The Canadian Soccer Association announced today the women’s national team roster for the upcoming Women’s International Friendly series with the United States. The camp will be based in Kansas City, Kansas and Portland, Oregon. The first match will be played on September 17 in at Kansas City’s LIVESTRONG Stadium, with kickoff set for 4:00 p.m. PT, and the second match will be played on September 22 at Portland’s JELD-WEN Field, with kickoff at 8:00 p.m. PT. The camp and matches will feature the debut of newly-hired Canadian head coach John Herdman.
Coach Herdman will have 22 players in camp. Among them are 14 players who have previously played with Vancouver Whitecaps FC, including defender Lexi Marton and midfielders Kaylyn Kyle, Tina Romagnuoloand Jaclyn Sawicki from the 2011 squad which finished third in the United Soccer Leagues W-League. Other former ‘Caps include goalkeepers Justine Bernier and Erin McLeod, defenders Melanie Booth, Robin Gayle, and Emily Zurrer, as well midfielders Carmelina Moscato, Sophie Schmidt, Desiree Scott and Chelsea Stewart and forward Melissa Tancredi.
All players will arrive by Monday, September 12 with the first full session on Tuesday September 13. Herdman was able to draw 15 players from the team that participated at the recent 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Germany. Herdman has also called in several young players, with Romagnuolo, Sawicki and Lauren Sesselmann each making their first appearances with the senior national team.
“We will start to lay the foundation for a fresh start,” said Herdman. “We will have a look at our pool of players as well as some of the young players.”
Two omissions of note are Christine Sinclair and Candace Chapman, both of whom had extended seasons with the Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) champions, Western New York Flash. Sinclair and Chapman were both in the lineup for the championship final in August, with Sinclair scoring a goal (assisted by Chapman) and earning MVP honours. The duo will be availabe for the next camp in early October.
As for kickoff times, the 17 September match kicks off at 18.00 (local) at the LIVESTRONG Sporting Park in Kansas City, KS. The second match kicks off at 20.00 (local) at JELD-WEN Field in Portland, OR.
CANADA
GK- Justine Bernier | USA / University of Alabama
GK- Stephanie Labbé | SWE / Piteå IF
GK- Karina LeBlanc | USA / magicJack
GK- Erin McLeod | SWE / Dalsjöfors G.o.I.F.
CB- Lexi Marton | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC
CB- Emily Zurrer | SWE / Dalsjöfors G.o.I.F.
FB- Melanie Booth | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC
FB- Robyn Gayle | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC
FB- Lauren Sesselmann | USA / Atlanta Beat
FB- Rhian Wilkinson | NOR / Lillestrøm SK Kvinner
M- Kaylyn Kyle | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC
M- Diana Matheson | NOR / Lillestrøm SK Kvinner
M- Carmelina Moscato | SWE / Piteå IF
M- Kelly Parker | USA / Atlanta Beat
M- Tina Romagnuolo | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC
M- Jaclyn Sawicki | CAN / University of Victoria
M- Sophie Schmidt | USA / magicJack
M- Desiree Scott | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC
M- Diamond Simpson | CAN / Hamilton FC
M- Chelsea Stewart | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC
F- Christina Julien | CAN / Ottawa Fury
F- Melissa Tancredi | SWE / Piteå IF
CANADA
Head of Delegation / Chef de délegation : Jeannette Kuc
Head Coach / Entraîneur-chef : John Herdman
Assistant Coach / Entraîneur adjoint : Lewis Page
Goalkeeper Coach / Entraîneur des gardiens : Andrew Olivieri
General Manager / Gérante d’équipe : Misty Thomas
Equipment Manager / Gérant de l’équipement : Maeve Glass
Technical analyst / Analyste technique : Andrew Peat
Sports scientist / Chercheuse en sport : Helen Kilding
Physiotherapist / Physiothérapeute : Judy Russell
Physiotherapist / Physiothérapeute : Tricia McBride
Massage Therapist / Massothérapeute : Lucia Orsini
