2012 Under-20 Women's World Cup

[Mango]

Canada falls in a very very close one: 2-1 to DPR Korea. Combined with Norway's win, Canada's been eliminated. They finished 1-2 in the tournament.

I think Wu, Richardson, Leon and Sawicki will all likely be on the senior squad when Canada hosts the Women's World Cup in 2015. It all depends on the turnover.

Regardless, the country does have some solid young female footballers coming up through the ranks.

[GirlySports]

That's too bad.

Don't forget, Canada hosts this tournament next (U-20s) in 2014 in the run-up to the World Cup. More youngsters!

[Mango]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

That's too bad.

Don't forget, Canada hosts this tournament next (U-20s) in 2014 in the run-up to the World Cup. More youngsters!

Yup. I can say with a lot of confidence D'Angelo will be starting in net for Canada when the World Cup rolls around. She is so cool, collected and confident. I easily get frustrated with McLeod for those reasons. Technically, McLeod is a good GK, but her nerves take over her game. I don't think LeBlanc will be around in three years. I'm not sure what McLeod's plans are and Labbe won't be returning to the senior squad anytime soon. D'Angelo is going to be a solid option. It's exciting to think how much better she'll get in the next three years!

[Stay Golden]

That was too bad against N.Korea, only saw the highlights on the host site. Looked like it was a close one. Amazing how in international play. Both Men and Women's programs seem to get a penalty in the box to decide a game against late in games.
Heartbreaker for those girls. They had to win the Norway game that was the vital swing game.

[Mango]

Heartbreaker today for Germany. They let only a single goal in all tourney and it happened in the final. USA wins 1-0. Germany second and host Japan third. The US has amazing depth and will continue to be a force in women's soccer for a very long time.

There were also impressive performances from Nigeria and DPR Korea.

I was watching the final and it me showed Canada has a long long way to go in terms of women's soccer. They are going to have to put in some hard work over the next three years. The top teams at the U20 had been practicing together for months on end with plenty of camps and game play. Canada didn't and it showed. Fitness was also an issue for Canada. You can't just throw 20 odd players together and hope for the best, regardless of skill level.

The senior squad had been together in camps from September last year to the Olympics with just a few breaks inbetween. One of the reasons they got bronze in London is because they were very close. Herdman runs a real tight ship and those girls would go to war for one another. It's time for the CSA to step up a little here. There are good players waiting in the wings but this needs to be taken seriously.