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Olympic preview: Canada with Mariam Kourabi · Into the Channel ⚽️ A Podcast Primarily About Women's Football

0:05
OK, welcome to Into the Channel podcast, primarily about women's
0:08
football. Before we hit the pitch, if you
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enjoy the show or love women's football as much as your boys
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do, as much as we all do, really come kick it with us already.
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All three of us. We're doing this every single
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week. Well, not this specifically, but
0:18
we do the general this every single week spanning the wide,
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wide world of women's football and boy, what a time it is for
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that with the Paris 2024 Olympics right around the
0:27
corner. Subscribe, follow YouTube,
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Spotify, Apple podcast or wherever you like to watch or
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listen all links to our socials in the show notes of this
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episode. I am your host Dean Cespedes and
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as always, I am joined by a special guest, but also by my Co
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host Mr. Grant Angle. What is up man?
0:43
I'm feeling fantastic, buddy, and part of the reason why I'm
0:45
feeling fantastic is I have the distinct pleasure of introducing
0:48
our guest. Our guest today is one of the
0:51
football journalist and podcast host in the world.
0:54
Her work has been featured in Canadian Soccer Daily, The
0:56
Guardian, and CBC Sports. But many of you likely know her
1:00
as the founder of She Scores Bangers, a wildly informative
1:03
program that is able to take deep dives and do any topic in
1:06
the footballing world while still making the stories
1:08
digestible and easy to understand.
1:10
We've cited her work multiple times on our show, so I will say
1:14
it again during this intro. If you are not following She
1:17
Scores Bangers on YouTube, Spotify or wherever you get your
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women's football show, pause this video, open a new tab, go
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do that right now. Follow Cheese Scores Bangers and
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then come back and watch the rest of the show.
1:28
So please welcome to Into the Channel, Miriam Karabe.
1:33
What's up? That was a very great
1:35
introduction. Thank you so much for
1:36
introducing me. Of course, a pleasure to be here
1:39
with you guys. It's I've always heard your
1:40
introductions but now to get to see it live is just 10 times
1:44
cooler. I appreciate that you weren't.
1:49
Absolutely, Absolutely. Yeah.
1:50
Welcome to the show, Miriam. You are doing a good amount of
1:53
your own Olympics coverage. So as Grant mentioned,
1:55
definitely go out and catch that.
1:57
But now we are here to talk about Canada, a team that you
2:01
know very well, you have a lot of thoughts and takes and feels
2:04
about. I want to start with, obviously,
2:07
this team is the reigning gold medalist, but we've seen them
2:11
sort of like wax and wane here. What do you think this team's
2:15
ceiling is heading into this tournament?
2:17
You're starting strong here. I think with this Canadian team,
2:23
they've looked very differently from last summer, but also last
2:27
summer they looked very differently to the summer before
2:28
it. And they've also looked very
2:31
differently in the Olympics, the last edition of the Olympics.
2:33
So we've seen a lot of different eras almost.
2:35
So you could say in transitions in this Canadian team over the
2:38
past few summers that when you compare their last Olympics to
2:42
this one, it's a completely different set of players and
2:45
even Beth Breezman that you're assessing.
2:48
So if you were to ask me this question last Olympics, I would
2:51
have told you the ceiling would have been another bronze.
2:53
And that's particularly because of how closely Beth Brisman was
2:56
appointed. It wasn't like she got a a ton
2:58
of time with the senior players to prep.
3:01
But now it's a little bit different.
3:03
She's kind of built the squad on her own.
3:05
She has worked with every single player that she called up with,
3:09
you know, a few years and all. And it's funny enough that a lot
3:11
of the players that she's currently working with and has
3:13
been working with, she used to coach when they were in the
3:16
youth stages. So this is a team that she he
3:19
has really molded with her own tactics, with her own
3:22
improvements, with their, with their own vision that she's
3:25
wanted to implement on this team.
3:26
So I think assessing their ceiling this time around is a
3:29
little bit different, but so is the opposition that they're
3:31
going up against. You know, Spain, for example,
3:35
that was not the opponent he most feared a few years ago.
3:38
But now it's like you go into any big competition and it's
3:40
like, OK, well, this is our ceiling, but we also have Spain
3:43
as possible opposition and that completely changes the
3:45
conversation. But I think for this Canadian
3:47
team and I and I think specifically following the World
3:50
Cup and in some ways we saw them extremely fragile at the World
3:53
Cup, but most fragile in the back and in that defense line,
3:57
which was the far complete opposite of what this Canadian
4:01
DNA team is all about. And in some ways we have seen
4:05
that DNA be a little bit more bold and and coming out again of
4:09
a great defensive Canadian team, which for me is what redefines
4:13
their ceiling of being able to podium again.
4:16
No, I think like I mentioned it, it's hard to say that Canada can
4:19
go and win gold when you have the reigning World Cup champions
4:23
who simply look unbeatable. But I think for this team and to
4:26
to see their progression, their very quick progression that they
4:29
made after the World Cup. Granted, there's a few roster
4:32
selections that you know, definitely give you a brainage,
4:35
but to assess the work that Beth Riesman has put in, I think it's
4:37
a team that is capable of podiuming and it's a team that
4:40
has a lot of qualities that would push them to podium.
4:42
They know how to do the Olympic schedule.
4:45
I think often that is the biggest and toughest challenge
4:47
that these new teams are debuting teams or teams that
4:50
aren't experienced with the Olympics struggle with.
4:52
It's hard to keep your players fit.
4:53
It's hard to be able to rotate with 18 players.
4:56
It is a really difficult schedule.
4:57
Like the World Cup schedule is, is wildly different to the
5:00
Olympics in Canada. You know, pre Beth Priestman
5:04
with Beth Priestman know how to handle that schedule and for me,
5:07
that is what possibly sets them apart from the other teams
5:11
because they know how to deal with that.
5:13
And like I mentioned, this is a set of players that she breast
5:16
Faceman has worked with very closely.
5:18
She's got molded this team together.
5:20
They've been in the highs and the lows where it's almost like
5:22
they're equipped to deal with anything that comes their way
5:25
that suits them up for a podium. And so I think a realistic
5:29
prediction would be probably seeing them get a bronze making
5:33
it into that third spot playoff. It's a playoff that you know,
5:37
also has played very well in their odds.
5:40
They they know how to win that game and we've seen some crazy
5:43
battles in that third spot playoff.
5:45
I think a final obviously would be fantastic and their route
5:48
actually looks quite possible if you do a lot of the math.
5:51
But I think realistically looking at the opposition and
5:53
some of the roster selections that give you a brain itch and
5:56
perhaps some of those questions would be answered closer to the
6:00
competition when we see them have a game or two win.
