Canada are a team who tend to come into Women’s World Cups with high expectations both from themselves and from fans. But they also then tend to underperform to various extents, followed by a rebound the next year at the Olympics. They have progressed from the group at the past two World Cups, but were elbowed out when the rubber hit the road in the knockouts. Their best finish was fourth overall in 2003, after they lost 2-1 to Sweden in the semi-finals. Their worst was, of course, their disastrous 2011 campaign in which they came last of 16 teams, which was compounded by off-field issues with head coach Carolina Morace.
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Manager
Bev Priestman has been a fairly steady hand at the helm since she was appointed in October 2020. While she seems to have taken a page out of former head coach John Herdman’s book on mental motivation, this does feel distinctly like her team in terms of playing style.
Formation
Canada usually set up in a 4-2-3-1, although they may move to 4-4-1-1 with someone like Christine Sinclair withdrawn behind a No 9. Most recently against France, they looked like a 4-3-3.
Three key players
Starting with the obvious, Sinclair is an important presence for Canada even if, at the age of 40, she is not playing the full 90 minutes. Jessie Fleming will likely have to shoulder a huge amount of work in midfield as she is the player most likely to drag Canada to a result through her tempo and vision. Goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan will also need to be massive both through her shot-stopping ability and her distribution out from the back, which has become one of her big strengths in club play. Sheridan might be especially key given Canada’s tendency to go all-in on defense.
Notable absences
Defender Bianca St-Georges was left off the roster despite looking fine — and getting plenty of minutes — at her club Chicago Red Stars. Forward Janine Beckie is out with an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) knee injury.
Strength
This is a roster with plenty of experience and many players carrying over from Canada’s Olympic gold medal win in Tokyo two years ago. They have a tight leadership group between Sinclair, Sophie Schmidt and Quinn. They also have a good defensive triangle setup between Sheridan and center-backs Vanessa Gilles and Kadeisha Buchanan.
Question mark
It’s injuries, injuries, injuries.
Desiree Scott, long part of the backbone that keeps the Canadian midfield metronome ticking, had been recovering from a knee injury since January, having not played at all with her NWSL club, the Kansas City Current. But, in the end, she just missed out on making the final tournament roster. Buchanan has been on limited minutes in May after recovering from an injury that kept her out of the friendly against France in April.
But there are also additional off-field issues that have impacted this team and may continue to do so throughout the tournament.
Canada Soccer as a governing body is struggling for revenue and it led to the women’s team publicly protesting against “significant budget cuts” to their program going into this World Cup and requesting that they receive the same financial support as the men had in their version of the competition last year. The players have essentially been preparing on two fronts: to face other teams at the tournament in Australia and New Zealand, and to face their own federation, with Schmidt testifying in front of parliament in March that “Canada Soccer treats the women’s game as an afterthought”.
Wildcard
Evelyne Viens is an underrated striker who has been scoring at a steady rate with Swedish club Kristianstad. Priestman used her as a substitute during the SheBelieves tournament in February and Viens could be a useful weapon late in games, particularly from set pieces.
(Photo: Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
Qualification/recent form
Canada advanced through CONCACAF qualifying in Mexico last summer, coming first in their group with three wins out of three. Recent form is hard to judge, given how much is happening off the field with their federation, a situation which has certainly impacted their tournament preparation.
Group difficulty
Canada are in Group B with Australia, the Republic of Ireland and Nigeria. All three could be tricky to handle, and it is always hard to get drawn into a group with a host nation, who will have all the benefits of home advantage. Canada will have to fight for every point.
Travel schedule
Canada gets the long flight to Perth for their second game in the group, bouncing east-west-east for one of the rougher group schedules. But at least after that, if they get out of the group, they will have a relatively short hop from Melbourne whether they finish first or second. They would also have a massive six-day rest period before any round of 16 tie.
To win the World Cup, they will need…
As much as this team has relied on Sinclair in the past, this is the tournament where they truly need younger players such as Fleming, Jordyn Huitema, Julia Grosso and Jayde Riviere to take it to the next level.
Did you know?
Sinclair’s first cap came on March 12, 2000 at age 16. Team-mates Riviere, Grosso, Simi Awujo and Huitema were yet to be born.
TORONTO – Reigning PWHL MVP and scoring champ Natalie Spooner will miss the start of the regular season for the Toronto Sceptres, general manager Gina Kingsbury announced Tuesday on the first day of training camp.
The 33-year-old Spooner had knee surgery on her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) after she was checked into the boards by Minnesota’s Grace Zumwinkle in Game 3 of their best-of-five semifinal series on May 13.
She had a goal and an assist in three playoff games but did not finish the series. Toronto was up 2-1 in the semifinal at that time and eventually fell 3-2 in the series.
Spooner led the PWHL with 27 points in 24 games. Her 20 goals, including five game-winners, were nine more than the closest skater.
Kingsbury said there is no timeline, as the team wants the Toronto native at 100 per cent, but added that “she is doing really well” in her recovery.
The Sceptres open the PWHL season on Nov. 30 when they host the Boston Fleet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.
“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”
Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.
The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.
Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.
“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”
Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.
“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”
The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.
“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”
Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.
“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.
Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.
The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.
The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.
Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
