Canada Soccer – Having achieved its primary goal of qualifying for the FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019™, Canada is now getting ready to take on the current World Champions USA on Wednesday, 17 October at 20:00 ET/17:00 PT.  The USA raised the FIFA Women’s World Cup trophy in Vancouver, BC when Canada hosted the largest women’s sporting event in the world in 2015.
 
The Final will mark Canada Soccer Women’s National Team Head Coach Kenneth Heiner-Moller’s first opportunity at the helm against Canada’s biggest rival.
 
“It’s a big rivalry. I am looking forward to this.  It’s what we as coaches and players live for – to play these matches,” said Heiner Moller. “We came here to qualify first, but we have been focused on this match for a few days and we intent to bring our Canadian DNA to the pitch and put it all out there.  We are now ten months away from the biggest event in women’s sport and getting the chance to play the reigning champions is an excellent opportunity to test ourselves as we begin to look towards France 2019.”

Canada have played the USA 59 times since 1986, most recently in a two-game series in 2017 that saw Canada draw the reigning FIFA Women’s World Cup Champions 1-1 on home soil in Vancouver before falling 3:1 in San Jose in the return leg.  Long a powerhouse in the women’s game, the USA have seen nations including Canada rise in the ranks and steadily threaten their current number one ranking. Canada’s last five games against the USA have resulted in two ties and three losses with close scoring lines. 
 
“Anytime you are talking about Canada versus the USA you are talking about two teams that want to beat each other and aren’t going to give up a centimeter on the field to each other,” said veteran midfielder Diana Matheson. “They are always great games against the USA and it’s a rivalry, it’s a derby, and especially with this away crowd for us I think we relish that opportunity.”
 
With the stage set for the Final, the tournament was destined to see these two teams clash in the continental championship. Both Canada and the USA have gone undefeated in the tournament with the USA scoring 24 goals and Canada scoring 23.  Both teams have players in the running for most goals in the tournament with Canada’s Adriana Leon (6) and the USA’s Alex Morgan (6) tied, and Canada’s Christine Sinclair, Jordyn Huitema and USA’s Tobin Heath tied with four apiece. 
 
Both teams are in the unique position of having won the competition the last time they both competed in it with Canada winning in 2010 and the USA winning in 2014.  Canada did not participate in 2014 as hosts for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015™.
 
Fans can watch the Concacaf Women’s Championship Final match LIVE on Concacaf Go at cwc.concacafgo.com and follow Canada Soccer on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
 
Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team 
Canada are two-time Olympic bronze medal winners (2012 and 2016) and two-time CONCACAF champions (1998 and 2010). In all, Canada will 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 and the only FIFA Member Association to repeat on the podium.
 
Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team have previously made six FIFA Women’s World Cup appearances and qualified five times (1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011) as Canada hosted the record breaking 2015 edition where 1,353,506 fans attended matches, setting a new total attendance record for a FIFA competition other than the FIFA World Cup™.  The highest attended match of the tournament was 54,027 for the Canada vs. England quarter-final in Vancouver.

Canada Soccer 2018 Concacaf Women’s Championship Roster
Head Coach Kenneth Heiner-Møller
 