6:03
But really, realistically, right now, almost a few weeks away
6:06
from that ball being kicked, I think a bronze is what they'll
6:08
be looking to achieve. And I also don't think that's a
6:10
bad outcome for a team who crashed out of the World Cup in
6:14
the group stages in a devastating fashion, in an
6:16
embarrassing fashion, too, and a team that is under a bit of a
6:19
transition. This is the first Olympics that
6:21
Ken has been to without Christine Sinclair.
6:23
Like, we cannot undermine the fact that this team has only
6:26
ever been to that competition under her leadership, under her
6:29
voice, under her captaincy, under her locker room mindset.
6:34
Like, it's a bit different. There's no Sophie Schmidt,
6:35
there's no Alicia Chapman, there's no there's a race Scott.
6:38
Like there's a good set of veterans, three time Olympians
6:43
that are not there. We're seeing a fresh set of
6:44
faces. But I'm also very excited to see
6:46
how these youngsters do because I, I, I rate them very highly.
6:50
And you know, I'm sure we'll get to talk about players more
6:52
specifically, but it's a different kind of Canadian team
6:55
than what we have seen in previous editions and most
6:57
certainly this most recent edition as well in Tokyo.
7:00
That's a really great point, Mariam.
7:02
And so you actually leave me perfectly into the follow up
7:05
question, which is OK. So no Sinclair, no Schmidt, no
7:08
Chapman. You think about the prospects of
7:11
possibly meddling if you had to pinpoint a player or maybe two
7:15
or three who would need to really come through for this
7:18
team to reach that ceiling, Who are you looking toward?
7:23
I think there's a, a few players that I won't say Canada will
7:26
look to depend on them because he cannot depend on a, on a
7:29
player to like. I think that's a mindset that no
7:32
head coach is going to have. But I think Leon and Adriana
7:35
Leon's fine form, you know, 2024, even finishing 2023 has
7:40
been superb. And it's not just the number of
7:43
goals that she's scoring, but rather the clutch goals that
7:46
she's scoring. You know, against the US, she
7:48
took them to extra time. She is so gritty, she's so
7:51
chaotic, like she gets into the box and Canada loves to draw
7:55
penalties. I think penalties in Canada are
7:57
like really good best friends, specifically when you're talking
8:00
Olympics. And so Leon for me, is not just
8:03
a player that is able to score from outrageous angles, but
8:07
she's a player that brings some sort of chaos that leads the
8:10
opposition to make mistakes, which is exactly what we have
8:13
gotten to see post World Cup. So it's not only her plays, it's
8:17
not only how, you know, she's able to attribute and goals and
8:19
assists, but the energy that she brings onto the pitch.
8:22
And so for me, making sure that Adriana Leon continues on this
8:26
fine form that she's on, she's fired up.
8:29
And, you know, she's mentioned in a lot of press conferences
8:31
that she's never felt more comfortable in the team.
8:33
And perhaps she's kind of been given this leadership role in
8:36
some ways. Like I think she's 3031 around
8:39
that and she's been with the steam since her young teenage
8:42
years. So it's been building up that
8:43
she seriously gets to thrive now.
8:45
So I think it generally on and how great she does up top.
8:49
We'll talk a lot, but it's also important to make sure that she
8:52
stays fit and you know, looking at the options that they can
8:54
rotate with. The Evelyn Viens is a player who
8:56
just finished her best season club football.
8:59
I think we're still struggling to see the best Evelyn Viens in
9:03
a Canadian shirt and that's particularly because she never
9:06
played in the youth system. It's like she's just learning
9:08
this Canadian. She's just learning
9:10
international football in some ways.
9:11
She's obviously a gold medalist. She was with them last edition,
9:14
but perhaps she hasn't been given the minutes.
9:15
So when you look at those set of players, those set of attackers
9:18
that have been scoring for club and country, it's really a
9:21
generally on that stands out. But like you mentioned, it's
9:23
going to be a set of players that will have to shine.
9:25
I think for me to Jesse Fleming, she is great.
9:29
And, you know, everybody knows how great Jesse Fleming is.
9:32
I'm not going to sit here and make a case for why she is one
9:34
of the best. But it's a matter of hitting
9:36
that consistency with Jesse where she's able to be the
9:38
Fleming that we know her to be for 90 minutes or forever
9:41
minutes that she's playing. Sometimes, just sometimes she
9:44
goes a little bit hidden. And that perhaps is a an outcome
9:47
with some of the partnerships that she plays with.
9:49
You know, admittedly, the partnerships that she's been
9:52
working with have been because of Friesman trying to, you know,
9:55
try something different, try to figure out who are the best
9:57
materials there that she wants to call out.
9:59
There's been injuries to Quinn. There's been obviously Desiree
10:02
Scott and now. So the partnerships haven't been
10:04
settled. And that is a point that worries
10:05
me of like, does Beth Brisman know her best midfield
10:09
partnerships? In my eyes, it's Simi Wuju and
10:12
Jesse Fleming that give you the best and most comfortable
10:15
midfield. But for Canada to have that
10:18
leadership mindset, to have their best qualities really come
10:21
out, you're going to have to see a lot of it be contributed to
10:24
Jesse Fleming in the middle. So generally on Jesse Fleming
10:27
are going to be two players that you know, how good they do on
10:31
the field is really going to matter for how good Canada does
10:34
this entire Olympics competition.
10:36
Yeah, it makes a lot of sense. And I think we've obviously seen
10:38
Leon play really well obviously in the lead up here last couple
10:41
months. But I do want to rewind back to
10:44
the 23 World Cup. Obviously you mentioned Canada
10:47
kind of flames out in very forgettable fashion.
10:49
You know, we we all know Australia is not four goals
10:52
better than Canada. And then you also touched on
10:55
defensively, you know, maybe this team kind of turning a
10:57
corner. So what what would you say is
10:59
the biggest difference kind of if we zoom in between, you know,
11:02
defensively the wheels coming off last World Cup and kind of
11:05
like the form that the team is in right now?
11:08
Well, I think there was a few things too that we must consider
11:10
and to how they went into the World Cup.
11:12
They had no send off, they had no preparation games.
11:15
They had a single game in France and it was like A1 odd game in
11:18
the middle of nowhere, like it was a camp and then they played
11:20
a single game and then all of a sudden they were in Australia
11:22
like it was a didn't feel like a preparation camp.
11:26
It was also, you know, that Australia game is certainly want
11:29
to forget, but it was the weekend before the Australia
11:33
game that this team was bargaining on a table with the
11:35
federation about a deal. I'm not sure how many
11:39
preparation days they had or how many training sessions that they
11:41
were, how many training sessions they had ran, but there's no
11:44
situation that a team going into a final group stage match should
11:49
be set at a bargaining table. They haven't spoken as to how
11:51
that's affected them mentally, but it's not rocket science to
11:54
know that. You were talking about the fact
11:57
that you haven't been paid for a few years.
11:59
There's, you know, a lot of conditions that you're not happy
12:01
about. You're being told that the
12:02
programs are getting cuts and then you have to go out and try
12:06
to win against Australia. You have 90,000 people or 80,000
12:09
people in the stadium against them if they weren't set up to
12:12
succeed. Now, with that being said, I
12:14
think Beth Friesman got a lot of things wrong.
