Canada will play for Arnold Clark Cup title after win in England

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This article was published 20/02/2022 (1640 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Canadian women’s soccer team leads the Arnold Clark Cup standings two-thirds of the way through the inaugural competition after a 1-0 victory over Germany on Sunday.

Centre back Vanessa Gilles scored her first goal for her country in the seventh minute of their second of three matches in England, a header off a corner by Janine Beckie. It was a perfect start for a generally low-scoring side that prides itself on defence. Canada made it stand up against a German team that struggled to look cohesive up front, but did produce chances. Despite sustained possession, Canada kept its cool throughout.

The Canadians will try to win the tournament Wednesday against Spain, an up-and-coming force in the women’s game. Spain played to a 0-0 draw against host England on Sunday.

Here are five things we learned from Canada’s performance.

The Gilles factor

The 25-year-old Gilles took fewer than 16 caps to become one of the first names written on coach Bev Priestman’s lineup, alongside Kadeisha Buchanan in the middle of defence. Gilles is a consistent presence in the back and can come up with key blocks that rival Buchanan’s when Canada needs them. She did so in the 25th minute of Sunday’s game, when Germany threatened with a cutback from the byline that required back-to-back blocks from Gilles. The fact that Gilles and Buchanan also provide aerial threats, forcing two opponents to guard in the penalty box on set plays, could be a huge addition up front going forward.

The formation

Whether it’s a 4-3-3 or something similar with a diamond up front, Priestman seems set on a shape to face Canada’s toughest opponents. A large part of the reason Canada is competing is the chance to face European competition before next year’s Women’s World Cup. A four-player back line makes sense for the Canadians, and Sunday’s match showed why: score once and Canada has the ability to keep a clean sheet.

The starters

Preistman made three changes, bringing in Quinn, Nichelle Prince and Cloé Lacasse for Julia Grosso, Jordyn Huitema and Deanne Rose. Quinn and Prince had been brought in as substitutes in the opener against England. Between Quinn’s transition skills in midfield and Prince’s speed up front, they should be included in Canada’s starting 11 when games grow in importance.

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The new look

The Canadians know what it’s like to operate with a centre forward in Christine Sinclair. But Lacasse was leading the line Sunday. She was part of a diamond shape up front, with Prince and Beckie on the wings and Jessie Fleming at the top of midfield. Lacasse isn’t a like-for-like substitute for Sinclair, but she can provide a direct approach up front.

The ’keeper

Goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan looked far more comfortable in her second match. Priestman has spoken about the need to give Canada’s No. 1 for the future experience at the international level. Performing well at a tournament with relatively low stakes should help when she’s called upon in bigger moments down the road.

Laura Armstrong is a Star sports reporter based in Toronto. Follow her on Twitter: @lauraarmy