WILSON: Why Julia Grosso is key to unlocking CanWNT's attacking potential
TORONTO – Heading into the CONCACAF W Championship, the Canadian Women's National Team carried the weight of their usual criticism heavy on their shoulders.
Namely, how will this team score more goals, more often?
It is the lingering narrative surrounding Bev Priestman's forward ranks, who have struggled to find the net consistently enough to begin the transition into their post-Christine Sinclair days,
But maybe the answer comes from the midfield.
To nobody’s surprise, Sinclair broke the deadlock in Canada's opener vs. Trinidad and Tobago; however the team then hit the woodwork, missed clear chances, and Jessie Fleming's penalty went over the bar.
The overcomplicated flow of play hinted at continued frustrations.
Then? A game-changer emerged.
After a season in Turin, Italy playing with Juventus, 21-year-old Julia Grosso returned to camp keen to display the full breadth of her footballing development to her Canadian teammates.
Highly-touted coming out of the University of Texas at Austin, Grosso's move to Juventus was a natural fit from day one. She made 14 appearances for Juve, as she adjusted to the heightened pace of pro football and settled into the squad.
Grosso's talent has been self-evident to those who watched Canada capture gold in last summer's Olympics ... but no one anticipated a two-goal, one-assist kind of night for the young midfield maestro coming off the bench.
Well... no one except Priestman.
"I think sometimes we stick to a script too much … and I gave them the freedom to express [themselves]," the Canada manager reflected, post-match.
"I never tell this team to play it safe. I think we've got to take the handbrake off."
Grosso took that particular set of instructions in and ran with it.
"I remember her telling me 'just really go for it, get in the box, [get] numbers in the box'" Grosso told OneSoccer.
"The game plan was to play out wide and get those crosses in. She just basically told everyone, 'Bring your individual creativity!'
“She always puts her faith in us and gives us confidence for going in."
GOAL 🇨🇦🇨🇦
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) July 6, 2022
JULIA GROSSO MAKES IT TWO! #CanWNT go up 2-0 over Trinidad and Tobago in this Concacaf W Championship clash, as Jordyn Huitema's deft touch sets up Grosso for the cool finish 😎#CWC | 🔴 https://t.co/7JFAUhgjL6 pic.twitter.com/ghy4DBntUC
After seven minutes on the pitch, the Vancouver native scored her first goal for the national team almost one year after scoring the Olympic gold-medal-winning penalty in Tokyo. She then added a second and an assist en route to Canada’s 6-0 win totalling three goal contributions in 26 minutes.
"It feels like a bit of a relief, almost," Grosso said, with a laugh. "I'm a player (who) feels like when I just get that one, then I feel more confident to go again. I felt like that's how it went.
"It was an honour to be alongside those players who were beside me to get that goal. It was a really cool experience."
Individually she put the ball in the back of the net. However, her ability to use her midfield skills and link up with her teammates (particularly Jordyn Huitema and Fleming) helped Priestman's side to shake that niggling narrative.
But credit must also go to the actual goal itself – a bit of intricate combination play that Canada rarely shows. That, alone, is a healthy sign of progress.
"With Jordyn, we've played together for so long so we've kind of already had that partnership, but also even with Jesse up top I think it's really good," Grosso reflected.
"I know the ball went from Jessie to Jordyn then to me and it was a goal but I think with those two it's really fun combining with them in the middle."
Gross went on to add a second goal as Canada cruised to victory.
GOAL 🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) July 6, 2022
JULIA GROSSO once again! 👀
The Juve midfielder adds a brace on her scoring debut, giving the #CanWNT a 3-0 lead over Trinidad and Tobago in this Concacaf W Championship clash 💪#CWC | 🔴 https://t.co/7JFAUhgjL6 pic.twitter.com/Ea8xcKLboB
But, heading into their second group-stage match (vs. Panama, July 9 at 10PM ET / 7PM PT on OneSoccer), Grosso's game-changing ability leaves more questions for Priestman to answer.
The debate surrounding who will inevitably replace Sinclair’s role in the team remains open-ended, but perhaps a changing of the guard in midfield is the key to unlocking Canada's attack.
The six official midfielders include two 34-year-olds (Sophie Schmidt and Desiree Scott), with the latter occupying a starting role. Fleming (24) and Quinn (26) grab the other two spots, though Grosso's performance could lead to a tactical adjustment.
"With Julia, she's just got to believe in herself and join more and play forward more and that's exactly what she did," Priestman offered, to that end.
"In the defensive part of the game, she's working hard, but I think it's about joining in the box again, taking the handbrake off.
"You've seen in the Olympics, some games Julia started, other games other midfielders started. And I think that's a real pleasure as a coach where it's not just a given line-up. Credit to Julia … I thought she was fantastic."
Grosso is also keen to increase her role on the national team after already solidifying her place in Canadian soccer history.
"I think that goal (to win gold) may have given me some confidence to get on the ball more and utilize my strengths more on the field," Grosso offered.
"As a midfielder, I've got to bring more of that attack, getting in the box, scoring some more goals hopefully, and being an attacking threat alongside the strikers."
GOAL 🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) July 6, 2022
Janine Beckie. Five goals. What.
🤯 #CanWNT's attackers answer the call en masse, and Canada is up 5-0 over Trinidad and Tobago#CWC | 🔴 https://t.co/7JFAUhgjL6 pic.twitter.com/mnaXle55m5
Her teammates can reap the benefits of her growing confidence too – an asset that Priestman hopes to see more of in the future.
"The good thing is the goals are coming from more than one player. And I think that's maybe where this team will continue to evolve," Priestman explained.
"Confidence is everything and I think players got some of that tonight which will help us kick on."
As for the ghostly narratives, Grosso admits the squad is only focused on the task ahead, rather than any of the pressure – or the chatter – from outside.
"I think this team does a really good job not really worrying about outside sources," Grosso concluded.
"We stay united as a team and worry about each other … We don't really pay attention to that!"
