NEWCASTLE, ENGLAND—The Olympics is about national identity only so long as it stays south of this town.
Up here, you’re born in a town. That’s where you’re from. And if you’re visiting, you follow their rules.
If people want to know exactly which town, they look at your colours. Black and white — Newcastle (a lovely place and an awful football team). Red and white — Sunderland (a little worse, on both counts, which makes Newcastle the Springfield to Sunderland’s Shelbyville).
It is a very poor idea to wear red-and-white inside Newcastle city limits. At a certain time on Saturday night, a dangerous idea.
St. James’ Park also has some history. How do we know? Urinal troughs in the bathroom. There is no greater totem of having been there through it all than the second-lowest form of toiletry. When I attend the sporting event with a hole in the ground, I will know I have finally reached the beginning.
Canada leveraged the local angle by swapping out their red-and-white unis for black-and-white outfits during warmup. Smarter still, they had it announced on the stadium PA. That turned a largely neutral crowd into a very partisan one.
“It was like our home field,” Christine Sinclair said after the Canada’s 2-2 draw with Sweden.
The draw ensured that Canada will advance to the medal round of women’s soccer, and with some momentum on their side.
That’s the good news. Here’s the better news.
Despite finishing third in their group behind Sweden and Japan, they play Great Britain, the winner of Group E, in the next round.
Britain gets the crowd this time, but they are far less dangerous than the other options — Brazil or the U.S.A. GBR is patchwork team whose spine, England, is ranked behind us in world rankings
If Monday’s game was the launching point, it was a sturdy one. Canada tried something different this time round, giving up on trying to get the ball up to Sinclair. Instead, the star striker was dropped into the hole behind a pair of forwards in a distributor’s role.
It worked wonderfully from the start, as Sweden scrambled to figure out what the hell was going on. Once they figured it out, they speared two quick goals by the Canadians. One of them came on another error of judgment by goalkeeper Erin McLeod, who came out and flapped at a flat crossing ball she was never going to reach.
Game over.
“Seeing the team go down two-nil is not too dissimilar to watching Newcastle most days,” Canadian coach John Herdman sighed later.
But whereas in the past this team has fallen to pieces when things that should be going their way aren’t, in this instance they kept moving.
Again, it was the town that mattered. “(Herdman) was like, ‘You’re not going to lose on this pitch. I promise you that.’ And we didn’t,” said Melissa Tancredi.
Teammates call Tancredi ‘The Tank’ — a groaningly predictable shortening. But it also suits her. The Hamilton product finishes her chances. She also finishes her checks.
“She’s got a little hockey player in her,” Sinclair grinned.
With seconds remaining in the first half, Sinclair and Rhian Wilkinson exchanged short passes on the right, before Wilkinson hammered it into the area. Tancredi took it on the hop, a leaping toe poke into goal.
That refilled the sails. Tancredi scored another late in the second half. Again, Sinclair, with the lofted ball. Again, Tancredi, muscling opponents off it.
It could have been better. The Korean referee missed two clear handballs by Swedes in their own area. The second of them was visible from a low-Earth orbit. But no penalty was called. However, this team wasn’t getting down. They came out of the game buoyant and ridiculously positive.
“We have not had kind refs in all of our games,” Diana Matheson said. “So maybe they’re saving (the good calls) up for later?”
Yes, maybe. Maybe definitely not.
“We’ve done something we haven’t been able to do in years. We’ve come back against a tier-one team. That’s really special for us,” Tancredi said.
The team retired to their team hotel to — as Sinclair put it — “play fans” for the night.
While it was still up in the air, Herdman said he preferred Brazil. Matheson said anyone but the U.S. (she’d like to stick it to them in the medal rounds). The home crowd is the lesser of all three, though the venue in Coventry will be packed with home support.
If we’re to gauge their chances, we should look to Sinclair. When it was still in doubt, she was asked whom Canada would be most comfortable against.
“If we play the way we played tonight, anyone.”
MORE on the web
The Star’s Facebook page for the London Olympics
Canada’s women’s soccer team ready for Games to begin
