Andy Spence has been working tirelessly since taking over as interim head coach of the Canadian women’s national soccer team at the Paris Olympics.
Spence, who is in charge of a coaching staff cut in half by the drone surveillance scandal, is sticking to the same style he used as an assistant, leading the team to three straight wins despite an avalanche of distractions last week.
“I would say he’s a light,” Canadian defender Ashley Lawrence said. “He’s got great energy, he’s very positive. I think he’s the guy we need on the team right now.”
Canada narrowly missed out on a group stage place after FIFA imposed a six-point penalty on them for their role in the Canadian soccer scandal, a sanction that sent the team into must-win mode much earlier than expected.
View l Gilles scores game-winning goal as Canada beats Colombia.
After Canada was penalised six points for drone reconnaissance, Vanessa Gill scored the game-winning goal in Canada’s 1-0 win over Colombia, sending the country to the quarter-finals of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
Vanessa Gilles scored in the 12th minute of added time in Canada’s dramatic 2-1 win over hosts France last week and again on Wednesday night in a 1-0 win over Colombia to help Canada advance to the knockout stages.
“It would have been really easy for us to go our separate ways and say, ‘What’s the point?’” she said. “But we seized the slim chance[to move forward]and that energized us to move forward.”
Team Canada traveled to Marseille on Thursday to prepare for a quarterfinal match against Germany on Saturday.
“It’s only been a week and a half but it feels like years,” Gilles said after the match in a damp Stade de Nice.
WATCH | Former Canadian national team player Claire Lustad reviews Canada’s big win:
As the Canadian women’s team advances to the quarterfinals, let’s take a look at what’s in store.
Head coach Bev Priestman was sent home last week after a team performance analyst was caught using a drone to record a New Zealand practice session. FIFA has banned both of them for a year, as has the assistant coach the analyst reported on.
Canada Soccer said it will conduct a full investigation. There is no indication that players were involved, but it was they who were affected by the rankings.
“There’s just a lot of things that are out of control and incomprehensible,” Jill said. “We really don’t understand and there’s no explanation as to why six points were (deducted).”
Before the game, the players were informed via group text that their appeal against the sanction had been dismissed. Regardless of the decision, they were still able to move forward with a win and were focused on that.
Spence, who is usually known for his loud mouth, softened his words a bit ahead of a must-win match.
“Just the mentality of the players, I knew right away that I didn’t have to say much,” he said. “They just had to be themselves, and that’s what they did.”
Spence, 41, has denied any knowledge or involvement in the drone incident. As part of the FIFA sanctions, Canadian soccer was fined about C$313,000.
The program originally had a six-person coaching staff for the game: Spence, head coach Neil Wood and goalkeeping/set play coach Jen Herst.
Watch: March On: From the Abyss of Despair to the Quarterfinals:
Donovan Bennett tells the story of how the Canadian women’s soccer team overcame a six-point deduction to advance to the knockout stages of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Spence, a Liverpool native, managed Everton in the FA Women’s Super League before joining Canadian Soccer in 2022.
“I’ve tried to remind myself what I need to stay true to,” Spence said. “What my character is and what my beliefs are as a football coach, and I really need to stay true to that.”
Eighth-placed Canada (3-0-0) fell behind top-ranked France (2-1-0) in Group A. The defending champions were able to reset ahead of knockout play thanks to their advance through the group stage.
“The staff and the players know they have our back and we have their back,” Canadian defender Kadayisha Buchanan said. “It’s going really well.”
Germany (2-1-0) finished second in Group B and are ranked fourth in the world.
Canada is looking to make it four straight Olympic podium appearances, with the finals scheduled for August 10 in Paris.
