Christine Sinclair scores her first goal against Costa Rica Monday.
"They did what they had to do to destroy Costa Rica in the first half," he said. "The second half, they could do something a little bit different, which was about conserving, going through the game."
Herdman said the team was fired up to get out of the starting gate.
"We had to step it up," he said. "We had to show an intensity that we could take into the semifinals."
They certainly did that. The scoring started only six minutes in with one of the most spectacular goals of the tournament. Rhian Wilkinson fired what looked like a shot on goal from the right flank, just outside the top of the penalty box, but superstar forward Christine Sinclair intercepted it midway, then juggled it over stunned Dominican keeper Julieth Arias and fired it into the net in one smooth motion. The Canadians kept the pressure up and more scoring came quickly, as Arias couldn't hang onto Kelly Parker's sharp-angle shot in the 10th minute and Sophie Schmidt banged the rebound home.
Sinclair pulled off another superb move in the 19th minute, working her way into the right side of the box against two defenders, then stopping in her tracks, swinging the ball back to her left foot and delivering a picturesque cross to Kaylyn Kyle, who headed home in impressive fashion. Sinclair then added another one of her own in the 45th minute off a cross from Wilkinson, and by that point, the Canadians were firmly in control of the match.
Parker said the up-tempo game the Canadians delivered right from the start was exactly what they'd hoped to do.
"Going into the game, our plan was to never stop running," she said.
Kyle said the opening minutes of soccer were some of the team's best all tournament.
"We just came out on fire today," she said.
From a simplistic standpoint, the second half was less impressive. As Costa Rica head coach Karla Aleman pointed out afterwards, her team improved and both teams only notched one goal in the frame.
"In the first half, we had lapses of concentration," Aleman said. "We were able to correct a lot of things in the second half, play the way we know how to play and play to our strengths."
Yes, the second half was partly the Costa Rican team coming on, and they deserve full credit for their goal in the 89th minute, the lone goal scored by a losing team through 10 matches at this tournament. It came from a superb cross delivered by Raquel Rodriguez, which Fernanda Barrentes trapped and quickly drilled home, and it was much prettier than Canada's goal in the frame, which came from an ugly own goal. Marianne Ugalde sent a slow pass backwards for Arias, but Arias somehow swung and missed and the ball trickled into the Costa Rican net. Still, the Canadians managed to dominate play in the second half despite dialing their attacking intensity down, and they had plenty of chances to score. Schmidt said afterwards that the game as a whole was a solid showing for Canada.
"I think we did well," she said. "Our confidence is growing, and we tried some different things."
Sinclair said the second half may have looked less impressive on the scoresheet, but the Canadian team wasn't displeased with it.
"I think the first half, that's as well as I've seen us play," she said. "We definitely weren't coasting in that first half. The second half, it's hard to keep it going when you're up four or five-nothing, but i thought we did a good job."
Head coach John Herdman during Canada's game against Cuba.
Herdman said the semifinals' win-and-you're-in-the-Olympics nature means Canada won't be holding back Friday, though. They may not go full-out for 90 minutes, but they plan to incorporate both styles, play with maximum effort and use the combination to their advantage.
"The approach in this next game, to be honest, it will be gloves off," he said. "Both teams have got their Olympic dreams on the line. I'm expecting it to be everything a semifinal's meant to be."
Canada clinches 1st in CONCACAF Olympic qualifying group
Christine Sinclair scores 2 goals in 5-1 win over Costa Rica
Jan 24, 2012 12:50 AM ET
Canada's Christine Sinclair, right, scores a goal against Costa Rica goalkeeper Julieth Arias as Candace Chapman, left, watches during the first half on Monday night. (Darryl Dyck/Canadian Press) Recommended CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Web Postings:
Striker Christine Sinclair kept up her strong play with two goals and an assist. The goals were her sixth and seventh of the tournament.
Canada finished the preliminary round with a 3-0 mark and clinched first place in the Pool A. The hosts had already secured a semifinal berth prior to the game.
Canada will meet the second-place team from Pool B in a semifinal game Friday. The opponent will be determined after the U.S. plays Mexico on Tuesday with the loser drawing the Canadians. The winner of the U.S.-Mexico match will face Costa Rica, which finished the preliminary round with a 2-1 record.
The two semifinal winners will earn the right to represent the North and Central American and Caribbean zone at the London Games this summer.
Sophie Schmidt and Kaylyn Kyle also scored for Canada, which led 4-0 at halftime. Canada's other goal came on a Costa Rican own goal early in the second half.
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