GK – Stephanie Labbe, age 32, from Stony Plain, AB/ Lejonflocken Linköping (Damallsvenskan)
GK – Kailen Sheridan, age 23, from Whitby, ON/Sky Blue FC (NWSL)
FB – Lindsay Agnew, age 23, from Kingston, ON/ Houston Dash (NWSL)
FB – Allysha Chapman, age 29, from Courtice, ON/ Houston Dash (NWSL)
FB – Ashley Lawrence, age 23, from Caledon, ON/Paris Saint Germain (Division 1 Féminine France)
FB – Emma Regan, age 18, from Burnaby, BC/ The University of Texas at Austin (NCAA)
CB – Kadeisha Buchanan, age 22, from Brampton, ON/ Olympique Lyonnais (Division 1 Féminine France)
CB – Shelina Zadorsky, age 25, from London, ON/ Orlando Pride (NWSL)
M/CB –  Rebecca Quinn, age 23, from Toronto, ON/ Washington Spirit (NWSL)
M – Jessie Fleming, age 20, from London, ON/UCLA (NCAA)
M – Julia Grosso, age 18, from Vancouver, BC / The University of Texas at Austin (NCAA)
M –  Diana Matheson, age 34, from Oakville, ON/Utah Royals FC (NWSL)
M- Sophie Schmidt, age 30, from Abbotsford, BC/ FFC Frankfurt (Frauen-Bundesliga)
M- Gabrielle Carle, age 20, from Levis, QC/ Florida State University (NCAA)
F- Jordyn Huitema, age 17, from Chilliwack, BC/ Vancouver Whitecaps FC Girls Elite/ Canada Soccer Regional EXCEL Super Centre (British Columbia)
F – Adriana Leon, age 26, from King City, ON/ Seattle Reign FC (NWSL)
F – Nichelle Prince, age 23, from Ajax, ON/ Houston Dash (NWSL)
F – Deanne Rose, age 19, from Alliston, ON/ University of Florida Gators (NCAA)
F – Christine Sinclair (C ), age 35, from Burnaby, BC/ Portland Thorns (NWSL)
F – Janine Beckie, age 24, from Highlands Ranch, CO/ Manchester City (FA Women’s Super League)

 Additional information:

• The average age of Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team roster at the 2018 Concacaf Women’s Championship is 24 years of age.
• Stephanie Labbé, Gabrielle Carle and Adriana Leon celebrated birthdays during the competition.
• Canada’s roster included five teenagers at the outset in Jordyn Huitema (17), Julia Grosso (18), Emma Regan (18), Gabrielle Carle (19 – now 20) and Deanne Rose (19).  Both Carle and Rose were members of Canada’s Rio 2016 Olympic Bronze Medal winning squad.
• Christine Sinclair has the most appearances (273) for Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team, while Emma Regan made her first appearance during the competition.
• Three members of the squad have over 100 appearances for Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team (Sinclair, Matheson, Schmidt), while both Sinclair (273) and Matheson (200) have 200 or over appearances.  Matheson made her 200^th appearance for Canada during the tournament in the Semi-Final match.
• Sinclair is the highest goal scorer on the squad, and second all-time for FIFA, with 177 international goals.  Sinclair trails retired US player Abby Wambach, the current record holder with 184, by 7 goals.  Sinclair needs 8 goals to set the world record for most international goals ever for men and women.

 
Past Concacaf Women’s Championship goals

• Canada scored 24 goals, and let in three, in the most recent Concacaf Women’s tournament, the 2016 Concacaf Women’s Olympic Qualifier in Texas which qualified Canada for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, where the team captured it second consecutive Olympic Bronze Medal.
• Prince, Quinn and Lawrence each recorded three-goal games at the 2016 Concacaf Women’s Olympic Qualifier
• Sinclair scored two goals in the Semi-Final against Costa Rica to clinch Canada’s spot in Rio.

Other recent Concacaf information

• Jordyn Huitema took home the Golden Boot at the 2018 Concacaf Women’s U-20 Tournament, netting 5 goals for Canada.

October’s Canada Soccer action
The month of October has featured important international competitions for both the Women’s National Team and Men’s National Team as well as the recently-completed Toyota National Championships for premier amateur clubs. Canada have qualified for the FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019™ and next will face USA in the 2018 Concacaf Women’s Championship Final on Wednesday 17 October.

About Canada Soccer
Canada Soccer, in partnership with its membership and its partners, provides leadership in the pursuit of excellence in soccer, both at the national and international levels. Canada Soccer not only strives to lead Canada to victory, but also encourages Canadians to a life-long passion for soccer. For more details on Canada Soccer, visit the official website at canadasoccer

 

Corporate Communications | Gestionnaire, Communications corporatives
bfougere@canadasoccer.com
m. +1 613.299.1587

Richard Scott
Men’s National Teams Program | Programme de l’équipe nationale masculine
rscott@canadasoccer.com
m. +1 613.818.0305

Carrie Croft
Women’s National Teams Program | Programme de l’équipe nationale féminine
ccroft@canadasoccer.com
m. +1 613.406.4986