Canucks bloom in Geordie country

Make quarter-finals with tie in Newcastle

By: Lori Ewing Posted: 1:00 AM CDT Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2012

NEWCASTLE, England -- John Herdman wore the black and white of Newcastle United to Canada's pre-game meeting, and then promised his players they would not lose on his home pitch.

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NEWCASTLE, England -- John Herdman wore the black and white of Newcastle United to Canada's pre-game meeting, and then promised his players they would not lose on his home pitch.

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This article was published 01/08/2012 (4833 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

NEWCASTLE, England — John Herdman wore the black and white of Newcastle United to Canada’s pre-game meeting, and then promised his players they would not lose on his home pitch.

Melissa Tancredi scored twice to lift the Canadian women’s soccer team into the quarter-finals of the London Olympics with a 2-2 tie against Sweden on Tuesday — a match that Canada’s coach has been looking forward to since the draw was announced months ago.

“We had a script written for this game, and what I tried to do was tie it in that for me this game was personal,” said the coach, whose love for the game began as a young boy watching Newcastle United at the storied St. James’ Park.

CP
Frank Gunn / The Canadian Press
Canada�s Melissa Tancredi jumps into the arms of Christine Sinclair to celebrate her second goal of the game. — CP Frank Gunn / The Canadian Press Canada�s Melissa Tancredi jumps into the arms of Christine Sinclair to celebrate her second goal of the game.

His squad played its role almost perfectly.

The seventh-ranked Canadians had their strongest performance of the tournament, dominating for a large portion of the game against a well-organized team that is ranked No. 4 in the world and won bronze at last summer’s World Cup.

Despite a strong first few minutes that Herdman said was the best soccer he’s seen the Canadians play in the time he’s been head coach, they fell behind 2-0 by the 16-minute mark.

Tancredi responded with her first goal in the 43rd minute after some hard work by Rhian Wilkinson down the right side. Wilkinson broke free with a give-and-go with captain Christine Sinclair and launched a long cross that Tancredi leapt to volley past goalkeeper Hedvig Lindahl.

“Oh my god, Rhian, she is playing an unbelievable tournament,” Tancredi said. “That ball was incredible, she’s doing what we need her to do, attack and do some little Ronaldo stuff on the ball and got the ball through and I knew I just needed to get on the end of it.”

The bruising five-foot-nine striker collected her second of the afternoon — and fourth of the tournament — in the 84th, diving hard to head in a cross from Sinclair to the delight of the pro-Canadian crowd of 12,719 at what’s now known as Sports Direct Arena.

“Tancredi, all she needed was a No. 9 shirt today,” Herdman said, in reference to former Newcastle striker Andy Carroll.

The 30-year-old from Ancaster, Ont., was also on the delivering end of some booming tackles.

“I think there’s a little bit of hockey player in her maybe,” Sinclair said.

The Canadians, who finished the preliminary round with a win, loss and tie, will face Great Britain Friday at Coventry.

Herdman wove bits of Newcastle culture into the team’s trip to the hardscrabble city about 350 kilometres northeast of London.

The team warmed up in black and white shirts while Herdman strolled the pitch, hands-in-pockets, gazing up in what had to be a pinch-me-moment for the 37-year-old coach.

“You’re in your hometown, you’re on your home patch, you’ve got your family here,” Herdman said. “I wanted to make sure we got something out of this game, and they got to experience a bit of the Geordie culture.