Music: {allcanada} Preview: Canada vs. South Africa

Friday, July 27, 2012

{allcanada} Preview: Canada vs. South Africa

Ranked 61st in the world by FIFA and aware of the reality that a medal isn't necessarily in the cards, the South Africans came to the London 2012 Olympic Games with the goal to simply put on a good show.

In game one versus fourth ranked Sweden, while her team allowed four goals against, star striker Portia Modise showed that she can be a threat to even some of the best defenders in the game.

Modise's long range strike from nearly 45-yards out caught Swedish goalkeeper Hedvig Lindahl off her line and gave her South African side its first goal of the tournament.

Modise now has 72 goals in 93 appearances for her country and is a player that Canada will certainly need to be aware of Saturday. The athletic striker is not the only danger in South Africa's attacking line, though.

Alongside Modise is Noko Matlou, and together the duo work tirelessly to chase down defenders in hopes of creating a quick counter attack.

The athletic front two being South Africa's greatest asset, the focus of their attack is getting the ball up the field by any means and as soon as possible.

Although the distribution from the fullbacks and goalkeeper isn't always accurate, the speed and strength of Modise and Matlou makes up for it. Dealing with this barrage of long balls is often the greatest challenge for opponents.

With a loss on Wednesday to Japan, the most important thing for Canada on Saturday will be getting three points. But the prospect of goal differential coming into play later in the tournament is one that cannot be ignored.

Getting an early goal will be important for the Canadian team, and once they get one, they'll have to keep their foot on the gas.

There were some very positive takeaways for Canada from game one. While a win or a draw would obviously have been ideal, the 2-1 loss to the defending world champions was by no means a reason to panic.

But Canadian head coach John Herdman's side took a very defensive approach against the Japanese and Canada can't afford to sit back at all against South Africa.

They'll need to be much more relentless in their attack and the first key will be getting Christine Sinclair more involved. Canada's service to the strikers as well as their ball possession in the final third will have to be better.

South Africa is not a team to be underestimated, but if Canada can find their finishing touch and stay switched on for 90 minutes, they should walk away with the win. The goal chances will come, but composure in finishing will be the difference for the Canadian women.

Keys for Canada:

Drop early on long balls:

South Africa's long-range defensive clearances can often become dangerous counter-attacks when Modise and Matlou get on the end of them. The Canadian back line will have to be prepared to anticipate this and drop early as a unit.

Switch the point of attack:

Individually, the South African's are very committed to winning defensive battles, but the side does not defend well as a team. There are huge gaps on the weak-side of the pitch as their whole team shifts to pressure the ball side.

In order to exploit South Africa's lack of defensive organization, Canada will need to switch the point of attack with an accurate and well-timed diagonal ball- either from the central defenders or the midfield.

Aerial battles and set plays:

This is one area where Canada will have a huge advantage. The Banyana are notoriously weak when it comes to aerial battles and their defenders often get caught ball watching on set pieces. Getting numbers in the box on both free kicks and on service from wide areas could be a sure way for Canada to dominate offensively.