Lauren Sesselmann responds to critics after Canada's World Cup loss, calling them classless

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      Canadian soccer defender Lauren Sesselmann says words can't capture "how utterly heartbroken I am" after her team lost 2-1 to England in the World Cup quarter-final on June 27.

      Sesselmann slipped, leading to England's first goal by Jodie Taylor. That was followed by a fair amount of abuse over social media.

      "The tears have not stopped flowing and this one is going to hurt for a really really long time," she wrote on Instagram. "Yes I slipped, yes they scored and yes you can blame me all you want..If that's what makes you feel better."

      Then Sesselmann explained how hard she worked to get back on the pitch after a serious knee injury.

      "I know my worth and I know all the great things I've done to help this team get here," she wrote. "For all you classless people with your negative comments and threats you know absolutely nothing."

      She went on to describe how much work the team put in and how proud she is to wear the jersey. She also acknowledged that every great athlete makes mistakes and this is part of life.

      Then she thanked friends and family who've always believed her her and picked her up when she fell.

      "I am so proud to play alongside all of these beautiful and talented women," Sesselmann stated. "This truly will be a journey I will never forget."

      https://instagram.com/p/4gOYa5uj-R

      And here is some of the commentary that went out over Twitter regarding her play.

      Comments

      15 Comments

      You know...

      Jun 29, 2015 at 1:48pm

      It's not the end of the world. So Canada lost to England, big deal. It's not like Canada is some powerhouse in World Cup soccer anyways. Sheesh.

      Arachides

      Jun 29, 2015 at 3:59pm

      BOO HOO
      The Public doesn't let our Olympic Men's or World Junior Men's hockey teams off the hook if they don't win it all. Their post mortem is long and deep so why should the criticism of Canada's Womens teams be any less, because they're girls?
      Sorry, a lot of Govt money from all levels went in to hosting a tournament nobody else wanted and they were given every opportunity to win it all including home field and a slanted draw. If you don't like the criticism step aside and go compete as an individual in a sport out of the spotlight, I'm sure you'll enjoy the anonymity.

      ursa minor

      Jun 29, 2015 at 4:23pm

      @ You know... The CWNT is #8 in the FIFA World rankings.

      You DON'T know.

      Well...

      Jun 29, 2015 at 5:19pm

      The thing is, we all kind of knew that Canada was the underdog compared to England's team. It was still a good game. The players were obviously crushed, but I still felt proud that they made it that far.

      Kiskatinawkid

      Jun 29, 2015 at 6:49pm

      Wow. What a vile bunch of pricks! Go back to your boring hockey and your boring canucks chants of how "next year will be the one"! You know, the chant you've been repeating for over 40 years.
      These "girls" (really?) have nothing to be ashamed of. They're a class act and deserve our utmost respect and admiration.

      Timmy1245

      Jun 29, 2015 at 8:13pm

      The team had a 0% chance of winning this tournament. The team isn't even in the same league as a Germany, Japan, France, or USA. There is a huge gap in talent between the top 4 teams and the rest of the women's teams. Its not the Canadian teams fault. We just don't have the same caliber leagues as Europe and Asia. Our players will need to play there in order to get better.

      Unfortunately Canada plays a very sloppy game and depends far too much on Sinclair to do everything. She made two amazing plays at the beginning of the game and a perfect cross to a teammate who completely missed the net. That should have been a sure goal.

      There is very little creativity on this team and finishers. We try to make up for it with grit and being in shape but thats not enough.

      The team didn't have a legitimate goal the entire tournament. It was either off a bounce or a mistake from the other team. Even with the extremely "rigged" draw they couldn't get to the semifinals. No disrespect to England but they are a mirror of Canada's team which is why this game hurt so much. Losing to Germany, France, Japan, or the USA wouldn't hurt because they are superior teams but England was a beatable team.

      ursa minor

      Jun 30, 2015 at 8:57am

      @Timmy1245 - Hear hear: There are far too many bandwagon fans around the CMNT whose only exposure to football has been this tournament or the Olympics and are blinded to the truth because of the Bell Media narrative about how 'passion' and 'heart' are exclusive to Canada. I assume you're as sick as I am hearing about what a 'hater' you are because you actually saw what happened rather than have TSN tell you.

      Seriously, how many times did we have to hear Kara Lang squeal about great Canada's defending was after every desperate challenge precipitated by breakdowns in communication and cohesion among the back four? If the fans want this team to get anywhere, stop giving them a free ride.

      ursa minor

      Jun 30, 2015 at 9:05am

      @Well.... No, we didn't because unlike you, we've been watching women's football for the past few years and Canada has consistently won against England. Also, a quick survey of sports books and online gambling houses showed Canada as a consistent +110 to +133 favorite over England.

      Or do you just assume England was going to better because the Premier League is based there, like every other soccer illiterate who still hasn't shut up about 1966?

      Fair Play

      Jun 30, 2015 at 12:05pm

      Lauren Sesselmann WAS Canada's worst player consistently stumbling in every game and poor passing almost giving the ball away numerous times when passing back to the goalie or other defensive partners. She was an accident waiting to happen and it did. She is playing on the world stage if she can't take criticism then she should re-think her career. Any player in any sport that played that bad and caused her team to lose would be thoroughly lambasted by media and fans. No one said the team was at fault or didn't give it their all. The criticism is her awkward stumbling, pathetic passing and ultimately costing the team the game.

      Snackster

      Jun 30, 2015 at 12:07pm

      Canadians are taught to be team players from an early age, but perhaps this makes us less competitive than other countries. In school, you always get praised if you just 'try your best', it doesn't matter if you actually succeed or not. Bragging is seen as a form of bullying and/or discrimination against those with no skill/talent/passion/etc. Frankly, I am surprised whenever I hear that a Canadian athlete/team wins in a world tournament, (unless it's hockey, because other countries just don't care as much about that sport).