Team Canada in Tokyo – Kaylyn Kyle Previews Women’s Soccer

With Euro 2020 in the books, the Canadian women’s soccer team will once again take centre stage for the country’s soccer fans this summer, as it aims for a third consecutive Olympic medal at Tokyo 2020.

While the men’s program has never been stronger in Canada, thanks in part to young, elite talent such as Alphonso Davies and Jonathan David, it was the women who put the sport on the map in the country.

Saskatoon’s Kaylyn Kyle won an Olympic bronze at London 2012 with the team, but is concerned that the national team is getting left behind by its rivals.

“We need a domestic league,” Kyle told the Green Zone after her induction to the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame earlier this year. “It’s not good enough sending our players to Europe (or) sending our players to America, we need to stop talking about it and start doing.”

Kyle explains that out of the eight nations to make the quarterfinals at the last FIFA World Cup in 2019, Canada was the only one without a domestic league, and that the uneven development of the game here will hamper the women’s program.

“No disrespect to the men’s program but look in Canada right now. We have two professional men’s leagues and no female leagues. That is outrageous and unacceptable.” Kyle said.

“You need to put money behind it, you need to keep players in our own country to train and play together and create an environment where we can be successful,” she added.

Despite this, Kyle remains optimistic that Canada can have a successful tournament in Tokyo once again, and push for another podium finish after back-to-back bronze medals in London and Rio.

Team Canada has a good balance of experience and youth in the squad, with 12 returning players from the Rio Games five years ago combining with six Olympic debutants, yet Kyle highlights veteran striker Christine Sinclair as the obvious threat.

“She hasn’t skipped a beat. She is literally aging like a fine wine,” Kyle said.

It is hard to disagree. Sinclair netted her 185th goal for Canada against St. Kitts and Nevis just last year in qualification for the Games, overtaking American Abby Wambach as the all-time leading international scorer.

“Sinclair can really lead the team, with players like Kadeisha Buchanan and Ashley Lawrence that have played in Champions League semifinals against each other,” Kyle said.

The Saskatoon star also said the format could give Canada an advantage, with countries like two-time world-champion Germany, not participating due to the European qualification process.

“For Canada it is an opportunity where we can medal. We tend to struggle in World Cups because it is the best of the best. I hope they medal but again it’s tough because all these other nations are starting to get stronger,” she added.

Canada has shown incredible resilience in the last two Olympic tournaments, recovering from heartbreaking semi-final defeats to the U.S.A and Germany, to take bronze on both occasions.

“It was that Canadian mindset where we don’t really focus on negative things,” Kyle recalled of the 2012 tournament. “We were angry, pissed off (and) emotional, but we knew that for all that hard work and all the people that were behind us, it was all worth it.”

Canada has a habit of playing spoiler for the hosts, defeating Great Britain in the quarterfinals in London and Brazil in the bronze-medal game in Rio.

The Canadians will have an opportunity to do that again, when they kick off their campaign against Japan at the Sapporo Dome in the early hours of July 21.

Canada’s Group E Fixtures
 
Canada vs Japan – July 21 – 04:30
Canada vs Chile – July 24 – 01:30
Canada vs Great Britain – July 27 – 05:00

Listen to Kyle’s chat with Jamie and Drew here – https://iono.fm/e/1075466