth Ovalle, Mexico had some great chances to score. A few examples include:
- Jade Rose made a fantastic defensive play to prevent a big goal scoring opportunity for Mexico.
- Maricarmen Reyes Zárate found Ovalle very close to the box, but was only able to shoot the ball wide.
Mexico also thought there should have been a penalty as the ball hit the arm of Jade Rose, it is important to note that Rose hands were in a natural position, it is a call that can go either way, but the referee made the right call on that specific decision.
It also shows that Mexico has come a long way. A person from the media asked Pedro López about what Liga MX Femenil means for the national team and the country:
“We have more or less the 85% of players playing in the Mexican league, which is incredible.”
The Mexicans have really improved over the years and even defeated the U.S. in the 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup. Also, in the under-20’s and under 17’s, Mexico does consistently beat Canada in those competitions. This is a big reason why Mexico is really becoming a force in Concacaf soccer.
The CanWNT Deserved Better and the Northern Super League
There were some decisions made that seemed questionable. One of them was the push on Olivia Smith inside the box, which looked like a clear foul and a penalty. However, the penalty was not called and about four minutes later, Mexico would get the game-tying goal. However, the tackle by Ovalle on Janine Beckie did not look like a penalty. Ovalle got the ball first before contacting Beckie, which was what the referee probably saw in the play.
Also, it felt that Jordyn Huitema was body-checked, and it also looked planned as Huitema did not have the ball. Karen Luna was given a yellow card for that challenge, but felt that it should have been a red card.
However, one thing Canada did not do as take advantage of their scoring chances. When they looked like the better team, they could not put the game away as Mexico grew to believe in the last ten-fourteen minutes of the game.
As for the Northern Super League, CanWNT Beverly Priestman seemed ecstatic as someone from the media asked her about it:
I think, you know, you land back with the gold medal in 2021. And if there’s one thing you want in place, it’s that league.
Zadorsky also gave a player’s opinion on what this league means for Canada:
“It’s time like Canada deserves that league and you know, seeing work Diana Matheson here in the Bay, all these former players have put into creating this. I think it’s something so special. And of course, it’ll take time to grow and build but I think knowing that women’s sports in this country are watched are celebrated and we want more of it.”
While this is a Summer Send-Off Series game for the team heading into the Olympics, it is important to note that this also a way to spread the word about AFC Toronto. They were advertisements of AFC Toronto that can be seen during the game as the Northern Super League (NSL) will kick-off in April of next year.
BMO Field Attendance and What Is Next
The CanWNT got an attendance of 18,805 fans at BMO Field. This is a good attendance considering what was going on during that day. There was the Pride Parade happening in Toronto, as well as a Toronto Blue Jays that started less than half-an-hour earlier than the Canadian women’s soccer ga me. In addition to that, it was a weekday, which would make it hard for fans to attend. So a big applause should be given to the fans who were able to take the time to attend the game on Tuesday.
The Mexicans will now travel to the U.S. on July 13, 2024, for another friendly at 3:30pm ET. This is while Canada will now prepare for the 2024 Summer Olympics, with their first game against New Zealand at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard in Saint-Étienne, France. That game can be watched at 11:00AM ET.
Photo Credit: Canada Soccer EN X Account and the Canada Soccer FR X Account on June 4, 2024.