12:16
The entire World Cup and particularly that Australia
12:19
game, the starting 11 perhaps wasn't the starting eleven that
12:21
would suit the opposition of defending against Australia, but
12:25
it also felt like that team went and defeated, which is a really
12:29
odd kind of approach that we haven't seen from Canada.
12:32
Beth Priesman never really goes into games.
12:35
You know, I don't know if it's her British accent or just the
12:38
way she talks, but she's always giving a bit of a motivational
12:42
speech, even if she's just answering questions and
12:44
oppressor. And so it's really hard to
12:46
imagine how that team got out of the locker room already looking
12:49
deflated, already looking like they're on the back foot.
12:53
And they like really slipped into the fact that they're at
12:55
the underdogs. And it's like you always are.
12:57
But they really got comfortable into that role.
13:00
And, you know, Vanessa Jills and can you show Buchanan?
13:02
I think that duo is a scary partnership.
13:06
But both of them looked so out of sync.
13:08
They looked so out of communication, you know,
13:11
fluidity, that back line. I mean, you'd go back and
13:14
rewatch a lot of these replays. They were looking at each other
13:16
like what just happened, who was marking who and who is behind
13:19
who. They looked lost.
13:21
I think we haven't been able to attribute to why they looked
13:24
lost. When a lot of these players talk
13:26
about the back line and keeping clean sheets, they take a lot of
13:29
pride in these clean sheets. I spoke to Caitlyn Sheridan not
13:32
so long ago, and she said that we celebrate clean sheets almost
13:35
more than we do scoring goals. Like it is in our DNA if we're
13:39
not going out with a clean sheet, that is really
13:41
disappointing. You feel that air of we just
13:44
conceded a goal in the locker room.
13:46
And so this team really cares about making sure that they
13:49
concede the least amount of goals.
13:50
And really, in the simplest soccer terms, you don't concede.
13:54
Chances are you won't lose. I mean, you take it to
13:56
penalties, but you're still not losing.
13:57
You just set yourself up for a really, really good position.
14:00
And so that team looked deflated.
14:02
Their mentality looked defeated. So did their mentality these
14:05
this entire World Cup. I think Beth Frisman, I asked
14:08
her in the presser this Mexico game in Toronto right before it
14:11
was a send off series. And I said, what did you learn
14:13
most from the World Cup up to now?
14:15
And she said in the World Cup, they lost their values, they
14:18
lost their core identity. And she was too preoccupied to
14:22
make sure everybody was happy, which is when you have to take
14:25
tough decisions, chances are not everybody's going to be happy.
14:27
And this core identity in these core beliefs in these, you know,
14:31
this mindset in this character that they really pride
14:33
themselves on, they lost it. And I think when a head coach
14:36
comes out and admits that, it shows you that they've learned
14:39
and they've where they were wrong.
14:41
But it's a really raw answer that this is exactly where we
14:43
went wrong. There was so much that happened
14:45
on the pitch, but we just didn't approach it the right way.
14:47
And so defensively, I think they've locked up.
14:50
I think their mindset looks sharp.
14:52
And I don't think many people are expecting Canada to go in
14:54
and have a good tournament, particularly because of what
14:56
they showed at the World Cup. And they kind of thrive under
14:58
that situation. Like, sure, they're going in as
15:00
the Olympic champions, but nobody's really considering them
15:03
as the Olympic champions. Feels like the dialogue is
15:06
Spain, Germany, Australia, the US obviously, but nobody's
15:10
really talking about Canada. And it's a position they've
15:12
always been in. Like they fly under the radar.
15:15
Canadian media is talking about them, but it doesn't feel like
15:17
anybody's batting on on them. And I don't necessarily hate
15:20
that either. Sure.
15:22
That's that's understandable. Like don't look at us, just
15:25
leave us alone. And then we can come in there
15:27
and and exceed expectations. Yeah.
15:31
You know what we're talking about Canada.
15:32
How about that? Heck.
15:33
Yeah, very few, but you're definitely one of the few that's
15:38
giving them a good shot and as they should be getting a good
15:41
shot. Like this is the Olympic
15:42
reigning champions. I think people love to say it
15:43
was a fluke and, you know, they didn't score many open play
15:46
goals. It was boring.
15:47
Like these are the comments that we see and I'm not going to be
15:49
oblivious to, you know, what the majority of the public says.
15:52
Like, yes, it was most of the time not the most fluid, like
15:56
attacking insane football, but if that's what they have to do
15:59
to an Olympic medal, like I'll be doing that too.
16:03
So if it takes a few goals and a few penalties to win an Olympic
16:08
medal, so be and and two, if it's like, if it's really that
16:11
easy to just defend and and sit low and get a penalty, why
16:14
didn't every team do that? You know, Sweden could have done
16:17
that and the US could have done that and Brazil could have done
16:18
that. They didn't have an easier route
16:20
to win gold. So there's always going to be
16:22
criticism, but it's like everybody could have given me
16:25
boring football, but it obviously isn't, you know, that
16:28
easy. So, you know, they get a little
16:30
bit of slack, but I don't think they're too worried.
16:32
They're certainly not listening to that, and I love that about
16:34
them too. The banners hang forever, the
16:37
metals sparkle forever, so anybody can say whatever they
16:40
want, but you guys are the reigning defending Olympic
16:43
champions. As you pointed out.
16:45
So I'm really interested in when you talk about kind of Bev
16:48
Priestman acknowledging the shortcomings of the World Cup
16:52
and kind of like getting back to reinstituting a culture and
16:56
looking at defending. I always think about how young
17:00
players factor into that kind of culture setting.
17:03
They need to look at the more experienced players and kind of
17:06
soak that up and figure out, OK, where do I like inject my
17:10
personality and how I want to fit into this profile.
17:13
So when you think about that and Dino and I say this every time
17:16
we talk about Canada, every time I look at your guy's roster, I
17:19
go, man, there are a lot of good players on this team.
17:21
And likewise I looked at the young players and thought, man,
17:25
they have a lot of good young players on this team too.
17:28
So if you had to pick, you know, one or two, again, we're not
17:31
we're not too rigid on this. If you needed to look at one or
17:34
a couple of younger players, kind of that under 23, under 24
17:38
year old mix. Who are your youngsters for
17:41
Canada? You think maybe the world might
17:42
get an introduction to in this tournament?
17:44
It's going to be the two NCAA kids, as Beth Priesman says,
17:49
Jade Rose and Simi Uuju. It's honestly crazy to look at
17:54
their play and say they're not even playing professional
17:56
soccer. They don't even play in a
17:58
professional schedule and they look this good.
18:00
Like, I think it is scary to look at these two and say they
18:05
play with such mature soccer in such a calm manner and their
18:09
skill set is so built, but they don't even play professional
18:13
football. Like every, it's every time I
18:15
watch them, I'm in awe because they're really that good.
