Laura Harvey said in an interview that she's 100% focused on Seattle "right now".
Casey Stoney heard the rumors and made a big thing about signing an extension until 2027.
one of those isn't like the other.
Harvey is currently managing a team without an ownership group in place as a long drawn out sale process continues to play out with the Reign and their roster has been depleted from last years side. Stoney is 100% out for next season, yeah, but based on what Harvey has said compared against how Stoney handled things, I would say Harvey is still very much available.
Yes this is an interesting point and definitely isn't as definitive! And Harvey is obviously super accomplished but even so hasn't managed in England for over a decade
To be fair to Priestman, Canada was hampered by injuries to Fleming, Prince, Beckie, Scott and Jade Rose, during the world cup, which made them revert to a formation they were moving away from. AND the Canadians were fighting their federation for backpay and pay equity in the lead up to the world cup. Canada Soccer is still in disarray and is still missing a general secretary. Retaining Priestman is crucial for continuity--she also won an Olympics 8 months into the job! While her tactics were exposed during the World Cup, Priestman pulled out a brave brand new formation to get them back to the Olympics, a change which could have gone terribly wrong. She also stood behind her players during their labour dispute and oversaw the retirement of the world's greatest goalscorer, which leaves them in a period in which the team will need as much continuity as possible. I'm not sure that Canada's exit from the World Cup should be called embarrassing, certainly disappointing, but I think those women and Priestman deserve a bit more than shame for the year they had.
This is all very fair and maybe my view has been tinged somewhat by the nature of that final defeat to Australia - and I think you are right on the continuity aspect. I guess what is interesting with Priestman is the question of whether the performances at the World Cup are the standard or whether she can take them further. My hunch would still lean somewhat more towards the former but ties into the broader point - given her successes and preceding relationships with the players, why would you give someone else a go?
I think how they do going forward is very much an open question--they could do really well, or they could fall apart. They did beat Australia in December with a new formation (3-5-2) and more or less the same player group. Their gold cup selection skews significantly younger (average age of 26), so they're in a transition period. But, they don't have a solid number 9 yet and that remains their biggest problem.
I don't think anyone else would want to come into Canada soccer at this point so I'm grateful the players get to work with someone they trust. The general secretary search is ongoing and the men's team only has a provisional coach. I do maintain however that the general derision towards Canadian soccer by Europeans is unhelpful in growing the game's reach.
Laura Harvey said in an interview that she's 100% focused on Seattle "right now".
Casey Stoney heard the rumors and made a big thing about signing an extension until 2027.
one of those isn't like the other.
Harvey is currently managing a team without an ownership group in place as a long drawn out sale process continues to play out with the Reign and their roster has been depleted from last years side. Stoney is 100% out for next season, yeah, but based on what Harvey has said compared against how Stoney handled things, I would say Harvey is still very much available.
Yes this is an interesting point and definitely isn't as definitive! And Harvey is obviously super accomplished but even so hasn't managed in England for over a decade
To be fair to Priestman, Canada was hampered by injuries to Fleming, Prince, Beckie, Scott and Jade Rose, during the world cup, which made them revert to a formation they were moving away from. AND the Canadians were fighting their federation for backpay and pay equity in the lead up to the world cup. Canada Soccer is still in disarray and is still missing a general secretary. Retaining Priestman is crucial for continuity--she also won an Olympics 8 months into the job! While her tactics were exposed during the World Cup, Priestman pulled out a brave brand new formation to get them back to the Olympics, a change which could have gone terribly wrong. She also stood behind her players during their labour dispute and oversaw the retirement of the world's greatest goalscorer, which leaves them in a period in which the team will need as much continuity as possible. I'm not sure that Canada's exit from the World Cup should be called embarrassing, certainly disappointing, but I think those women and Priestman deserve a bit more than shame for the year they had.
This is all very fair and maybe my view has been tinged somewhat by the nature of that final defeat to Australia - and I think you are right on the continuity aspect. I guess what is interesting with Priestman is the question of whether the performances at the World Cup are the standard or whether she can take them further. My hunch would still lean somewhat more towards the former but ties into the broader point - given her successes and preceding relationships with the players, why would you give someone else a go?
I think how they do going forward is very much an open question--they could do really well, or they could fall apart. They did beat Australia in December with a new formation (3-5-2) and more or less the same player group. Their gold cup selection skews significantly younger (average age of 26), so they're in a transition period. But, they don't have a solid number 9 yet and that remains their biggest problem.
I don't think anyone else would want to come into Canada soccer at this point so I'm grateful the players get to work with someone they trust. The general secretary search is ongoing and the men's team only has a provisional coach. I do maintain however that the general derision towards Canadian soccer by Europeans is unhelpful in growing the game's reach.