New kids on the pitch
It's Argentina, but the girls aren't gifted
By TERRY JONES -- Edmonton Sun
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Soccer is a religion in Argentina. But church isn't in yet for female futbol.
Canada has never won a World Cup soccer game before, but it'll be considered the upset of all Women's World Cup upsets if Argentina even gives Canada a game here tonight.
To most Canadians, this doesn't compute. This is the nation which gave the world Maradona and won two World Cups.
"It's almost the opposite,'' said coach Jose Carlos Borello of the difference between men's and women's soccer in his country.
"Our program for women has just recently started.
''We didn't have a team at all in 2001. We hardly played in 2002. We started as a team in January for South America qualifying but it was only a little bit of training together, stopping and starting again.
"We are paying the consequences,'' he said of a 6-0 loss to Japan in the first Women's World Cup game the nation has ever played.
It's a culture thing. In Brazil it's only now becoming socially acceptable to play women's soccer, much less watch it.
Due to Brazil's rapid rise after being in the same situation only a few short years ago, ready or not FIFA provided two qualifying spots for South America for this year's Women's World Cup.
RANKED 23 SPOTS BEHIND
Brazil was placed sixth in the inaugural Women's World Rankings. Argentina is ranked 35th, 23 spots back of Canada.
The same Argentina team Canada will play tonight finished fourth in the Pan-Am Games. A Canadian team made up of only five World Cup players - starters Kristina Kiss and Tayna Dennis and reserves Taryn Swiatek, Rhian Wilkinson and Linda Costalante - and featuring a dozen U-19 players, lost the gold medal game on a golden goal.
Women are just now starting to play the game in Argentina and not many in the major cities.
"Mostly it's outside. There are a lot more players outside than in Buenos Aires. There are a few starting now. Little by little. Since we qualified there is more interest and support.''
Unlike Germany, Canada and Japan, all of whom have decent-sized media contingents here, there's nobody from Argentina and Borello holds his thumb and index finger about two inches apart to indicate the length of reports being carried back home.
Borello says it's a culture thing. A macho thing.
Canadian coach Even Pellerud says it's not an exclusive story in women's soccer.
Mexico, a team Canada beat 8-0 in Edmonton and 6-0 in Vancouver on the road to the Women's World Cup, is coming out of the same thing. But Mexico, for their final World Cup qualifying game, drew 75,000 against Japan in Azteca Stadium.
"It was the same story in the south of Europe,'' said the coach who took Norway to the Women's World Cup title in 1995.
"Even 10 years ago it wasn't socially acceptable to play women's soccer in Europe. It's like that in a lot of cultures. But when it takes off ...''
Borello says he looks at a country like Germany, the one country which is a power in both women and men.
"I think Germany is the best country in this entire tournament this year,'' he said of the team his charges must face in their third game Saturday in RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C.
GETTING THE JITTERS OUT
He said he's glad Argentina didn't draw Germany for openers like the Canadians.
"I think the first game was mostly getting the jitters out of our system. It was tough, our first game against Japan.
''It was our first ever World Cup game. We were never relaxed on the pitch and never managed to play the way we are actually capable of playing.
''The other night served as experience. We have to learn not to make the big errors that we made the other night.''
Argentina was forced to play half the game a woman short when Natalia Gatti was red-carded. As a result Gatti will also not be able to play against Canada tonight.