18:18
In the fact that, you know, Simi Wuju got a trip to the World Cup
18:21
and is now going to the Olympics tells you a lot about her
18:24
potential. I don't know what the stats are
18:27
of like the top 10 ranked FIFA teams that are taking players
18:29
that are not even professional, but I feel like the fact that
18:32
Canada are taking two certainly tops the charts.
18:35
An A-Team player roster, like you're taking as many
18:37
experienced players as you could and it says a lot about the
18:40
potential that they have and it says a lot about what is seeing
18:43
from them in training. This Canadian team and the
18:47
players that were up for grabs to take to Paris are some really
18:51
tough opponents. Simi, would you like the
18:54
midfield? There's some good competition
18:56
there. She's a youngster.
18:57
She's a a dual American citizen. She wasn't picked up by the
19:01
Americans, which is a pretty common thing.
19:04
It's a pretty common occasion that happens in.
19:06
Canadians benefit greatly from that.
19:08
But for me, she is so good. She's so silent.
19:11
It's almost like nobody really knows notices The Dirty hard
19:14
work she does, but the stability she brings into the midfield and
19:18
the calmness. Sometimes often Canada can
19:20
engage in like a bit of a ping pong situation, particularly in
19:23
the second-half when tensions rise.
19:25
And we saw that particularly against Mexico, a fellow
19:28
CONCACAF team that really likes to get physical.
19:30
Assuming would you brings in like this good calm, sharp eye.
19:34
She knows how to dribble. People ask me like who do you
19:37
compare her to? And I it's a crazy comparison,
19:40
but it's like almost a young, small Kim Little.
19:43
And the way she knows how to calm the ball, she knows how to
19:46
see pockets. She works very well with the
19:49
back client. Like she is a really great
19:51
player. She's young, she makes mistakes.
19:53
So does Jade Rose. Mexico's goal here in Toronto in
19:57
the send off series was probably because Jade Rose was a marking
20:01
the runner. She ran too fast just But these
20:04
errors, you don't see them from Jade Rose.
20:07
But I think it's great that she was able to make a mistake this
20:09
close to the Olympics because you'd rather her get that lesson
20:12
now before heading to the Olympics.
20:13
And Jade Rose again is a player that I'm a very big fan of.
20:16
She has gone up against some of the best in the world,
20:19
particularly the Sam Kerr. You know, I look back at Canada
20:21
had two games in Australia friendlies, I want to say end of
20:25
2022, I want to say, but Canada had about A2 game.
20:29
In Australia and they won both, but Jade Rose was a standout
20:33
player because she had a solid game just shutting down Sam
20:37
Kerr, which there's not a lot of players that can do that and
20:39
certainly not a lot of non professional players that can do
20:42
that. She's calm.
20:43
She's so mature and and I've asked her once, I'm like, is it
20:46
as calm in your head as it seems?
20:47
And she's like it's fireworks in there, Like it's chaos in my
20:50
head. And I'm glad you guys think it's
20:52
calm because it's not like that. And she's really tall.
20:54
She puts a great advantage in the box of trying to get her
20:58
head in like she is a a quality player.
21:00
She's a fit player. She runs up and down.
21:02
And again, that is something that I'm taken aback by of like
21:05
the way that she's so fit when she doesn't even play a full
21:07
schedule of what we know it as. She's a Harvard athlete.
21:10
So, you know, she's got the brains too.
21:12
So her IQ on the pitch reflects the IQ off the pitch too, I'm
21:16
sure. But for me, Jade Rose and Simi
21:17
would you are going to be players that are going to get a
21:19
lot of minutes. Jade Rose is going to provide a
21:22
lot of rotation available availability.
21:24
Jade Rose or sorry, Jade Rivier, so many jades.
21:28
Jade Rivier is, you know, quite injury prone and I think they'll
21:31
be watching her minutes this Olympics.
21:33
But to be able to rotate here with Jade Rose, she's not bad
21:36
backup at all. Like they're they're great.
21:39
She works so well with Lacasse in front of her or whoever it is
21:41
that they're putting in front. And Ibuju and Fleming for me are
21:45
going to be a really solid pick. You know, if I'm to predict kind
21:48
of a three midfield, ignoring the the left wing backs or the
21:52
right wing backs, it's going to be Quinn, Ibuju and Fleming.
21:55
That for me is going to be a really good midfield.
21:58
And Uuju will also shine. Like I think people think
22:00
Fleming kind of shines in the midfield, but it takes a lot
22:04
more than just a player. And Ubuju is going to be one
22:06
that will catch a lot of eyes. And I think both of these
22:09
players going into their final collegiate here will have a lot
22:12
of professional teams calling for them.
22:14
And this Olympics could be that, that kind of breakout
22:17
tournaments. And so, you know, they might be
22:20
NCAA kids, but they are a really, really good duo that
22:24
yeah, I'm very, very excited to see them.
22:25
I'm glad you bring up Ubuju's calmness and just the calmness
22:29
of these players as young players.
22:31
The number one thing, and I obviously have a pretty good
22:34
seat for it here in Seattle, watching them play is the number
22:38
one thing that jumps out to me about Quinn is they have an
22:41
ability when there is chaos on the pitch to get the ball and
22:46
almost look at everybody and say take a deep breath, recollect
22:51
yourselves and let's figure out a plan from here.
22:54
Can you talk a little bit about Quinn's calmness?
22:58
So just kind of like how you have experienced their play in a
23:01
Canadian shirt. Quinn is so consistent in their
23:04
program that it's really hard to look at another player and say
23:08
every time that they come on the pitch they are as good as that
23:11
and they play to such a high standard.
23:13
Like one for me is is a player, again that goes a little bit
23:16
quiet in the midfield perhaps sometimes, and folks don't
23:19
notice how good their play really is.
23:21
Long legs. They are not scared to come in
23:23
for a tackle. They're not scared to put in,
23:26
you know, a leg a little bit away from the box.
23:29
They're coming after you. They're chasing.
23:30
Quinn is not perhaps the fastest player that's going to be, you
23:34
know, your Sam Curran eraser, like a Arasso.
23:36
But they will be there and they'll be ready to make that
23:39
run. And they'll be it's almost like
23:40
their runs kind of buy time for Canada.
23:43
That's almost how I see it. It's like when they're making a
23:45
run, when they're tracking, they're buying time for their
23:47
other Canadian teammates to come in and follow.
23:49
And they're just so smart. They're so reliable.
23:52
They're so, like I mentioned, consistent.
23:54
And I think when when you look at Quinn in their play, it's
23:56
like they get the assignment done in the simplest words, like
24:00
Quinn comes out and does exactly what Beth Friesman is asking
24:03
from them. And so Quinn is a very, very
24:05
loved player in the program. And it's hard to see an Olympic
24:09
squad that looks for consistency and looks for gritty players and
24:13
not expect Quinn to be on there. I think it's also important to
24:17
talk about the visibility that they bring on the big stage.
