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Hot on the heels of the announcement that the Canadian Women’s National Team will play its first home match in 2013 against rivals the United States at BMO Field in Toronto on Sunday June 2nd, RNO’s Melissa Tan had a chance to go 1v1 with Peter Montopoli, General Secretary of the Canadian Soccer Association, Diana Matheson, Canadian Women’s National Team midfielder, and John Herdman, Head Coach of the Canadian Women’s National Team.
Peter Montopoli
Melissa Tan: It’s awesome that the team is getting their homecoming. Some fans can be critical about why this game didn’t happen sooner. How did June 2nd come about?
Peter Montopoli: We knew we wanted to play the United States this summer. It’s a matter of discussions and negotiations with my counterpart at US Soccer to find out the right date, the right place, the right time. As it turns out, US Soccer is celebrating their 100th anniversary that day. They’re playing a men’s match in Washington against Germany and following that will be our match. It’s a very big day for US Soccer.
MT: Post-Olympics, there were announcements of sponsorships from Bell, Canadian Tire, Mark’s and Physio-Control Canada. Did winning the bronze medal have any effect on those deals?
PM: All those deals were in the works. Certainly Bell was and Canadian Tire. It was just a matter of it coming into contractual fruition. Maybe we were able to speed up the deals because of the success. We’ve had those deals in the works for a number of years.
MT: With the profile of the women’s game growing and with everything that’s going on with the youth programs and men’s program, how’s the Canadian Soccer Association covering this? Will there be growth in coverage?
PM: Our emphasis is continuing to grow our social media platform, whether it be YouTube, Twitter, Facebook. Our main focus will be in that area going forward.
MT: Are there any more details about the 2015 WWC that you can share as far as progress?
PM: No new details. We’re continuing to have dialogue with FIFA on a monthly basis with our staff and their staff. It’s progressing.
Diana Matheson
Melissa Tan: You’ve been one of the luckier players. You’re from Oakville and your family can see you play in Toronto. Do you have a few words on having the homecoming here?
Diana Matheson: We don’t play in Canada that often, but when we do it’s often been in Toronto lately. I personally love it because I can see all my family and friends. The #1 thing is that it’s our first game back in Canada after the Olympics and it’s a chance for us to thank the fans for all of their support. It’s a chance for the fans to come out and be rowdy and cheer against the US. What more can you ask for?
MT: With all the post-Olympic stuff that’s been going on, what are some of your highlights?
DM: The first six weeks were all a bit of a blur and a little surreal. Then I went to Norway for two months for the end of their season. It was great because I played with all those girls before, so it was nice to win the league with them. I’ve been home doing appearances and running camps with a lot of the girls and trying to visit as many people as we can and share the medal. It’s been a lot of fun.
MT: Do you have any details on your camps and schedule?
DM: We just got back from China a few weeks ago and we’re going to Cyprus in a week for three weeks. Pretty much after that, we’re heading down to our club teams in the US for pre-season from mid-March to September, and going in-and-out with the national team.
MT: How do you feel about joining the Washington Spirit?
DM: I’m excited about it! I’m excited about playing club soccer in the same timezone as my family.
MT: We can actually watch it on television without waking up in the middle of the night.
DM: I know! And you can drive down to [the US] to watch Canadians plays. It’s a pretty good deal.
MT: As a veteran, how are you integrating the younger players into the team?
DM: It’s been easy. They’ve been fitting in really well. They’re great people and they’re playing really well. John’s helping with it too, just making us aware that it’s not the easiest time and we’ve all experienced this, so we’ve tried to make it an easier experience for them.
John Herdman
Melissa Tan: Pre-Olympics you had some overarching themes, like making it to the podium or for older players stepping into leadership roles. Do you have any overarching themes or motivational quotes you’re using with the team now?
John Herdman: There’s a ‘Canada will’ that we’re trying to evolve with the team and what that means as a mindset. Not ‘Canada can’t’. That’s a hell of a shift from where we were. If you’re thinking about that, ‘Canada will’, you have to think about how we’ve got to shift tactically. That’s a new DNA and embracing tiki-taka as a concept. It’s what you see with the Spanish National Team, the Japanese, the Barcelonas of this world.
The other side is the mental side. It’s a completely different mindset heading into a game than what the US have, who know that they’re going to win every game.
Those are the two things we have to get pulled together and use through the next three years.
MT: How do you feel about the new batch of players that you saw?
JH: I’m very excited. They’re an exciting group. They bring a level of technical ability that I hadn’t seen before. It’s new energy; fresh energy. There’s a group there that will be very helpful to move the game forward.
MT: What can you tell us about the team’s training base in Canada.
JH: When we bring the residency together, it’ll be three-four months in Vancouver from November through to February.
CANWNT: 'The Rematch' v USA set for June 2nd at BMO Field:
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