The Canadian Soccer Association (CSA) announced today that eight members of the 2010 Vancouver Whitecaps FC women’s team have been called up to the Canadian women's national team for this month's Four Nation Women's Tournament in Chongqing, China.
Carolina Morace's squad are preparing for this summer's FIFA Women's World Cup in Germany and will be looking to fine tune their preparations with matches versus hosts China (Friday, January 21), United States (Sunday, January 23), and Sweden (Tuesday, January 25).
Among Morace's 24-player squad, the reigning CONCACAF women's champions have included defenders Melanie Booth, Robyn Gayle, Sophie Schmidt, and Emily Zurrer; midfielder Kaylyn Kyle; and strikers Jodi-Ann Robinson, Desiree Scott, and Melissa Tancredi.
Six former Whitecaps FC players are also included in the squad for the Far East trip. They include goalkeeper Erin McLeod, defenders Candace Chapman and Brittany Timko, midfielder Carmelina Moscato, and strikers Jonelle Filigno and Christine Sinclair. Canada's staff, meanwhile, includes former Whitecaps FC captain Andrea Neil as assistant coach and former Vancouver goalkeeper Sian Bagshawe as video coordinator.
Currently ninth in the FIFA Women's World Rankings, Canada have been drawn in Group A of the FIFA Women's World Cup with France, Nigeria, and hosts Germany. In fact, Canada will face the host Germans in the opening match of the tournament on Sunday, June 26. Morace's squad then face France on Thursday, June 30, and Nigeria on Tuesday, July 5.
