Olympics

MANCHESTER, England -- At the end of the game, Christine Sinclair stood alone on the field, hands on her hips, staring. At the Americans celebrating. At her teammates crumpled on the grass. At the officials walking off. At her own shattered dream.

"Devastated," Sinclair said. "We feel like we didn't lose. We feel like it was taken from us. It's a shame in a game like this that's so important the referee decided the result before it started."

That's a very strong statement, but the bitter Canadian women were full of strong statements after Monday's 4-3 overtime loss to the United States. Goalkeeper Erin McLeod said her team "outplayed the Americans the entire game." Their coach called the refereeing "bizarre decisions."

Their anger was over a chain of events that began with about ten minutes of regulation left to play, with the referee's call against McLeod for stalling. At the time, Canada was up 3-2, the third time it had taken the lead on the U.S. The call -- which came without an official prior warning -- resulted in an indirect free kick, which resulted in a hand ball call against Canada, which led to a penalty kick by Abby Wambach and to the U.S. reclaiming a tie.

"It was shocking," said Sinclair.

Sinclair, 29, is one of the great players on the planet. But not that many people know the native of Burnaby, British Columbia, because she plays for a team that rarely plays in the international spotlight.

Canada has made it to the semifinals of a major tournament only once in their history - at the 2003 World Cup, when Sinclair was a 20-year old college student at the University of Portland. Other than that, their best showing in either a World Cup or Olympics was a quarterfinal loss to the U.S. in Beijing four years ago.
But on Monday, Sinclair finally had her showcase game. And she shined. She scored a hat trick -- three goals. She put Canada ahead in 22nd minute, slipping through the American defense.

"I felt like a sitting duck," said goalkeeper Hope Solo, who has been battling Sinclair since their college days in the Northwest at the University of Washington and Portland, respectively. "She was wide open in the six-yard box and she had me to my left or to my right."

Sinclair scored again in the 67th and the 73rd minutes -- the last two goals on devastating headers.
"I think we're the better team in the air, but we didn't win those air battles as much as we would like to," Solo said.

But three goals weren't enough. Sinclair would have needed a fourth to secure the win.
"I just want to help our team win," she said. "In big games, big players re expected to turn up. And I tried to do that."

With Sinclair's three goals, and Abby Wambach's one goal on the penalty kick, the two players moved into a tie for second place on the most goals scored in international games, at 143. Mia Hamm has the most at 158. Sinclair also set a Division 1 record for goals with 39 in 2004, leading Portland -- for the second time in her career -- to an NCAA national championship.

"I think it's kind of funny, with my career that I've had, that people wouldn't know it," Sinclair said.
But stars are made in the international spotlight and Canada hasn't played in many big games. They've also been owned by their neighbor to the south. Monday's was their 27th game without victory against the Americans, a streak dating back to 2002.

Before the game, Pia Sundhage warned her team that they really had only one thing to worry about.

"Where is Sinclair playing?" Sundhage said before the game. "This is the first question we will try to figure out."

They never could figure it out on Monday.

"What a wonderful player," Sundhage said. "She was a handful."

But at the end of the game, the handful felt empty. And devastated. And robbed.

Canadian head coach John Herdman is asking for empathy ahead of the Olympic women’s soccer bronze medal match.

Not from Canada, a country that rose up in a rage usually reserved for hockey when it felt it’s team was wronged by a Norwegian referee, but from FIFA, the imperious governing body of world soccer, which announced Tuesday afternoon that it is “analysing incidents that occurred after the conclusion,” of Canada’s controversial 4-3 loss to the U.S. on Monday in a semi-final match in Manchester. The unspoken threat of suspension or fine thus hung over the team Tuesday as it attempted to regroup ahead of Thursday’s bronze medal match against France.

To the U.S. reporter, Christine Sinclair’s three goals (against the United States) in a spellbinding Olympic semi-final (against the United States) at Old Trafford (against the United States) meant she was now a household name. How, the captain of Canada’s women’s soccer team was asked, did she view it?

“I think it’s kind of funny …,” Sinclair responded, looking away and taking a deep breath before starting up again, “I think it’s kind of funny that with the career I’ve had, people wouldn’t know about me. In semi-final games and finals, big players are expected to step up. And I tried to step up.”

When the powers that be decide who gets to carry Canada’s flag for the closing ceremony, they could do worse than Captain Canada. She has defined Canada’s London Games, just as she has defined a sport played by more kids in this country than any other.

Prior to the men’s basketball victory, Team USA’s women’s soccer team won a thrilling 4-3 overtime victory against Canada. The game was watched by 2.92 million viewers (1.84 HH rating) on NBC Sports Network from 2:45-5:30 p.m. ET, the best ever for that daypart on the channel. The 5-5:30 p.m. ET half-hour, which was when Alex Morgan scored the game-winning goal, was watched by 3.84 million viewers, making it the most-watched half-hour of the Olympics to date on NBC Sports Network.

