Concacaf W Gold Cup Takeaways: Canada's patience pays off against Paraguay

The Canadian women’s team is through to the knockout stages of the Concacaf W Gold Cup without having to shift into second gear.

Canada made it two wins from two matches following a decisive 4-0 victory over Paraguay on Sunday at Houston’s Shell Energy Stadium. The win marked the Olympic champions’ second comprehensive clean sheet having blanked El Salvador 6-0 in its tournament opener earlier this week.

Coach Bev Priestman made wholesale changes to her starting lineup from the El Salvador contest, including giving goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan, defender Vanessa Gilles, midfielder Ashley Lawrence and forwards Deanne Rose and Olivia Smith their first starts of the competition.

But the changes didn’t slow down Canada in the least. The Canadians, ranked No. 10 in the world, out-shot No. 50 Paraguay by a 24-2 count (12-1 in shots on target) and enjoyed 65 per cent possession in the first-ever meeting between the nations.

Here are three takeaways from the game.

Adriana Leon runs rampant with hat trick for Canada

Adriana Leon continues to wield the hot hand for Canada at the Gold Cup as she now leads the tournament in scoring with five goals.

The veteran striker bagged a brace and tallied an assist in the win over El Salvador and followed that up with a hat trick against Paraguay. Leon’s three-goal effort was her biggest offensive outburst for Canada since she scored four times in an 11-0 win over St. Kitts and Nevis in an Olympic qualifier on Jan. 29, 2020.

Leon, a 31-year-old from Mississauga, Ont., now has 36 goals in 107 international games, and has moved into a tie with current teammate Janine Beckie as Canada’s fourth all-time leading scorer.

All three goals from Leon were different, as she showcased the various sides of her attacking profile. She broke the deadlock in the 25th minute with an exquisite volley from close range when the ball fortuitously fell to her following a botched clearance by a Paraguay defender.

Her second goal to make it 3-0 in the 49th minute was an example of being in the right place at the right time, tapping home from inside the six-yard box after a cross from teammate Clarissa Larisey deflected off a Paraguay defender. She netted her third 57th minute off a tic-tac-toe passing sequence with Larisey and Ashley Lawrence when she powered home a shot from a tight angle into the roof of the net after making a great run into the penalty area.

Normally a fullback, Lawrence was deployed higher up the pitch as a midfielder against Paraguay. She effectively linked up with Leon and provided her with quality service throughout the match

“I have to say the right-hand side of Ashley Lawrence and Adriana Leon, I thought that was really dynamic in terms of Ashley coming into the midfield,” coach Bev Priestman offered.

Patience pays off for Canadians vs. pesky Paraguayans

It took Canada only three minutes to open the scoring against El Salvador and it was up 3-0 inside the first 30 minutes.

The Canadians found things a bit more difficult against Paraguay as Leon’s opening goal didn’t come until the 25th minute and the Reds didn’t manage to add a second goal until right before halftime.

Paraguay finished fourth at the 2022 Copa America Femenina and in fifth place at the 2023 Pan Am Games. As a result, the South Americans entered the Gold Cup with a bit of momentum and having developed a reputation for being a strong defensive team that likes to sit back against its opponents.

The Paraguayans defended deep and in numbers against Canada by putting as many bodies behind the ball as they could when not in possession. Their dour defensive tactics, combined with their physical play, frustrated the Canadians for the opening 20 minutes or so as it went searching for the game’s first goal.

But rather than lose focus, Canada remained patient and continued to ask questions of Paraguay with their sharp passing sequences, probing runs off the ball and at times more direct style of attack, especially in the second half.

“Scouting Paraguay, I knew they were going to be a difficult team to break down. Going into this, I knew they [defended] with a back four, and at times tonight, it was a back six, sometimes a back seven. So, we had to adjust some things tactically. That’s borderline impossible to get in. … It was a really difficult block to break down,” Priestman conceded.

She later added: “We adjusted very quickly in the game as soon as we saw that back six. How can we work around that and it started to unlock some things.”

Trio of Canada’s youngsters contribute to the cause

Leon will garner the majority of the headlines thanks to her three-goal effort against Paraguay. But the veteran forward was abetted by a trio of youngsters in helping Canada secure the win over Paraguay and a spot in the quarterfinals.

Olivia Smith, only 19, came off the bench in the second half vs. El Salvador and scored her first international goal and collected her first assist in only her fifth appearance for Canada. Priestman was so impressed with the young forward, who plays professionally for Portuguese outfit Sporting Club, that she handed Smith her first start on Sunday.

The native of Whitby, Ont., rewarded her coach’s faith by bagging Canada’s second goal of the contest in the 39th minute. The youngster showed great composure by pouncing on a rebound inside the penalty area and then side-stepping a defender before firing past goalkeeper Cristina Recalde at the near post.

Centre back Jade Rose, 21, had a hand in setting up Smith’s goal. It was her slide rule pass that cut open Paraguay’s defence and sent teammate Deanne Rose streaming down the right side before forcing Recalde to give up a rebound on her angled shot that led to Smith’s goal.

The defender’s distribution was immaculate all night and she played a key role in allowing Canada to record the clean sheet. Rose has yet to turn pro — she’s still in school at Harvard University — and she only has 15 caps to her credit. But she plays with a maturity level well beyond her years and the calming presence she offered Canada on this night was par for the course during her budding international career.

Midfielder Simi Awujo, 20, is also still in school at the University of Southern California. Her 10th appearance for Canada saw her come off the bench at the start of the second half and help Canada maintain its dominance in central midfield.

In the dying minutes, Awujo collected a pass from fellow substitute Clarissa Larisey and she put her head down as she drove into the box to draw a foul and earn Canada a penalty. Captain Jessie Fleming couldn’t convert it, but Awujo must be given plaudits for creating a scoring chance out of nothing.

“All three of those players [Smith, Rose and Awujo] have a super, exciting future in this team. They’re very much part of this team and they act like they’re part of this team,” Priestman said.