BRADENTON, Florida – For Head Coach Bev Priestman, Canada’s qualification for the 2018 FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup in Uruguay was all about trusting the process.
“I think with youth players it’s important that they stick to the process and the process will drive a result. They did and they delivered,” said Priestman, whose side topped Haiti 2-1 in the third-place match at the 2018 Women’s Under17 Championship to punch its ticket to the World Cup.
“A group of girls have had some pain from Haiti this year and I think they learned from that experience and they really delivered when in some ways a lot of pressure could have been on them. I think that is what drives development for the future. Those girls have learned and they’ve moved forward so we’re really happy to be at the World Cup,” added Priestman in a post-match interview with CONCACAF.com.
Canada will now begin its preparation for the World Cup this November in Uruguay where Priestman’s players will have a chance to face the best Under-17 teams on the planet.
“These girls are in a daily training environment that we’ve licensed across the country. They’ll be working on our curriculum every day to get better. Now they get another tournament experience against the world’s best. That’s part of their development and we’re really happy to be taking them there,” said Priestman.
At the same time, Priestman reflected on Canada’s CWU17 campaign and noted the growth seen across the board from all the teams in the tournament.
“We had some tough games. Arguably we had four really hard games that these girls had to be at their best and try to deliver in the way we want to play. For me the CONCACAF region is getting closer and closer, which long-term is great for the development of the women’s game,” concluded Priestman.