Canadian captain Christine Sinclair and forward Melissa Tancredi were among several players highly-critical of the work of Norwegian referee Christina Pedersen in Monday’s 4-3 semi-final loss to the U.S.

Pedersen, who has worked international games since 2007 and was one of 16 referees selected to work the 2011 women’s World Cup, made several awkward calls impacting the game, the worst of them against Canada.

“We feel cheated,” Sinclair said afterward. “It’s a shame that in a game as important as that, the ref decided the result before it started.”

Said Tancredi: “She (Pedersen) could have done a better job. A way better job. This is the semi-finals. We’re supposed to be professionals and they should act like one too. I feel robbed. That’s all I can say. I said to her: ‘I hope you can sleep tonight and put on your American jersey because that’s who you played for today.'”

When FIFA announced its disciplinary committee was going to investigate the post-match actions, there was concern in the Canadian camp that some key players might be suspended for the bronze-medal match.

LONDON -- Canada players are clear to start the bronze-medal match at the Olympic women's soccer tournament because a FIFA probe into their behavior won't be completed before the game kicks off Thursday.

FIFA is investigating "incidents that occurred" following Canada's 4-3 semifinal loss against the United States on Monday.

Canada players, including forward Christine Sinclair who scored all three of her team's goals, were openly critical of the Norwegian match referee.

However, FIFA said Wednesday that its disciplinary panel cannot prosecute the case before Canada plays France for bronze.

"In view of the elements currently at its disposal, the FIFA disciplinary committee considers that further investigation will be needed regarding incidents that occurred after the match," FIFA said in a statement. "Further information will be provided in due course, but not prior to the bronze-medal match."

“We came here for a medal,” she said defiantly. “It might not be the colour we want, but I don’t think I’d want to be the team that plays us next"

ejjqb wrote:Even two won't be enough. Sundhaghe still hasn't learned her lesson about the risk of taking Megan out. She gets knocked because of her defense but once again the US gives up a critical goal shortly after she leaves the game. And now the US is without its real offensive catalyst. Sometimes a good offense is as good as a good defense when you can't maintain possession, which Megan does so well. I'll just be holding my breath for the rest of the game.

Christine Sinclair is still bitter, and is still standing by her words
LONDON -- She called it the best day of her soccer life, and it was. Canada beat France. Canada achieved its goal of winning an Olympic medal. Christine Sinclair could be happy and proud, finally.

Still, she couldn't be satisfied. Because after the Canadians played for bronze Thursday in front of thousands of empty seats in Coventry, they had to bus two hours to London. They had to watch the United States play Japan for gold in jam-packed Wembley Stadium. They had to watch the Americans win.

"It was difficult," Sinclair said Friday. "Obviously we had won the bronze, and we were absolutely thrilled with that. Yet knowing that we were so close to being in that game, and knowing that we took the Americans to the absolute brink and they have the gold medal …"

She tsked.

"Still a little bitter."

By Paul Kennedy

Thursday's USA-Japan Olympic gold-medal match was watched by 4.35 million viewers and had a national household rating of 2.74, making it the most-watched and highest-rated event ever on NBC Sports Network.

Until the 2012 Olympics, NHL Stanley Cup Final broadcasts on VERSUS had been the network's most watched events,

Additionally, the USA-Japan match drew 1.467 million streams on NBCOlympics.com, the most-streamed event in Olympics history.

NBC SPORTS NETWORK VIEWING
EVENT ... VIEWERS
1. 2012 Olympic Women's Soccer: USA-Japan 4.350 million
2. 2010 NHL Stanley Cup Final Game 3: Flyers-Blackhawks 3.600 million
3. 2009 NHL Stanley Cup Final Game 4: Red Wings-Penguins 3.448 million
4. 2012 Olympic Men’s Basketball: USA vs. Argentina 3.330 million
5. 2012 Olympics -- Including Rowing Qualifying 3.140 million
6. 2010 NHL Stanley Cup Final Game 4: Flyers-Blackhawks 3.126 million
7. 2009 NHL Stanley Cup Final Game 3: Red Wings-Penguins 2.955 million
8. 2012 Olympic Women's Soccer: USA-Canada 2.918 million
9. 2011 NHL Stanley Cup Final Game 3: Canucks-Bruins 2.757 million
10. 2011 NHL Stanley Cup Final Game 4: Canucks-Bruins 2.714 million
*NBC Sports Network was rebranded from VERSUS in Jan. 2012.

With 1.467 million streams

RipCityPilot wrote:

DoubleDipper wrote:jingoistic

I feel that this is DD's word of the month...

DoubleDipper wrote:

RipCityPilot wrote:

DoubleDipper wrote:jingoistic

I feel that this is DD's word of the month...

Ha hah, sorry, I hope you didn't have to look it up both times I used it.

But why else would the IOC continually play national anthems and provide medal counts if it were not about NATIONALISM!

We don’t want to fight, yet by jingo, if we do,We’ve got the ships, we’ve got the men,And got the money, too!