24:20
Last Olympics, they were the first ever soccer player, non
24:23
binary entrance to win a gold medal.
24:26
There's been a lot of talk this Olympics heading into the
24:29
Olympics, obviously with the US women's roster and Corbin Alpert
24:32
and the noise that's caused and, and rightfully so.
24:35
And I hope there's just as much noise being caused for another
24:37
midfielder who is accepting of their fans and accepting of the
24:41
women's soccer community and accepting of of people who are
24:44
different and people that don't fit the regular stereotypes and
24:48
what we see in other sports. Because really Quinn resembles a
24:51
lot of that. And I think us as Canadian fans
24:53
take a lot of pride in having them as a player because they're
24:56
so good. And it's really hard to imagine
24:58
a team without Quinn. They bring just more than the
25:01
soccer on the pitch. And yeah, we love Quinn.
25:06
Rightfully so. Hell yeah.
25:09
I want to talk a little bit about the group dynamics.
25:13
You know, sometimes there could be a match that might look easy
25:15
on paper. Sometimes there might be a match
25:17
that looks really tricky on paper.
25:19
But it's a it's a good matchup. We always like to joke that kind
25:22
of like styles make fights, you know, in football as well.
25:25
So looking at the three opponents, New Zealand, second
25:28
one is France, and then they'll closeout the group stage against
25:31
Colombia. Do any of those three
25:33
specifically strike any kind of fear or maybe on the flip side,
25:38
some opportunity? I think, you know, France maybe
25:40
gettable or Colombia, they're a good match up for us
25:42
potentially. Or how do you see the kind of
25:45
draw that Canada got here? I think they got the easiest
25:47
draw they could have gone, to be honest.
25:49
I think they got the easiest group that they could have hoped
25:51
to be in and they got a look of great teams.
25:55
Like I can imagine, and I don't even think this would work.
25:58
This actually wouldn't work because it's there's
26:00
confederation restrictions. I was going to say, imagine them
26:02
being instead of the US and Group B with like Germany and
26:06
Australia and Zambia. Like that would have been a
26:08
nightmare. So I think the way they drew New
26:10
Zealand, it's fantastic. I think looking at New Zealand
26:13
circumstances right now, they don't look great.
26:14
They have like 10 new Olympians. Their head coach isn't going
26:17
with them this Olympics. And so they're having to fight a
26:20
lot of internal battles, you know, let alone thinking about
26:22
opponents. And so I think that New Zealand
26:24
game will be a good one for them, for Canada to test
26:27
partnerships. Like I, I don't feel like Canada
26:30
underestimates opponents. That's not certainly something
26:33
that I've seen this camp do. They won't underestimate New
26:35
Zealand, but they'll get a little bit more freedom perhaps
26:37
to make errors and, and build moving forwards.
26:41
Colombia is a team that is frightening, like Columbia is a
26:45
scary team on the transition. They're fast, but they're also a
26:48
team that have never been in the Olympics.
26:50
And it's like, are they going to be feeling heavy legs after
26:53
their first game? How fit are they going to be
26:56
coming in and how are they going to be able to rotate an 18
26:58
player roster? But also Canada as a conc calf
27:01
side does know how to deal with physicality, does know how to
27:04
deal with those fast breaks, does know how to deal with a mid
27:07
block or a load block that we often see Columbia drop in, you
27:10
know, more specifically a mid block.
27:12
And I think the way that Canada is going to be playing Nigeria
27:16
and their preparation game, they haven't fully announced it, but
27:18
we do know it's Nigeria is great that they they look to match
27:22
that physicality. They played Mexico in their
27:24
playoff. They look to see how Mexico
27:26
build on that transition and then are very quick on the
27:28
break, very similar to Colombia. So I enjoyed how Canada went out
27:32
and got similar opponents to what Colombia might bring.
27:34
And France, our opposition that Canada's also very well familiar
27:38
with. And it's too like a lot of the
27:40
Canadian players have played in France at some point.
27:43
So like Vanessa Jill, for example, knows Wendy Renard very
27:47
well. She knows she's going to be on
27:49
the box. She knows like four players will
27:51
have to be marking her when there's a corner coming in.
27:54
Like these players are very familiar with their enemies.
27:57
You could say Ashley Lawrence, she spent almost eight years in
27:59
PSG. Like they know these sprays and
28:01
they know how to come up against them.
28:02
And that's I think where you look at the veterans of Ashley
28:05
Lawrence and Vanessa Jills and even Katisha Buchanan, I can't
28:09
forget. God, she played how many seasons
28:10
of Leon. She's won so many Champions
28:12
Leagues with them. And so, so France will obviously
28:14
be a great game. I still don't think it's going
28:16
to be a game that Canada will have a terrible time against.
28:19
Like I think it's going to be a good competition.
28:21
It can certainly go either way. But it's not an opponent that is
28:24
going to make me scratch my head like Spain, for example, or the
28:28
US even in that case. So I think good opposition, like
28:31
that's a great group to start with.
28:33
France, you know, perhaps maybe they're toughest, but, and it's
28:37
always funny, can't always get grouped with the hosts.
28:39
So here once again, they are grouped with the hosts.
28:42
They'll have a chip on their shoulder there.
28:43
The roster just came out earlier today.
28:45
So you know, Eve Paris a for example, that's a positive.
28:48
Canada will look at. I think we'll see a lot of
28:51
battles on the flanks and maybe Jade Rose will come up big here.
28:54
So it's as best of a group as Canada would have hoped to get.
28:57
And it brings them a lot of different kind of football that
29:00
prepares them for later. Like I look at this group as
29:02
almost a set of mock tests for the bigger tests that are going
29:06
to come in the knockout stages. And you know, I'm glad like
29:08
we're not the US having to face Germany in like Australia the
29:12
first two games. Like goodness, that's scary.
29:14
That's tricky. And then your your easy quote UN
29:16
quote game. You have Barbara Banda and
29:18
Rachel Kundanagi on the other team.
29:20
So that's giving me a little tricky.
29:22
I'm glad you mentioned the US because I do want to bring this
29:24
up and you and you mentioned them as kind of like a great
29:27
team out there lurking a little bit.
29:29
I will say you guys match up really well against the USA, it
29:33
feels like. How have you experienced those
29:36
battles? I mean, that's one hell of a
29:38
rivalry it that they're the US are Canada's biggest rivals.
29:42
They sure don't have a really great record against the US, but
29:45
you know, perhaps we can do the same the semi finals.
29:48
And and I mean, like, I think when you look at this Canadian
29:51
US rivalry, the gap is a lot closer than it was a few years
29:55
ago. The competition level is very
29:57
high between them two. It doesn't feel like when the US
30:00
and Canada face anymore, certainly not in my eyes, that
30:03
it's going to be a complete domination.
