Kyle, Canada Prepare For Knockout Stage

With the top spot in Group A safely secured, Team Canada is safely through to the knockout stage at the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup.

Throughout group play, there were some nervous moments for Saskatchewan's own Kaylyn Kyle and her Team Canada teammates. All 3 of their group games featured close results. Including a pair of draws against New Zealand and the Netherlands, and a 1-0 win over China.

"You want to win games, you want the 3 points and you don't ever want to leave it to chance. We didn't really know where we would finish in our pool if we tied that game (against the Netherlands), so obviously when the goal went in we were all kind of like "where are we going to finish now?" Luckily though, lady luck was on our side and we ended up squeaking by to finish first our group." said Kyle.

Even despite the struggles the team has experienced at times, they are still right where they want to be.

"Obviously, you never want to concede a late goal like that, but we are definitely learning from that game. It broke down a little bit at the end so we are definitely learning and not going to let it happen in the knockout round." Kyle added.

With 5-free days between their most recent match against the Netherlands on Monday, and their round of 16 match against Switzerland on Sunday, Kyle took time to reflect on how special a World Cup on home soil is.

"Coming out in Edmonton for the first match, the crowd was amazing. Just to see the whole stadium with red on, cheering and singing our national anthem was a pretty cool moment for me. I definitely think the fans have been incredible throughout this tournament, so we can't wait for the knockout round in Vancouver, hopefully in-front of a sold out stadium." Said Kyle

"Montreal was insane, I think maybe just because the stadium was closed, it seemed like 10 times louder so it was pretty wicked. The amount of people we got out to that game was awesome, and just to see everyone after the game with signs and their jerseys on, it was pretty special to see as a 26-year old." Kyle added.

Along with the benefits of a World Cup in Canada, also comes added pressure.

"The Media has been pretty negative around our team and in London (for the 2012 Summer Games) we didn't really seen any of that stuff, but we're just staying within our bubble. We know our goals and what we need to as a team." Kyle expressed.

Even with just 4 wins between Canada and a World Cup Championship, the focus of the Canadians is strictly on their round of 16 match against Switzerland.

"We know the threat from Switzerland, we know they have two really good players up top. I think for us, we need to be defensively sound like we have been all tournament, conceding very few goals. Then I think for us, it's just scoring and I think we need to score early to allow us to get that momentum." said Kyle.

Canada's knockout game against Switzerland will kick off at 5:30pm on Sunday in Vancouver.