Music: {allcanada} Canada amped up for South Korea friendly

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

{allcanada} Canada amped up for South Korea friendly

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You can hardly blame soccer fans if they fail to get excited about international friendlies. There isn't anything at stake, the games tend to lack a competitive edge, and coaches often experiment with lineups instead of playing their "A" teams. But exhibition matches such as Wednesday's contest between the Canadian women's team and South Korea in Edmonton are vital to the Reds as they prepare to compete in the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup to be staged on home soil.

That may sound silly since the World Cup is two years away, because, really, how important can these games be? But talk to the Canadian players and they'll tell you they are vital for development and measuring where they stand against other top teams. "The more games like this we get, the more prepared we'll be, especially when we're in the same stadium that we'll be playing in come the World Cup," says Canadian defender Emily Zurrer.

Wednesday programming alert: Watch Canada vs. South Korea in an international friendly from Edmonton live on Sportsnet ONE. Coverage begins at 9pm ET/7pm MT/6pm PT. | Sportsnet World Online | TV schedule

Canada is seventh in the current FIFA world rankings, 10 spots ahead of South Korea, whose only Women's World Cup appearance came in 2003. But the South Koreans are improving, and beat reigning world champions Japan at this past summer's East Asian Cup. "They like to keep (possession). They're small, but technical, and they're comfortable on the ball," Zurrer says. "They're not a team to be taken lightly."

The Canadians have won three of four matches against South Korea dating back to 2000, with they're lone loss coming earlier this year at the Yongchuan Cup tournament in China. Striker Ji So-yun, who scored two goals in South Korea's upset of Japan, also found the back of the net against Canada. "We actually played well against them; they just scored some other-worldly goals," Zurrer says. "They are definitely good at hitting balls from long range, so that's something we need to be careful about."

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This Canadian squad features the veteran core of players who were members of the bronze medal-winning team at the 2012 London Olympics. But this roster also features Sura Yekka, a 16-year-old defender who has earned her first call-up to Canada's senior team after participating in a number of youth camps earlier this year.

Coach John Herdman will use this friendly to continue his youth movement, giving up-and-coming prospects such as Yekka playing time and evaluating their performances. Veterans like Zurrer have been nothing but impressed. "It's been the easiest transition. I'm excited for the future of the team if these are the kind of prospects that come into the senior program," she says.

The South Korea match will also be the team's first since Herdman recently committed to Canada for the long term, signing a contract extension in September through the 2020 Olympics after expressing some interest in the vacant England job. Zurrer says he's well respected by the players, and had a hunch he'd stick around. "He's going to change the face of soccer in Canada and we're lucky to have him," she says.

NOTES: Veteran Kara Lang, who retired in 2011, has been with the team this week as she continues her comeback from two torn knee ligaments, but she won't play on Wednesday… Canada's next match is another friendly against Mexico Nov. 24 at Vancouver's B.C. Place Stadium. Herdman's side will then kick off its 2014 schedule with a road game against the United States on Jan. 31… The Canadian team's last fixture in Edmonton was a 4-3 loss to Germany in a 2005 friendly… Commonwealth Stadium holds the record for the biggest home attendance for a Canadian women's team game, with 29,953 fans attending a win over Mexico in 2003.

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