30:05
Canada maybe will get one or two good looks, but it's going to be
30:08
the US all over them. That's that's not really how
30:10
we've seen it. And I think Ginny Becky also
30:12
spoke about this, is that this team doesn't fear the US.
30:16
And I think you talk a lot about mentality or like aura, like the
30:20
US come in with a scary aura and that can really affect a lot of
30:23
their opposition. But Canada don't really care
30:26
about that anymore. They when they went down against
30:28
the USI don't think for a single moment we saw a dying spirit,
30:31
not one bit. They did not hit that back foot
30:33
at all. And that's exactly what this
30:35
team has needed against the likes of the US.
30:38
Jenny Beck, you know, I I haven't highlighted her enough.
30:40
But first of all, I am so glad she's back in this rost, Sir,
30:43
screw ACLS. It was so hard to see her be,
30:46
you know, sidelined for the World Cup.
30:48
But her involvement is, is massive.
30:51
And, you know, she is a player that knows exactly where this
30:53
team is. She's a very brutally honest
30:55
player that will tell you exactly where this team needs to
30:58
improve. And the way she said it, that
30:59
this team mentality wise is not defeated against the US really
31:02
describes where this team is. I think obviously, you know, the
31:05
Emma Hayes era is now, it's a very interesting era, but too,
31:08
we haven't seen a lot of it. We haven't seen many games under
31:11
Emma Hayes in the US. We haven't seen them against the
31:13
toughest of opposition. Like, you know, South Korea is
31:16
not your Germany. It's certainly not your
31:17
Australia either. They didn't get to do a lot of
31:20
defending against South Korea, but they'll have to do a fair
31:23
bit of defending against Germany or Australia or even, you know,
31:26
like you mentioned, Zambia, who that's coined as the easy team.
31:29
I mean, God, you don't want to underestimate any player there.
31:32
So I think if Canada and the US face each other, sure, Canada
31:35
always going to go on in as the underdogs.
31:38
It'd be crazy to think that the US are going to be underdogs
31:40
against Canada. I'd love to see that narrative
31:42
one thing, but it's certainly not this year.
31:45
But the way that they've showed character, the way they've
31:47
showed that they're not scared of their biggest rival.
31:50
They're not afraid to go and attack.
31:51
They're not afraid to go and lead.
31:53
You know, that first game that they had, they were leading at
31:55
some point. They want to lead.
31:57
If they're down, they want to equalize and go for the win.
31:59
They are wanting to step it up. They are taking the game to the
32:04
US, which is a sentence that I don't think I would have ever
32:07
said with Canada doing that. So the gap is a lot closer.
32:11
It's exciting. Like, you know, Ashley Lawrence
32:13
knows a fair bit about Emma Hayes.
32:15
So does he should be Canon and so does Jesse Fleming.
32:18
So I'm, I'm liking the fair bit of insight so they can bring it
32:22
to this Canadian camp. But you know, if anything, I
32:24
think the US are in the transitional stage.
32:26
They're the ones that are going to have a lot of eyes on them.
32:28
They're looking to have a lot of questions be answered.
32:31
And it's a new era that is learning.
32:34
There is going to be lessons and Canada will be making sure to
32:38
perhaps teach them those lessons.
32:39
And I think that will be a fun meeting if they do meet up,
32:43
which, you know, it's always like it's a magnet between these
32:46
two just seems sometimes. Yeah.
32:49
Miriam, I'm glad you she brought up Ashley Lawrence.
32:51
That's my personal favorite Canadian player.
32:53
You know, obviously Grant and I cover the Champions League in
32:55
depth this past season, so I logged a ton of Chelsea hours
32:59
and watching Ashley Lawrence shine pretty much all the way
33:02
through almost almost to the absolute mountaintop.
33:05
What does Ashley Lawrence mean to this team and what's her role
33:08
in this Canadian roster? She plays a lot of roles, I have
33:11
to say, on and off the pitch. And I think if you were to ask
33:14
me like, how do you describe Ashley Lawrence, I would say
33:17
excellent. She's an excellent athlete.
33:20
She's a hard working athlete. She very similar to Quinn, goes
33:24
out and does exactly what this team needs to do.
33:26
She has found her rhythm and putting in the crosses where her
33:30
runners are in the box. She puts in a shift if she's on
33:33
the wing back position, if she is a full back, she is ready to
33:37
make those runs. She doesn't get tired.
33:38
And I think to sometimes you get fooled that Ashley Lawrence is
33:41
not the fastest player on the pitch because she doesn't show
33:43
you that she is. But like, her odd change of
33:46
speed really like, mixes up opposition.
33:49
And I think that was very, very clear on that first leg against
33:52
Barcelona and Spain. Like, she does have a very
33:54
unorthodox change of speed and pace.
33:57
And like, it's like you don't really know where she's headed.
33:59
And if she's headed this position, you don't know how
34:01
fast she's going. But she's a really, really fast
34:04
player. Often doesn't show it, but she's
34:05
quick, she's very smart and her movement connects so well.
34:09
And she's just a leader on the team.
34:11
Like when Christine Sinclair retired, there was a lot of
34:13
talks of like, who's going to lead this team Afterwards,
34:15
Ashley Lawrence was very much into the conversation.
34:17
She's an excellent player that makes the players around her
34:20
just as excellent and she loves this team.
34:23
She talks so much about the sisterhood and this team, so
34:26
much about how much they want to win together.
34:29
They never have a dying spirit like she.
34:31
She loves this team. She's a very good person.
34:33
Like anybody you'd meet who has talked to Ashley Lawrence will
34:36
tell you she's one of the sweetest.
34:37
She is not scared to get tackled.
34:40
I would be shocked to go back and watch a game where Ashley
34:44
Lawrence doesn't get completely wiped out.
34:45
She's always a target and understandably too.
34:49
I'd be targeting her too if I was opposition.
34:51
But she's just an excellent all rounded athlete, hardworking,
34:54
will continue running up and down the pitch, defensively
34:57
solid. You know she initially back and
35:00
before she went professional she started as a little bit of a
35:02
midfielder. SO2.
35:03
We've seen her be very comfortable in this new system
35:06
where if she has to invert a little bit or if she has to
35:08
drive into the midfield, she's also very comfortable with that
35:11
too. Which again, it's almost like
35:12
she provides Beth Friesman so many different positions that
35:15
she can play in, which is exactly what you're looking for,
35:18
an 18 player roster. And so it's.
35:20
Yeah. Ashley Lawrence is one of the
35:22
faces of the program. Her name is very much synonymous
35:25
with the Canadians national team and very similar to Quinn.
35:28
It's, it's it, you know, Canadian fans are really lucky
35:30
to have this team. We love them.
35:33
I think that's one thing you'd see in the fan base is that the
35:36
fans are really connected to the team.
35:37
And it's players like Ashley Lawrence that have served as
35:41
fascinating players to this program that it's it's hard to
35:45
not always want to root for them.
