Canada Soccer selects 20 players for 2018 Concacaf Women’s Championship

Canada Soccer has released its Women’s National Team roster for the upcoming 2018 Concacaf Women’s Championship that serves as the qualification tournament for the FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019™.  Canada will play its group stage matches at H-E-B Park in Edinburg, Texas, beginning with its opening match against Jamaica on Friday, 5 October at 19:30 ET (18:30 Local), followed by Canada v Cuba on Monday, 8 October at 19:30 ET (18:30 Local) and Canada v Costa Rica on Thursday, 11 October at 21:00 ET (20:00 Local).  Following the group stage, all matches will be played at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.
 
Canada Soccer’s roster is a strong blend of youth and experience, with Captain Christine Sinclair leading a group that has a total of 1,331 Women’s National Team appearances for an average of just over 66 appearances per player, including four players with over 100 appearances and five teenagers.  In bringing in the core of Canada’s 2016 Rio Olympic Bronze Medal winning team, along with Canada’s top young players, Canada Soccer Head Coach Kenneth Heiner-Moller is continuing to build the depth of the squad with an eye on having the best possible line up should Canada qualify for France 2019.
 
“We are very happy with the players we have selected for the tournament and we think this is the group that will give us the best shot at qualifying for next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup in France, and that is our primary objective for this tournament,” said Head Coach Kenneth Heiner-Moller.  “We’ve been really impressed with how this group has been playing together throughout 2018 and how they are continually working to improve both on and off the field.”
 
The top three teams in the tournament will automatically qualify for the FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019™, with an additional opportunity for the fourth-place team to qualify through a playoff with Argentina of CONMEBOL. 

“We are expecting to be tested in our group.  Our opponents are hungry and are really going out there to try and earn a spot in France for their nations, so we are going to have to go into each game in excellent form and with our eye on ensuring we qualify,” said Heiner-Moller.  “Tournaments are grueling, with fast turn arounds between matches, and we will be enduring hot temperatures as well, so our attention now is on giving these 20 players the best opportunities to be successful.”

The winners of the two semi-final matches on Sunday, 14 October will automatically qualify for the FIFA Women’s World Cup, as well as the winners of the 3rd place match scheduled for Wednesday, 17 October.  The final taking place on Wednesday, 17 October will determine the continental champions.
 
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.com
 
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 have participated in six consecutive editions of the FIFA Women’s World Cup (1995 to 2015) 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.
 
 
Canada Soccer 2018 Concacaf Women’s Championship Roster
Head Coach Kenneth Heiner-Møller
 
GK – Stephanie Labbe, age 31, from Stony Plain, AB/ Lejonflocken Linköping (Damallsvenskan)
GK – Erin McLeod, age 35, from St. Albert, AB/ SC Sand (Frauen-Bundesliga)
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 19, 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 25, 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 roster notes:

• The average age of Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team roster at the 2018 Concacaf Women’s Championship is 24.65.
• Canada’s roster includes five teenagers in Jordyn Huitema (17), Julia Grosso (18), Emma Regan (18), Gabrielle Carle (19) 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 (268) for Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team, while Emma Regan is set to make her first appearance during the competition.
• The total number of collective Women’s National Team appearances for the squad is 1,331 and the average number of appearances is 66.5.
• Four members of the squad have over 100 appearances for Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team (Sinclair, Matheson, Schmidt, McLeod), while only Sinclair has over 200 appearances.  Matheson could make her 200^th appearance for Canada during the tournament should Canada progress through the knockout stage.
• Canada Soccer Women’s National team roster by number of appearances:
  • Sinclair (269), Matheson (196), Schmidt (172), McLeod (116), Buchanan (78), Lawrence (63), Chapman (53), Labbé (52), Fleming (52), Leon (50), Beckie (44), Zadorsky (40), Quinn (39), Prince (39), Rose (33), Huitema (12), Carle (9), Agnew (8), Grosso (6); and, Regan has yet to make her team debut.
• Sinclair is the highest goal scorer on the squad, and second all-time for FIFA, with 173 international goals.  Sinclair trails retired US player Abby Wambach, the current record holder with 184, by 11 goals.  Sinclair, who wears the number 12, needs 12 goals to set the world record for most international goals ever for men and women.
• Canada Soccer Women’s National team roster by number of goals:
  • Sinclair (173), Beckie (22), Schmidt (18), Matheson (17), Leon (8), Prince (7), Rose (7), Fleming (6), Lawrence (5), Buchanan (3), Quinn (3), Huitema (2), Chapman (1), Zadorsky (1), Carle (1).

 
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.