Amidst no shortage of controversy off the field, the Canadian Women’s Soccer team hopes to tune out the noise and continue its winning ways on the field. Following a 2-1 win over New Zealand in the tournament opener, Canada now takes on Olympic host France in the second of three group-stage games. Here’s what we expect to see heading into Sunday’s kickoff.
3:00 ap.m. ET Headliner: France vs. Canada
| Canada Win | +470 | France Win | -182 | Draw | +290 |
| Over 2.5 Goals | -110 | Under 2.5 Goals | -125 | Broadcast | CBC |
As mentioned, the lead story going into this game is the same as it was going into the opener – those pesky drones and the fallout from it. Canada’s Olympic Committee has taken the next step in proactive punishment for the discovery that the coaching staff may have been flying cameras over opponents’ practices, suspending head coach Bev Priestman for the remainder of the tournament.
Priestman had already recused herself from the opener, and the suspension now leaves them down a head coach, an assistant, and an analyst, with second assistant Andy Spence seeing over the rest of the tournament. Most alarmingly, according to Canada Soccer CEO Kevin Blue, there is evidence of previous incidents involving both the women’s and men’s teams, calling into question the accomplishments in Priestman and former Men’s & Women’s head coach John Herdman’s respective eras. While the gains that could be gotten by spying on a training session are likely minimal, it would be a shame to put a black mark on the women’s Gold Medal in 2021 and the men’s World Cup qualification in 2022.
Back to the present, the players will get to march on while the IOC and other bodies figure out what to do here, and now have a real opportunity to show the world that the success was primarily theirs, and not totally unearned through nefarious actions. They made their first impression in that regard on Thursday, conceding an early corner against New Zealand before getting an equalizer from Cloe Lacasse during first-half injury time and a late winner from Evelyne Viens. Normally, a 2-1 win wouldn’t have been the most beautiful result, but you’ll happily take it given the frenzy surrounding them.
Besides, France’s debut was a bit chaotic as well, with two goals in the first twenty minutes, a 3-0 lead at the half, and a near collapse, as they were able to just barely hold on to a 3-2 win. While they were able to control the lion’s share of possession as Canada did, Colombia peppered them with a ton of shots, suggesting open space for the right opponent.
Game Bets To Consider
- Watch out for Marie-Antoinette Katoto for France. The 25-year-old continued her run of form that she’d shown for her club at Paris Saint-Germain and scored two first-half goals in the opener. She has the shortest odds to convert again on either team, coming in at +130 anytime.
- With Canada’s debut featuring two first-half goals and France’s featuring three, it’s easy to assume that the excitement will come early again on Sunday. Betano has the goals over for the first half at -238 for 0.5 goals or +180 for over 1.5. If you’re feeling the opposite – perhaps a 0-0 repeat, perhaps take the full game under 2.5 at +120.
Bet on Canada vs. France
FRA -182
CAN +470
Other Olympic Soccer Games On July 28
There are five other games being played on July 28th.
In a tough break for attention, the best match of the day might be the one in direct conflict with Canada, as the ever-popular United States faces another medal contender in Germany. Both teams cruised to 3-0 victories in their openers, with the Americans putting Zambia to bed in the first 25 minutes while the Germans did more of their damage to Australia in the second half.
Brazil-Japan should also be a quality match, with the former looking to build off a 1-0 win against Nigeria, and the latter licking their wounds after 2-1 loss to Spain where their opponents controlled the ball.
| Away Team |  | Draw | | Home Team | Time (ET) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brazil | +172 | +225 | +147 | Japan | 11:00 AM |
| New Zealand | +570 | +310 | -222 | Colombia | 11:00 AM |
| Spain | -769 | +590 | +2000 | Nigeria | 1:00 PM |
| Australia | -455 | +490 | +1000 | Zambia | 1:00 PM |
| France | -182 | +290 | +470 | Canada | 3:00 PM |
| United States | +120 | +225 | +215 | Germany | 3:00 PM |
Latest 2024 Olympic Women’s Soccer Odds
Here are the latest Paris 2024 women’s soccer outright odds, heading into the matches on July 25th:
| Team | | Last Match | Team | | Last Match |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | +175 | +185 | Canada | +2100 | +2400 |
| USA | +215 | +225 | Australia | +2400 | +1900 |
| France | +450 | +400 | Colombia | +2900 | +2900 |
| Germany | +1000 | +1200 | Nigeria | +9900 | +7900 |
| Brazil | +1700 | +1400 | Zambia | +9900 | +7900 |
| Japan | +1900 | +1400 | New Zealand | +14900 | +9900 |
Interestingly, amidst all the drama, Canada’s odds have slightly shortened over the past few days – but that makes sense when you consider that, well, a win’s a win, even if the road ahead of you is uncertain and the opponent was weak. It’s funny, though, that their jump was the biggest of any team other than Germany, in relative terms. With that said, a lot can change once more following Sunday’s matchday.
