Canada WNT looking for redemption against France

It is rare that a team defending back-to-back championships in a competition should be seeking a shot at redemption, but such is the narrative for Canada ahead of the 6 March 2012 Cyprus Women’s Cup Final against France in Larnaka (17.30 local kick-off | 10.30 ET / 07.30 PT).

While the team is firmly focused on looking forward to the London 2012 Olympics, players today spoke candidly about a desire to put things right against the French side that knocked Canada out of Germany 2011™ in heartbreaking fashion.

2012 Cyprus Women’s Cup: LeBlanc, Scott and Parker preview the final

“It’s a big game against France,” said midfielder Desiree Scott. “Those who watched the FIFA Women’s World Cup know that we will be looking for a little bit of redemption in this game. It’s going to be a battleground out there and we just want to show the massive steps that we’ve taken as a team and set things right when we play them.”

Scott’s insistence that Canada have made significant progress since the lows of the early exit at the FIFA Women’s World Cup in July is a belief shared by fellow midfield mainstay Kelly Parker.

“We didn’t have our best performance against France at the FIFA Women’s World Cup,” said Parker. “We would love to come out tomorrow and play the best brand of soccer that we’ve played in a very long time and hopefully it’s enough to get us a championship.”

Since the summer’s bitter defeat to France, Canada has: been crowned gold medallists at the Pan American Games Guadalajara 2011; experienced a thrilling and successful 2012 CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualifying campaign in front of its home fans in Vancouver; and has posted wins and draws against top-ranked sides such as USA, Sweden and Brazil along the way.

So with sights set on a podium finish at London 2012, the Cyprus Women’s Cup final against France represents the opportunity to enjoy a special footballing occasion while attempting to put the finishing touches on a remarkable journey of recovery.

“I think it will be a great final,” said veteran goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc. “We’ve had success at this tournament and we’re not the same team we were at the FIFA Women’s World Cup.”
 

From the Press Box: Canada v France Preview

Canada is taking part in the fifth edition of the Cyprus Women’s Cup. Throughout the 2012 Cyprus Women’s Cup, fans will be able to track the progress of the Canadian team via CanadaSoccer.com, as well as social media platforms on Twitter @CanadaSoccerEN, Facebook, Flickr and CanadaSoccerTV.

More than a place just for lounging in the sun, there’s lots of things happening in Cyprus all the year round. From cultural performance with big name stars, sports events to participate in or watch, to informative conferences where you can meet like minds. You’ll be surprised at what you can enjoy here. Visit the official website of the Cyprus Tourism Organisation for more details.