The fight for a place in the Canadian team that will participate in the World Cup this summer will go to the end.
Canada coach Bev Priestman has picked 25 players for a camp in Australia ahead of the tournament next month. The list includes several players who will try to find their form quickly.
The camp will begin on June 28 in Gold Coast. The Canadian team, ranked sixth in the world, will play a final preseason match against fourth-placed England behind closed doors on July 14.
The two teams could meet again in the round of 16 at the tournament.
Priestman will reveal the roster of her 23-player squad on July 9, a day before the FIFA deadline.
She pointed out by videoconference on Thursday that she had already had difficult conversations with Quebecers Gabrielle Carle and Bianca St-Georges, who were not invited to camp. Carle was part of the Canadian team when she won gold at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
On the other hand, midfielder Marie-Yasmine Alidou-D’Anjou, who has only one game with the Canadian team to her credit, was invited to the camp.
“I see huge potential in her. She has athletic and technical qualities, Priestman said of the Saint-Hubert player. She kinda reminds me of Desiree Scott. »
Quebecers Lysianne Proulx and Évelyne Viens will also participate in the camp.
At the tournament, Canada will be part of Group B and will face Nigeria, 42nd in the world, Ireland, 22nd, and Australia, 10th, in the preliminary phase.
Desiree Scott and Nichelle Prince have been invited to camp even though they are recovering from injuries.
Priestman noted that the two are “on the tightest of timelines.” Scott has 186 outings with the Maple Leaf and Prince has 90.
The news is more encouraging for Deanne Rose, who recently played in England after a long absence with an Achilles tendon injury.
“Fingers crossed. Knock on wood. Deanne should be able to get through this,” Priestman said.
The coach said that unless other players fall in battle and this forces choices according to positions, the players present at the camp will be able to fight for a position. A list of waiting players has also been prepared.
Many experienced players are back with the team, including Christine Sinclair. The essential captain celebrated his 40th birthday on Monday and is preparing to take part in the World Cup for the sixth time in his career.
Sinclair is the all-time leading scorer in international women’s soccer with 190 goals. She appeared in 323 games for Canada.
Priestman hopes to use the camp to develop cohesion on the pitch, which has been difficult to do recently due to numerous injuries.
“The one thing we really know is that no matter who the 23 players are, they will have the potential to achieve great things and they will give it their all,” Priestman insisted.
A total of 32 countries will take part in the World Cup and 64 matches will be shown across nine cities in Australia and New Zealand.