35:46
And so, yeah, I've seen a lot of Ashley Lawrence praise in this
35:50
chat, as always, and it always makes me very happy because
35:53
she's just phenomenal. She really is.
35:55
I think you, you know, we love a good basketball comparison on
35:59
this show. I'm so glad you bring up the
36:01
change of speeds. She reminds me of like a Kyrie
36:04
Irving, where it's just like bobbing and weaving and the
36:06
opponent is just completely off balance at all times.
36:09
And she also has that aspect that you mentioned where I say
36:12
you can just close your eyes and then point to somewhere on the
36:15
pitch. And she'd be like, yeah, I'll go
36:16
play there and then. And to your point, she'll be
36:18
excellent when you put her on that part of the field.
36:22
I feel like if you would throw Ashley Lawrence in goal, she
36:24
probably would do a good job. I hope that this have to happen,
36:28
but you know, she, she it. I feel like with how we've seen
36:31
her everywhere on the pitch, she probably would have a pretty
36:33
good shot beating goal. I believe it.
36:36
I love it if if a Listen Air could take PKS, I sort of Ashley
36:40
Lawrence back there and see what happens.
36:42
True that. So, Miriam, we always joke
36:44
about, you know, players with high IQ kind of being super
36:47
computers out in the field. You're a bit of a super computer
36:50
in the women's football podcasting world.
36:51
Just I talked about your work rate with regards to the takes.
36:54
I want to zoom out a little bit and give you an opportunity to
36:58
talk about maybe another team or two in the field, either at the
37:02
absolute top end or somewhat of a dark horse that you're
37:05
expecting some really exciting stuff from.
37:10
Really good question. Yeah, I mean, this Olympics,
37:12
it's 12 teams. It's really, really hard to
37:16
qualify for the Olympics for one.
37:18
But to win the Olympics, like you're talking about the 12 best
37:22
teams, there's really no room for error.
37:25
It's a simple mistake and you're completely knocked out.
37:27
Like I think I'm very excited to see how Australia do.
37:31
I think there are teams that have learned a lot of losing and
37:35
have learned a lot of not to do and what to do.
37:38
And they've gotten so close to podium that it almost feels like
37:41
this this is their chance. And I wouldn't be surprised if
37:44
they go in with really good odds against them.
37:45
So I think Australia is a team that will be watching very
37:48
closely. Granted, they don't have Sam
37:50
Curt, so you're always going to have the what ifs and those
37:53
luring questions. But another team that I think
37:55
I'm particularly also excited to watch is Japan.
37:58
Like Japan is a solid team and really if you look at who could
38:01
beat Spain on paper, it is Japan.
38:04
Certainly that four nil win was a bit of a A1 off kind of thing.
38:08
And when you watch the game, like Japan's efficiency is
38:12
through the roof and their stats would tell you that.
38:14
I don't think Japan has ever played an efficient game as
38:17
that. But if there's a team that knows
38:20
how to put Spain in trouble, it's Japan.
38:22
So, you know, I hope Canada doesn't get to meet Japan
38:24
because stylistically they're just a nightmare.
38:27
But yeah, I think Australia and Japan are the two teams that I
38:30
really be watching and I think if people are not talking enough
38:33
about Japan, they really should be talking enough because
38:36
there's a scary side. For sure, sure.
38:39
Full cosign from us. We're big Japan advocates over
38:42
here. I obviously, you know, I wear
38:46
the Crest on my chest from time to time.
38:48
But when that Japan game against Spain, Dino and I talked about,
38:51
I just said, man, they look like Manchester City out there.
38:53
The way they were knocking the ball around, they knew where
38:56
each other were going to be. Like they have a cohesion to
39:00
their style of play that when it is on and clicking, it's just
39:04
masterful. And I will say, Dino and I, we
39:06
can be a bit of gluttons for punishment at times.
39:09
I would love to see USA play Japan.
39:12
And I realize all our US supporting fans out there like
39:15
no, no, no, no, let's avoid them if we can.
39:17
But I want to see it. I want to see the way it looks.
39:20
So if you guys can avoid them, that's fine.
39:23
We'll take them on down here. I'd be excited to watch it.
39:26
All yours, I'll be watching too for sure.
39:30
But you're right, like when they when they're clicking, they're
39:31
clicking. It's like to continue this
39:33
basketball reference that you always bring when somebody's hot
39:35
from the three, they're hot from it.
39:37
They're not missing it. It goes in all net and like when
39:41
they're hot from their passing accuracy and their their quick
39:43
movement, like good luck chasing because it tears into a game of
39:46
like can chase like you're just chasing a mouse and chest as are
39:49
you're not catching them. So US Japan would would be a
39:52
game that I'll have my popcorn ready and I'll be sad to watch
39:55
that for sure. Absolutely.
39:57
Yeah, I think, I think we did the bracketology.
40:00
Here on the on the pod, maybe last episode and I think USA
40:03
Japan is super live for a first quarterfinals matchup.
40:06
I think so. Oh, yeah, I think that's right.
40:08
Yeah. If they finish second to Spain,
40:11
I don't we're we're gonna, we're gonna go out and and guess on
40:14
this. But I think that's how it worked
40:15
out. I like that.
40:17
But I mean the field is so loaded that it kind of feels
40:19
like anything in the quarterfinals is gonna be must
40:22
watch. Yeah, it's the Olympics for you.
40:24
You literally get on this a game, they're all gonna be
40:28
fireworks. Absolutely.
40:31
Well, let me let me regroup here.
40:32
Grant, do you have anything? I want to go back to something
40:35
real quick. You mentioned that Ashley
40:36
Lawrence has the athleticism and the intelligence that you could
40:39
possibly put her in goal if you needed to, but luckily you just
40:43
have maybe the best goalkeeper in NWSL and Caitlin Sheridan.
40:47
Everything about her style of play, I like her attitude.
40:50
I like she'll pick up the ball and then she'll run to the top
40:53
of the 18 to look for a quick pass.
40:55
You can see, especially last match with the Wave, she was
40:58
goading teammates to be like, get out and run, come on, let's
41:00
do this. Like there are so many aspects
41:03
of her game that is just really entertaining to watch.
41:05
Not to mention the acrobatic saves.
41:08
I mean, you know, obviously we have an air down here.
41:11
You know, I have an affinity for England.
41:12
I think I can qualify myself as an England supporter.
41:15
I love Mary Erps, But from the Canadian perspective, what is
41:18
the Kailyn Sheridan experience like?
41:20
It is great, I have to say. You know, Canada is, is has been
41:24
known now for producing a great line of excellent goalkeepers.
