Canadian women’s soccer team head coach John Herdman used Sunday afternoon’s international friendly against Mexico to assess some fresh faces in his lineup.
The teams played a scoreless draw at B.C. Place before a boisterous hometown crowd of 21,217 that included many girls and young women in their own team colours and a red-bannered section of Voyageurs, the national team booster club.
Sixteen-year-old midfielder Sura Yekka was a standout for the Canadians and she took advantage of her second-ever cap to show she belongs on the senior national side, the hosts for the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Brought on after halftime, Yekka, from Mississauga, Ont., created scoring opportunities for Canadian captain and bona fide superstar Christine Sinclair.
Moments after she stepped on the pitch, the tenacious Yekka nearly split the defence down the right wing to open up space for Sinclair. She drew several penalties and corner kicks and also covered for Canada in the defensive end.
Her best interaction with the star striker came in the 68th minute when Yekka, again sped at full speed down the right wing, placed an inviting cross in front of Mexican goalkeeper Cecilia Santiago. Sinclair’s close-range shot was blocked by Mexican midfielder Lilliana Mercado.
For Herdman, the five-foot-six, 135-pound Yekka was a rare bright spot during an otherwise lackluster effort. Canada handily beat Mexico 3-1 in January 2012 at the same stadium to qualify for the 2012 London Olympics but nearly two years later, Herdman said his side lacked urgency.
“I still think we’re three or four players missing to be that team again and hopefully we can either find those players, or get those players back,” he said in a frank post-match news conference.
He looks forward to the return of powerhouse forward and prolific goal scorer Kara Lang, who is back on the roster after she retired three years ago at age 24 to deal with a nagging ACL injury. She is not yet cleared to play.
Along with mid-fielder Adriana Leon, 21, who Herdman said impressed with her stamina and spunk, he singled out Yekka as one of the young faces vying for a spot on the team.
“She brought a real spark,” he said. “If anything, she pretty much showed the way in terms of a positive attitude to really take it to Mexico and I think a couple players fed off her energy.”
After the match Yekka said she has always been passionate about the game and knew from a very young age she wanted to play at the highest possible level. Still, the teenager admitted it was hard to believe she has already suited up for the national side.
“Sometimes I just take a second and think, ‘Wow, am I really here?’ It is crazy, but it is really good and hopefully I stay,” said Yekka, who began playing soccer when she was six and entered the Canadian youth program just last year at the age of 15.
She hopes she can rejoin the senior team for its next international fixture, a key match next January against the U.S. in Texas.
“If I go, that would be the craziest thing ever because I remember going to the USA- Canada game as a fan and watching them,” she said. “And so now being able to play against them — I don’t even know how to describe it, is such a big jump.”
Olympic veteran and Burnaby native Sinclair, 30, first played with Yekka last month in Edmonton when the teen earned her first cap in a 3-0 win over South Korea.
Sinclair’s only smile during post-match interviews came when queried about Yekka.
“Sura stepped in and did tremendous,” she said.
The pressure will only continue to rise for the Canadians who want to medal as the hosts of the 2015 World Cup, which will be held at six stadiums across Canada. Herdman said players are competing to establish themselves and secure a roster position and he expects them to elevate their game.
“I hate coming away from a football match when you’ve got nil-nil on the score line, but it tells you a bit of a story on what we need to add to this team,” said Herdman.
Failing to produce the desired result against Mexico was frustrating for the Canadian head coach. The seventh-ranked hosts should have beaten Mexico, he said of the visiting side, currently ranked 24th in the world.
The Canadians travel to Frisco, Texas to play the U.S. on Jan. 31.
