Canadian Soccer Association announced today Canada's official roster for this year's FIFA Women's World Cup in Germany. Carolina Morace's squad open their campaign versus the hosts in the opening match of the tournament at Berlin's Olympic Stadium on Sunday, June 26. Kickoff is set for 9 a.m. PT.
Among the 21 players to be selected by Morace are 14 former members of the Vancouver Whitecaps FC women's team. They include goalkeeper Erin McLeod; defenders Candace Chapman, Robyn Gayle, Brittany Timko, and Emily Zurrer; midfielders Kaylyn Kyle, Carmelina Moscato, Sophie Schmidt, Desiree Scott, and Chelsea Stewart; and strikers Jonelle Filigno, Jodi-Ann Robinson, Christine Sinclair, and Melissa Tancredi. The list includes three players that helped Whitecaps FC to the 2004 United Soccer Leagues W-League championship title and eight players from Vancouver's 2006 W-League championship squad.
Set to take part in her third FIFA Women’s World Cup, Sinclair is the all-time leader in appearances for Canada with 159. The Burnaby, BC, native also ranks amongst the top five all-time leaders in international goals with 116 for her country.
Sinclair, Matheson (122), Timko (101), and Wilkinson (100) are all part of Canada's century club, having made over 100 appearances for their country. An additional seven players have made 50 or more appearances. Counting all 21 players, Morace's squad has made 1,244 player appearances at the international level, an average of nearly 60 matches per player.
Nine players are taking part in their first FIFA Women's World Cup. The youngest players are 20-year-old Filigno and 21-year-old Stewart, both of whom have won Canadian U-20 Player of the Year honours after playing with Whitecaps FC.
All 16 national team rosters for this year's Women's World Cup will be officially posted on FIFA.com on Friday, including those of Canada's Group A opponents Germany (June 26 in Berlin), France (Thursday, June 30, in Bochum), and Nigeria (Tuesday, July 5, in Dresden). The tournament will run until Sunday, July 17, when it concludes with the final at Frankfurt’s Commerzbank-Arena.
This will mark Canada's fifth-consecutive participation in the FIFA Women's World Cup, dating back to 1995. In 2015, Canada will host the next Women's World Cup across the country.
CBC and Rogers Sportsnet will have coverage of the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup across Canada from June 26 to July 17.
