When you travel through the London Underground you'll hear an automated message at every station warning you to be cautious before you step off. “Mind the gap” says the kind voice, as it urges you to be aware of the distance between the train and the platform.
After a while the frequency of the announcement becomes somewhat comical. We get it, “mind the gap”. Thanks.
But the phrase has taken on meaning in the UK outside of just public transportation, and for many it’s no joke when they say “mind the gap”.
Take this year’s English Premier League race for instance. While it came down to the final seconds of the season for the title to be decided, Manchester City have no hesitation in reminding their rivals Manchester United to “mind the gap” between the two teams, as the Blues claimed their first league title in 44 years.
So on Wednesday, the Canadian women’s national team had to “mind the gap” when they played current FIFA Women’s World Cup champions Japan.
The Asian nation were unheralded before last year’s triumph, but they’ve proven to be worthy of their status. Canada, on the other hand, had an underwhelming campaign during the World Cup.
Now fast-forward back to Wednesday.
The first 20 minutes of the match did indeed show a gap between the two sides, as one team quite clearly looked superior to the other. That team, however, was the team in white with red trim.
As I sat only three rows from the field, I could see a Canadian side that was confident on the ball, dominating possession and not giving their opponents an inch when they did give the ball away.
The problem though was one we’ve seen all too many times before with Canadian national teams, an inability to find a creative way to generate scoring chances in the final third of the field.
The Japanese, meanwhile, were resolute in their play. Despite being outplayed, they remained patient and continued to play their game until they settled in and found opportunities. Once they did they punished the Canucks with two first-half goals.
Those goals knocked the Canadians off their game, and despite a second half goal which pleased the many red-clad fans in attendance, the Red and White couldn’t recover to get a result.
In the end, the match proved that Canada do indeed need to “mind the gap” as they work their way through this tournament. But after showing flashes of promise, they should also keep this in mind:
It’s still only a short step to the platform.
