Canada Soccer have announced a 22-player squad for the upcoming newly established Tournoi de France which will take place in Calais and Valenciennes from 4-10 March 2020. Canada will face France, Netherlands and Brazil at the international tournament which will help Canada to launch its preparation for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games this summer.
Canada will first face France on 4 March at 17.00 local (11.00 ET / 8.00 PT), then Netherlands on 7 March at 19.00 local (13.00 ET / 10.00 PT) before closing the tournament against Brazil on 10 March at 19.00 local (14.00 ET / 11.00 PT). The three matches will take place at Stade de l’Épopée in Calais, France.
Canada’s March roster will feature all the players who recently helped Canada qualify for the Olympic Games for the fourth consecutive cycle at the 2020 Concacaf Women’s Olympic Qualifying Championship. The team will also feature veteran star Diana Matheson, who returns from injury for her first Women’s National Team project since March 2019, and centre back Vanessa Gilles.
“This four-nation tournament will be a great opportunity for preparing ourselves for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games,” said Kenneth Heiner-Møller, Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team Head Coach. “It is crucial as a program that we deliver a massive performance at the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament in Japan. The tournament in France will give us the opportunity to face great oppositions and to measure ourselves against some of the top football teams in the world.”
The international tournament in France will give Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team the opportunity to face three teams which are among the top 10 nations of the FIFA/Coca-Cola Women’s World Ranking. Both Netherlands and Brazil have also already qualified for the Olympic Games.
CANADA’S SQUAD AT TOURNOI DE FRANCE
Excluding Matheson and Gilles, 20 players of Canada’s squad were part of the FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019 roster. In addition, seventeen players were part of the Rio 2016 bronze medal winning squad, while veterans Diana Matheson, Christine Sinclair, Sophie Schmidt, and Desiree Scott were also bronze medallists at London 2012.
Canada will once more be captained by Christine Sinclair who is Canada Soccer’s all-time record holder in goals scored (186) and international appearances (293), including 10 goals in 21 matches at five FIFA Women’s World Cups and 11 goals in 15 matches at three Olympic Football Tournaments. Sinclair recently broke the world’s all-time international goalscoring record by scoring her 185th goal on Wednesday 29 January at the 2020 Concacaf Women’s Olympic Qualifying Championship in Edinburg, Texas
Also featured in the Canada lineup are recent Concacaf Best XI all-stars Stephanie Labbé, Kadeisha Buchanan, Jordyn Huitema, and Ashley Lawrence. Of note, Labbé was also the Concacaf Women’s Olympic Qualifying Championship Golden Glove winner while Huitema was the Golden Boot winner. Both Buchanan (2015, 2017) and Lawrence (2019), meanwhile, are recent Canadian Players of the Year.
Canada’s squad also features goalkeepers Kailen Sheridan and Sabrina D’Angelo; centre backs Shelina Zadorsky, and Rebecca Quinn; fullbacks Gabrielle Carle, Allysha Chapman and Jayde Riviere; midfielders Jessie Fleming, and Julia Grosso; and forwards Janine Beckie, Adriana Leon, Nichelle Prince, and Deanne Rose.
As recently announced, nine of the players on the roster have been allocated to the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) for the 2020 season: Chapman, Prince, Schmidt, Labbé, Zadorksy, Sinclair, Sheridan, Matheson and Scott. Canada Soccer has invested in the NWSL since 2012 to support the allocation of players.
CANADA RETURN HOME IN APRIL
Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team will come home this Spring when they face Australia in Vancouver on Tuesday 14 April. The home international soccer match will provide Canadian fans will an opportunity to see their favourite players live in action at BC Place (19.30 local kickoff).
Tickets are on sale now starting as low as $20 via Ticketmaster.ca (or by calling 1.855.985.5000), with complete information available via CanadaSoccer.com/tickets. Group discounts of up to 30% off the regular price are available for orders of 10 or more tickets using the Group Order Form. A special Me+3 ticket package can be purchased directly via Ticketmaster.ca.
OLYMPIC MEDAL WINNERS & CONCACAF CHAMPIONS
Canada are two-time Olympic bronze medal winners (2012 and 2016) and two-time Concacaf champions (1998 and 2010). In all, Canada have participated in seven consecutive editions of the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ (1995 to 2019) and three consecutive editions of the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament (2008 to 2016). At Rio 2016, Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team were the first Canadian Olympic team to win back-to-back medals at a summer Olympic Games in more than a century.
WOMEN’S NATIONAL TEAM: https://www.canadasoccer.com/
Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Youth Teams, meanwhile, have won four Concacaf youth titles: the 2004 and 2008 Concacaf Women’s Under-20 Championship, the 2010 Concacaf Women’s Under-17 Championship, and the 2014 Concacaf Girls’ Under-15 Championship. Canada have qualified for seven editions of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup (including a silver medal at Canada 2002) and all six editions of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup (including a fourth-place finish at Uruguay 2018).
CANADA
GK- Sabrina D’Angelo | SWE / Vittsjö GIK
GK- Stephanie Labbé | USA / NC Courage
GK- Kailen Sheridan | USA / Sky Blue FC
CB- Kadeisha Buchanan | FRA / FCF Olympique Lyonnais
CB- Vanessa Gilles | FRA / FC Girondins de Bordeaux
CB- Rebecca Quinn | USA / Seattle Reign FC
CB- Shelina Zadorsky | USA / Orlando Pride
FB- Gabrielle Carle | USA / Florida State University
FB- Allysha Chapman | USA / Houston Dash
FB – Ashley Lawrence | FRA / Paris St-Germain FC
FB- Jayde Riviere | USA / University of Michigan
M- Jessie Fleming | USA / UCLA
M- Julia Grosso | USA / University of Texas at Austin
M- Diana Matheson | USA / Utah Royals FC
M- Sophie Schmidt | USA / Houston Dash
M- Desiree Scott | USA / Utah Royals FC
F- Janine Beckie | ENG / Manchester City
F- Jordyn Huitema | FRA / Paris St-Germain FC
F- Adriana Leon | ENG / West Ham United
F- Nichelle Prince | USA / Houston Dash
F- Deanne Rose | USA / University of Florida
F- Christine Sinclair | USA / Portland Thorns FC
