NICOSIA, Cyprus -- It wasnt the result he wanted but John Herdman was pretty happy about how Canada finished the Cyprus Cup wome

Posted in IYH Forums by jokergreen0220 at 09:34, Jun 21 2017

NICOSIA, Cyprus -- It wasnt the result he wanted but John Herdman was pretty happy about how Canada finished the Cyprus Cup womens soccer tournament. Cheap Eagles Jerseys . Diana Matheson and Sophie Schmidt scored second-half goals as Canada rallied for a 2-1 win over Ireland to secure fifth place. It marked the first time in six years the Canadians hadnt reached the tournament final, but Herdman was encouraged by how his team dealt with that adversity. "The team showed a real resilience and that second-half performance was just phenomenal," he said. "This is a very unique group of women, when the chips are down they really can pull it out of the bag. "You think theyre out and then they come back and keep fighting but I thought the second half wasnt just about fight. They played just some wonderful football. The Irish were on the rocks for 45 minutes and we knew it was just a matter of time." Ireland opened the scoring early in the first half before Matheson tied it at the 56-minute mark. Schmidt highlighted a wild finish, scoring at the 90-minute mark. Canada, ranked seventh in the world, has traditionally fared well in this event. The national team won the tournament three times and was a finalist the last two years. But that streak ended with a 2-0 loss to England on Monday. And considering all the Canadians needed to advance was a draw, Herdman admitted the defeat was a bitter pill to swallow. "Absolutely," he said. "In previous tournaments we dodged the bullet of having England or France in our qualifying group and when we ended up (with England) in our group, we knew that was the game that was going to make the difference. "Getting the girls up for this one was tough because we were pretty devastated. But we tried to focus on this being a World Cup and just losing the final game in our group but still having qualified with another game to play and what strategies wed have to put in place to get things pulled around and in focus. It was a pretty good two days for our team." Despite the fifth-place finish, Herdman said the Canadian team learned many valuable lessons at the tournament. "We struggled, and Ill tell you why we did against the English and Irish defensive tactics," Herdman said. "The English held a really deep defensive block and hit us on the counter-attack, they just preyed on our sloppy play and within seconds were firing shots or crosses and I think that was the real learning this year. "Against a zone or 4-4-2 we did well, we did well against Italys 3-5-2 but against that deep 4-5-1 block, which is also what the Irish did, we struggled. But what was exciting about that last game was we were able to get hold of a tactic and the players really made a big push." The 2014 and 15 seasons are big ones for Canadian womens soccer. In August, the world under-20 tournament will be held in four cities -- Edmonton, Moncton, Montreal and Toronto. Then in 2015, Canada will host the womens World Cup with games in Edmonton, Moncton, Montreal, Ottawa, Vancouver and Winnipeg. And following Canadas stirring bronze medal victory at the 2012 London Summer Games, there will be plenty of expectations on the national teams shoulders in 2015. That fact certainly isnt lost on Herdman, who said the squad has a definite plan in place. "Its always been said Canadians are great in the power phase, theyre good at defending and theyre good at the counter-attack," he said. "But the ability to control and develop possession through the thirds of the pitch, thats the strand thats been missing. "Weve put a massive amount of focus in that and at times it has been to our detriment. We couldve went into the England game and said, Look, well drop a deep block, well launch it from the keeper every time we get it because the only focus is about winning the tournament, but we didnt. We played our way." Herdman said playing their way meant a definite eye to the future and not just another solid Cyprus Cup showing. "If we were going to win the tournament, we were going to win it a certain way that would also help us be more successful against teams in the womens World Cup playing a brand these girls wanted to be recognized for," Herdman said. "Even after we went up 2-1 against the Irish, the girls were still doing things trying to play a certain style of football where normally youd try to kill a game off. "At this stage of our development I think thats OK but when it comes down to the World Cup, well be in a stage where we know how to play those games like we did at the Olympics." So for Herdman, his measurement for success at the Cyprus Cup goes way beyond wins and losses. "I think we definitely got better, our statistics were way better than theyve ever been," he said. "There are things we wanted to work on post-Olympics to get the team ready for 2015 and those have improved. "Its just now chemistry and understanding when we play our way how that fits against the models of other teams. Weve got a year-and-a-half to figure all that out and get the plans ready." Cheap Alshon Jeffery Jersey . Malone will become an unrestricted free-agent and as per the collective bargaining agreement, the Lightning will be responsible for two-thirds of the remainder of his contract over twice the length of the rest of the deal. Wholesale Eagles Jerseys . Coming off a 6-0 drubbing at Chelsea on Saturday, Arsenal endured another demoralizing result after rallying for a 2-1 lead -- only to concede a fluke equalizer. http://www.cheapeaglesjerseyselite.com/ .com) - The Carolina Panthers won for the first time in seven games last week, were without Cam Newton due to a car accident this week, but somehow sit atop the much-maligned NFC South.REGINA -- Theyre the overwhelming favourite as Grey Cup hosts and are carrying the weight of an entire provinces expectations. But the presssure is off the Saskatchewan Roughriders, according to head coach Corey Chamblin. He says getting to Sundays CFL championship was the real challenge. "The biggest pressure for our team was making sure no one else sat in our locker-room," Chamblin said Wednesday at the annual Grey Cup coaches news conference. "Its about working all off-season, all year to protect your house and that was the biggest thing and the biggest pressure we had. "Were in it now and as I tell the guys, if were good enough to be in it were good enough to win it. Its time for it to be decided now on the football field, not in the media, not with trash talking." Riders general manager Brendan Taman made it clear early this off-season he was serious about fielding a Grey Cup contender with Regina hosting the big game. He acquired receiver Geroy Simon from the B.C. Lions before adding defensive linemen Ricky Foley and John Chick and defensive back Dwight Anderson in free agency. Not only are Simon, Foley, Chick and Anderson all CFL veterans but each has a Grey Cup ring, Chick earning his with the Riders in 07 before heading to the NFL. However, adding experienced performers to an already solid core only served to jack up expectations in football-mad Saskatchewan, especially after both B.C. and Toronto had captured Grey Cup titles as the host city the past two years. The Roughriders, who will face the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at Moasic Stadium on Sunday, lived up to that billing, winning its first five regular-season games and eight-of-nine before suffering three straight losses. After rebounding with three consecutive victories, the Riders were relegated second in the West Division behind Calgary after dropping a 29-25 decision to the Stampeders on Oct. 26. Saskatchewan (11-7) lost its final two-regular season games before beating B.C. 29-25 in the West semifinal, then emphatically dispatching Calgary 35-13 at McMahon Stadium in last weekends division final. "The thing about pressure is how you deal with it," Chamblin said. "By having some of the veterans we added and just having the core of our football team, we took that pressure and applied it to ourselves. "Were extreme competitors in our room and we use all the outside pressure to help make sure were where we want to be." To claim Saskatchewans fourth Grey Cup title, Chamblin will have to beat someone who was instrumental in leading the franchise to two championships. Hamilton coach Kent Austin guided the Riders to the 89 crown as the clubs starting quarterback, then in 07 as its head coach. The Riders clearly havent forgotten -- a largee banner of Austin hangs outside of Mosaic Stadium and a parking lot still bears his name. Cheap Philadelphia Eagles Jerseys. "I actually come in the other way," Chamblin said when asked about seeing Austins banner every day he comes to work. "Theres great history here in Saskatchewan and Kents been part of that and the one thing I never want to do is remove those ancient landmarks. "Thats part of the foundation . . . so for me to see that is an honour and I try to build on all the things those guys did in the past." Austin will forever be associated with Saskatchewans Grey Cup success, but he has also jilted the teams loyal fans. In 94 while mired in a contract impasse with the club, Austin demanded to be traded and was to B.C., helping the Lions win the Grey Cup. In 07 after leading the Riders to their CFL title, he abruptly left Regina to become the offensive co-ordinator at Ole Miss, his alma mater. In 2012, he was mentioned as a head-coaching candidate with both the Riders and Ticats but opted to remain at Cornell before ultimately returning to the CFL a year later with Hamilton, again drawing the ire of some Saskatchewan football fans. But Austin said he will forever cherish his memories of playing and coaching in Regina. "Im very honoured to be recognized," he said. "This organization has meant a lot to me and my family and were proud to have had a history here both with the team and the community. "Its hard to get here and every one of the Grey Cups are special but that being said, its best to face Saskatchewan. If I was going to play a team, it would be Saskatchewan. If were not going to win it, which we hope very much that we do, it will be good to see Saskatchewan in there." Austin led Hamilton to a 10-8 record and second in the East Division in his first season as the clubs vice-president of football operations, coach and GM. The Ticats are in the Grey Cup for the first time since 99, but Austin said thats more a testament to the clubs players and not its coach. "This is a team game and there a lot of people you need to do things at a very high level to win championships across the board," he said. "We (head coaches) are just a part of it, a small part of it. "Players win football gams, not coaches." The Riders might be playing on their home field but Chamblin is attempting to reduce distractions by putting players in hotels and imposing a nightly curfew. "When you look at the Grey Cup, its a championship game (involving) the two best teams in the league," he said. "The biggest thing is I want them to stay in the routine theyve been in, that they only think football. "I just dont want them to deviate from the norm of what theyve had." Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '