Huitema, Grosso named to Canada roster for World Cup warm-up match in England

Huitema, Sinclair, Fleming celebration

Canada Soccer has named the 23 players who will make up Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team roster for the April 5 international friendly against England at Academy Stadium in Manchester, England. The tier one match will feature two of the world’s top teams with Canada currently fifth in the FIFA Women’s World Ranking and England one spot ahead in the fourth position.

Nearly four years since England and Canada met in the quarterfinal of the FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015™, the teams will once again clash with a FIFA Women’s World Cup™ in sight with Canada looking to use the memory of its 2-1 loss as motivation towards its drive to earn the coveted trophy at this year’s tournament.

“We know England is a very good opponent and they will want to put on their best performance at home, so this is an ideal moment to test what we have been working on as we prepare for France,” said Kenneth Heiner-Moller, Canada Soccer Women’s National Team Head Coach.  “We remain focused on improving ourselves, our processes and tactics, to peak in June, but we know heading into England that this match will be the kind of competition we should be preparing for.”

Canada’s squad against rivals England will feature many of the faces that fans should expect to see as Canada launches into it’s FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019™ campaign later this summer, giving the core team an opportunity to test itself against one of the contenders for the title. Additionally, ten players on the roster were members of Canada Soccer’s roster for the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ four years ago in Canada (McLeod, Labbe, Buchanan, Chapman, Lawrence, Fleming, Scott, Schmidt, Leon and Sinclair).  Veteran Diana Matheson and Rebecca Quinn will miss camp as they recover from injury.

Canada Soccer Women’s National Team Roster – England International Friendly 

GK Stephanie Labbé, age 32, from Stony Plain, AB / North Carolina Courage (NWSL)
GK Erin McLeod, age 36, from St. Albert, AB / Växjö DFF (Damallsvenskan)
GK Sabrina D'Angelo, age 25, from Welland, ON / Vittsjö GIK (Damallsvenskan)
FB Allysha Chapman, age 30, from Courtice, ON / Houston Dash (NWSL)
FB Ashley Lawrence, age 23, from Caledon, ON /Paris Saint Germain (Division 1 Féminine France)
FB Lindsay Agnew, age 24, from Kingston, ON / Houston Dash (NWSL)
FB Jenna Hellstrom, age 23, from Sudbury, ON / KIF Örebro (Damallsvenskan)
FB Jayde Riviere, age 17, from Markham, ON / Canada Soccer Regional EXCEL Super Centre (Ontario)
CB Vanessa Gilles, 22, from Ottawa, ON / Les Girondins de Bordeaux (Division 1 Féminine France)
CB Kadeisha Buchanan, age 23, from Brampton, ON / Olympique Lyonnais (Division 1 Féminine France)
CB Shelina Zadorsky, age 26, from London, ON / Orlando Pride (NWSL)
CB Shannon Woeller, age 29, from Vancouver, BC / Eskilstuna United DFF (Damallsvenskan)
Julia Grosso, age 18, from Vancouver, BC / The University of Texas at Austin (NCAA)
Desiree Scott, age 31, from Winnipeg, MB / Utah Royals FC (NWSL)
Jessie Fleming, age 21, from London, ON / UCLA (NCAA)
Sophie Schmidt, age 30, from Abbotsford, BC / Houston Dash (NWSL)
Gabrielle Carle,  age 20, from Lévis, QC / Florida State University (NCAA)
Deanne Rose, age 20, from Alliston, ON / University of Florida Gators (NCAA)
Jordyn Huitema, age 17, from Chilliwack, BC / Vancouver Whitecaps FC Girls Elite/ Canada Soccer Regional EXCEL Super Centre (British Columbia)
Nichelle Prince, age 24 from Ajax, ON / Houston Dash (NWSL)
Christine Sinclair ( C ), age 35, from Burnaby, BC / Portland Thorns (NWSL)
Janine Beckie, age 24, from Highlands Ranch, CO / Manchester City (FA Women's Super League)
Adriana Leon, age 26, from King City, ON / West Ham United (FA Women's Super League)

Canada has played England 12 times before registering five wins, and seven loses.

Upcoming matches
Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team will play a “Send-Off” match against Mexico in Toronto at BMO Field on May 18 at 1:00 p.m. ET/10:00 a.m. PT.  To catch Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team at home before they head to France, visit canadasoccer.com/tickets for full information.

Canada will launch their FIFA Women’s World Cup™ campaign against Cameroon on Monday June 10 at Stade de la Mosson in Montpellier, France. Canada will then travel to Grenoble for their second group stage match on Saturday 15 June against New Zealand at Stade des alpes. Canada then concludes the group phase in Reims on Thursday 20 June with a match against the Netherlands at Stade August-Velaune.

Be part of the journey to France 2019 by following Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team on and off the pitch on Canada Soccer’s website, FacebookTwitter and Instagram.

Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team
Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team made history with back-to-back podium finishes at the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympic Games, becoming the first Canadian team to win back-to-back Summer Olympic medals since 1908, and the first-ever women’s Canadian team to return to the podium.  

At the last three major women's tournaments, Canada finished third at the London 2012 Women's Olympic Football Tournament, sixth at the FIFA Women's World Cup Canada 2015™, and third at the Rio 2016 Women's Olympic Football Tournament.

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

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