CSA & Whitecaps FC
The Canadian Soccer Association (CSA) announced today that Vancouver Whitecaps FC defender
Nicole Setterlund
, midfielder Vanessa Kovacs, and striker
Abigail Raymer
have all been named to Canada's U-17 women's national team squad for the 2010 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup in Trinidad & Tobago.
All three players are members of the Whitecaps FC U-17/U-18 Prospects full-time program, which won the Jacques Moon Memorial League Cup as this year's Premier Division regular season champions in the Pacific Coast Soccer League (PCSL). The trio are among 21 players that head coach Bryan Rosenfeld has selected for Trinidad & Tobago 2010. The squad also includes Victoria, BC, native Ally Courtnall, who is the daughter of former NHL star Russ Courtnall.
The Canadian squad will complete World Cup preparations with a week-long camp in Florida beginning next Wednesday before travelling to Trinidad for the tournament. While in Florida, Canada will tune up with a friendly match versus fellow U-17 Women's World Cup participant South Korea on Monday, August 30.
Setterlund, 17, was a member of the Whitecaps Prospects Women's side that claimed the 2009 PCSL Premier Division title and the Team BC squad that won gold at the 2009 Canada Games in Prince Edward Island. The Surrey, BC, native joined the Whitecaps FC women's squad after leading Canada to an historic win at the 2010 CONCACAF U-17 Women's Championship in Costa Rica. Setterlund, who served as Canada's captain, was also named the tournament's Most Valuable Player. This past season in the PCSL, Setterlund started five of her six appearances with the Prospects Women's team for 405 minutes of action, scoring one goal.
Kovacs, 17, first joined Canada's U-17 squad for a training camp in Laval, Quebec, in October 2009. This summer, Kovacs taken part in the team's ten-day training camp in Vaughan, Ontario, and recently featured for the U-17 squad in a friendly versus Chile's U-17 squad. Before joining the Whitecaps FC Prospects, the native of Delta, BC, developed her skills as a youth player with Surrey FC Pegasus. With the Prospects Women's squad, Kovacs scored one goal in 10 PCSL appearances this season.
Named 2009 Canadian U-17 Women's Player of the Year last December, Raymer first joined Canada’s U-17 squad for a training camp in Laval, Quebec, in October 2009. The Victoria, BC, native helped Canada to the 2010 CONCACAF U-17 Women's Championship title in Costa Rica and qualification for next month's U-17 Women's World Cup. The striker also had a very successful season with Whitecaps FC, as she scored 12 goals in 11 PCSL appearances with the Prospects Women's team for 834 minutes of action. Raymer also made two appearances in the United Soccer Leagues W-League for the Whitecaps FC women's team, having played a total of 116 minutes in the process.
The 2010 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup takes place from September 5 to 25 in Trinidad & Tobago. Competing in a very challenging Group D, Canada will face Ghana on Monday, September 6, before meeting the Republic of Ireland on Thursday, September 9. Rosenfeld's squad will complete their group campaign when they face Brazil on Monday, September 13. Canada will need to finish in the top two in Group D, in order to advance to the quarterfinals. The final is set for Saturday, September 25, in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad. Canada will be hoping to improve on their quarterfinal finish at the inaugural U-17 Women's World Cup in New Zealand back in 2008.
Soccer fans can follow all of Canada's matches at Trinidad & Tobago 2010 on CBC's platform of networks. Canada's matches will be shown live on CBC Bold and streamed on cbcsports.ca. Each match will then be re-broadcast on the main CBC network at midnight local time.
