NICE, France – If there is one constant for the Canadian women’s soccer team in a sea of chaos at the Olympics, it is coach Andy Spence.
Once head coach Bev Priestman was suspended and sent home, the players were told lead assistant Spence would be in charge for the rest of the Olympic tournament. The 41-year-old from Liverpool hadn’t been a head coach since a six-game winless streak ended his time at Everton six years ago. But he has guided the defending champs to three straight wins and a spot in a quarter-final against Germany on Saturday in Marseille.
“I don’t think I won three in a row ever,” Spence said after the 1-0 victory over Colombia on Wednesday at Allianz Riveria stadium. “Look at my (club) record. It’s nice, but it’s a reflection of the players.”
Spence spent the first few days in charge denying he had any knowledge of the drone scandal. The truth of who was involved should become clear in Canada Soccer’s external investigation into the espionage, which is already underway.
On Wednesday, it was revealed that Priestman told an external human resources consultant who works with Canada Soccer in March that spying on opponents is something the team has “always done” and it was “the difference between winning and losing.”
Bev Priestman’s emailed comments came after a team’s performance analyst told her he was uncomfortable with spying for “moral and reputational reasons”. The coach wrote to the consultant that same day espionage is “something the analyst has always done and I know there is a whole operation on the men’s side with regards to it.”
That information was included in a document posted on FIFA’s website Wednesday supporting the world body’s reasoning behind the six-point penalty levied to the Canadian team during the group stage of the Olympic tournament, the one-year suspensions to Priestman and staffers Joey Lombardi and Jasmine Mander and a CAD $313,000 fine.
Spence has a long history with Priestman, almost 20 years in fact, when she was his assistant with a youth team at Everton. Both attended John Moores University in Liverpool and Priestman hired Spence two years ago to be her right-hand man.
This was not a passing of the torch: Spence has been picking the torch up off the floor before it burnt everything down.
“From that point of view, you kind of have to trust the fact from September of last year that we qualified (for the Olympics) against Jamaica (and) have been on this big process of trying to evolve the team and the way we play,” he said “What that’s allowed us to do is to grow as staff and players. It’s a very unique set of circumstances. In my 21 years, I’ve not faced something like this. There’s no training for this.
“But ultimately, I’ve been asked to lead and that’s what I’m going to do to the very best of my capabilities.”
He is pushing a lot of right buttons – from reducing training sessions in the extreme heat and overseeing a suddenly short-handed staff stepping up to fill other roles. On Wednesday, he made four changes to the starting 11 and subbed in forward Evelyne Viens a moment before Vanessa Gilles got her head on the deciding goal.
“I said to the players the trust I have in them is so high,” Spence said. “That’s why we made the changes we did. Whatever team we put out is one that will put absolutely everything on the line to win. That’s a really nice feeling as a coach. Our bench has always been a significant part of what we do.”
His biggest job, of course, is managing the distractions. Every day, there has been another one. He coaxed a comeback win over host France last Sunday shortly after players were crying and punching walls because of FIFA’s six-point deduction in the standings for cheating.
Then, they were able to stay calm against Colombia in another do-or-die match hours after learning the sanctions were upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s ad hoc division.
“Things happen for a reason,” Canada veteran defender Kadeisha Buchanan said. “Andy’s personality is exactly what we need in this environment. His energy is contagious. It truly shows when he’s presenting how upbeat he is and it gets us going. Personally, even when Bev was here, I spent a lot of time with Andy because he used to work with the back line.
“He’s still the same guy. It’s been good. The staff knows they have our back, we have their back, and it’s working.”
The Olympics is a football tournament on overdrive. You play, get a day off, train the next one and then play again. At the women’s World Cup, it is more likely to see four or five days between games. The Olympic routine has served Canada well during its three-Games medal streak.
“I suppose the biggest thing is the recovery,” Spence said. “A lot of our prep work is in the meeting room. We’re off our feet and recovering. If you’ve been there (at the Olympics) before and lived those moments, that gives you a little bit of confidence. It’s not new experience. They’ve remained calm (and are) just focusing on being the best version of themselves.”
The new coach is a different story. He admitted he was going to check his watch later because his heart rate was tracking pretty high the last 10 minutes of the Colombia game. That win helped get Canada through the group stage with just three points because of the FIFA penalty.
“I’m obviously excited,” he said. “I’ve been in women’s football for 21 years and experience a lot from U-9s all the way up to first-team, international players. I absolutely love coaching and working with players and staff.”
The players have responded to Spence’s leadership.
“He’s been exactly what we needed,” defender Gabrielle Carle said. “He trusts us.”