41:27
You know, I had the Aaron McCoy, Stef Lebay coined as the
41:31
minister of defense and now we're spoiled with the likes of
41:34
Sheridan and Sabrina D'Angelo and Lisi and Peru, like all
41:38
three goalkeepers are goalkeepers that could be the
41:41
number one starting keepers. And so we are very lucky to have
41:45
such a great department, a goalkeeping department that
41:48
pushes themselves. Like I've had the privilege of
41:51
speaking to Liz on on my pod and and Caitlin also for, you know,
41:55
a chat on Canadian Soccer Daily. They are there to make each
41:58
other better. And I think always interesting
42:00
to see how these goalkeepers train together because they want
42:03
to push each other. But essentially they're always
42:04
fighting for that same spot. And he never got the attitude of
42:08
like, yeah, we're actually fighting for the same spot.
42:10
It's almost like the end product is between us all together.
42:13
If D'Angelo doesn't get a clean sheet, that is the goalkeeper
42:17
union. That's not just D'Angelo, which
42:19
is a really refreshing kind of mindset.
42:21
And again, tells you a little bit more about how much the
42:24
steam really values clean work from the back.
42:26
But can't Sheridan is just I mean, it's time to give her her
42:29
flowers because she is one of the best goalkeepers in the
42:31
game. She does not get enough praise
42:33
for that. The acrobatic saves that she
42:36
shows for San Diego, the personal awareness that she has
42:39
shown. And I think too, if you look
42:41
back to some of our games with, you know, Gotham to now, her
42:44
distribution is like night and day.
42:46
It's really shot up and and I think that has really made her
42:50
what you would say a complete goalkeeper.
42:52
She has learned so much from the modern game.
42:54
She's also the goalkeeper that is smart.
42:56
She almost never looks under pressure, which is a tough thing
42:59
to say for a goalkeeper. She's reliable, she's there.
43:02
She almost never stops giving orders from the back.
43:06
Like she's vocal, she'll continue talking to her back
43:08
line and she loves working with that back line because they're
43:11
all aiming for that same goal. And at the same time, Caitlyn is
43:14
such a great human being that she really cares for her
43:17
teammates and she cares for her opposition.
43:19
Even sometimes like they're going down, she's the 1st to
43:21
check on them. But that also is exactly what
43:23
we've seen from like every Canadian goalkeeper this program
43:26
is. They're great people and
43:28
they're, you know, like I was taught very oddly when I was
43:31
speaking to Evelyn VN on on the path too.
43:34
I also heard about that Costa Rica goal that she hit an extra
43:37
time, but right before it. And, and I think some of you
43:40
guys remember Caitlyn Sheridan saved some ridiculous goal in
43:44
like the 19th minute. It was like off the line by her
43:47
foot, like inches. I still repeat that in my head
43:50
sometimes. And I was asking Evelyn about it
43:52
and she's like, you know what? The first thing that I did the
43:54
next day was check my phone and it was Caitlyn texting like,
43:57
thank you so much for scoring that goal.
43:58
And it was like, no, no, no, thank you for saving that and
44:02
taking us the extra time. And it just shows you how much
44:06
this team is really together and it shows you how much they
44:09
really appreciate each other. And Caitlin Sheridan is so
44:11
humble. She's so selfless, almost too
44:13
humble sometimes. It was awesome to see so many
44:16
shirts repping Caitlin Sheridan and this Toronto game, a lot of
44:19
San Diego shirts, they were all wearing Sheridan.
44:22
It's awesome. She, you know, when is that
44:25
backup goalkeeper last Olympics won gold with them and she's
44:28
going to go in as the number one consider.
44:30
And I don't think she's really afraid of that.
44:32
Like she's going to continue thriving.
44:34
She's so consistent, she's so good.
44:35
She comes up big, she's clutch. I think people have asked me
44:38
like if you were to set up the best starting 11, Caitlyn
44:42
Shannon's always going to be in gold for me.
44:44
She is that great. And I think she doesn't get
44:46
enough props, probably because she's Canadian.
44:49
It's a kind of on brand, but she's fantastic when an
44:52
ambassador for the program. And yeah, she's want to watch.
44:56
Certainly might give you some nerves.
44:57
Like when she's going up to the far end of the 18, like boxes,
45:01
like, OK, you let the ball go. But like, we've got enough trust
45:05
to see what she's about to do it.
45:06
And usually she's cooking something.
45:08
So in Sheridan, we do trust. Let's go Miriam, you got to be
45:13
so pumped to watch kicking. I think this is our third
45:15
official deep dive country preview and I feel like you've
45:20
done the most to raise the stock of the of the the country that
45:23
we're looking at. I'm not I'm like, yeah, I can
45:24
see Canada in that semi final, you know, maybe scratching for a
45:27
bronze. I mean, who knows?
45:29
The good part about it is once you win that first quarter final
45:31
match up, you're in the deep, deep mix.
45:33
I think that's kind of like the the major hurdle to get over.
45:36
So I think you definitely got us pumped.
45:38
Please let our audience know where they can find you and your
45:42
tremendous work. Well, you can find me at she
45:45
scores bangers on YouTube, Spotify, Apple, Google Podcasts.
45:49
I know those kind of closed up just recently, Canadian podcasts
45:52
for any of my Canadian folks. And then she scores Banger with
45:56
no S on X. It's kind of where some of my
45:59
work and coverage and and writing goes down.
46:01
So yeah, it's pretty much all the same across all platforms.
46:04
All right. Thanks again, Miriam.
46:06
Anything else you want to hit before we get out of here?
46:08
Just don't look at Canada as one of the underdogs.
46:13
No, but listen, I am very excited for the Olympics.
46:15
I think most of us are. And Canada's a great team.
46:18
They're going in as the reigning Olympic champions.
46:20
Let's also give them their flowers.
46:22
And hey, if they podium, I I'll be very glad to say that I said
46:26
it first. So yeah, nothing to add on, but
46:29
let's let's really start looking at Canada's proper contenders
46:31
because they might be surprising a few people now this summer.
46:34
Oh yeah, I think they got to be in the mix.
46:36
All right. Well, I'm glad we were able to
46:37
put our USA Canada blood feud aside for, you know, roughly an
46:41
hour to really get into it here. We definitely appreciate the
46:44
time. All right, team, I think we did
46:46
it. There's been another episode of
46:47
it to the channel. Thank you, thank you, thank you
46:48
for watching, listening, liking, subscribing, just plain hanging
46:51
out. We definitely appreciate it and
46:53
remember it. Like if you liked and subscribe
46:55
or follow into the channel, YouTube, Spotify, Apple podcast
46:58
or wherever you like to watch or listen links to all of our
47:00
socials available on the show notes of this episode.
47:03
Big thank you to my coast as well, Mr. Grant Engel for let's
47:08
let's aim a little higher than that bronze.
47:10
We're going for the gold this season.
47:12
I think we've assembled a monster squad to help us make
47:15
that happen. Either way, we're super excited
47:17
for this Olympics. Let's go.
47:18
Totally excited. Thank you again to Miriam Karabi
47:21
for joining us. And just remember on into the
47:24
channel, we always respect our neighbors to the north.
47:27
And so for everybody, thanks for watching.
47:29
We will see you guys next time.