Canada Soccer have kicked off their 2021 season on the pitch
\u200bwith the Women’s National Team pre-tournament camp ahead of the 2021
\u200bSheBelieves Cup. The February camp is taking place in a closed setting near
\u200bOrlando, FL, USA ahead of international matches against USA, Argentina and
\u200bBrazil as Canada Soccer prepares for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
This marks the sixth edition of the international tournament, with all three Canada matches to be broadcast live by One Soccer and as a special presentation on CBC.
Recently added to the Canada Soccer squad for the
\u200bpre-tournament camp were Lindsay Agnew of NC Courage, Victoria Pickett of
\u200bKansas City NWSL, and Sarah Stratigakis from the University of Michigan.
\u200bCanada’s final 23-player roster for the 2021 SheBelieves Cup will be released
\u200bin the days leading up to the opening match on 18 February.
Unavailable for the SheBelieves Cup through injuries are captain Christine Sinclair of Portland Thorns FC, Diana Matheson of Kansas City NWSL, Erin McLeod of Orlando Pride, and Bianca St-Georges of Chicago Red Stars. Goalkeeper McLeod and fullback St-Georges featured in the Canada pre-tournament camp.
Despite a concerted effort from Canada Soccer to secure
\u200bKadeisha Buchanan of Olympique Lyonnais as well as Jordyn Huitema and Ashley
\u200bLawrence from Paris Saint-Germain FC to represent Canada in the 2021
\u200bSheBelieves Cup, these players will not be released by their clubs for the
\u200bupcoming FIFA international window and, as such, will not be available to
\u200bparticipate in the tournament.
The international tournament takes place 18-24 February at
\u200bExploria Stadium in Orlando during the upcoming FIFA international window.
“Given the new roster realities, what a great opportunity
\u200bfor players to rise up and show that they can compete at this Olympic level”,
\u200bsaid Bev Priestman, Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team Head Coach. “The
\u200btournament will be used to assess the player pool and players’ readiness to
\u200bachieve our goals at the Olympic Games. Ultimately this sort of competition is
\u200bexactly where we all want to be, pushing ourselves as we move forward in this
\u200bjourney.”
Canada are two-time Olympic bronze medal winners (2012 and
\u200b2016) and two-time Concacaf champions (1998 and 2010). In all, Canada have
\u200bparticipated in seven consecutive editions of the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ (1995
\u200bto 2019) and three consecutive editions of the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament
\u200b(2008 to 2016). At Rio 2016, Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team were the
\u200bfirst Canadian Olympic team to win back-to-back medals at a summer Olympic
\u200bGames in more than a century.
Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Youth Teams, meanwhile,
\u200bhave won four Concacaf youth titles: the 2004 and 2008 Concacaf Women’s
\u200bUnder-20 Championship, the 2010 Concacaf Women’s Under-17 Championship, and the
\u200b2014 Concacaf Girls’ Under-15 Championship. Canada have qualified for seven
\u200beditions of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup (including a silver medal at Canada
\u200b2002) and all six editions of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup (including a
\u200bfourth-place finish at Uruguay 2018).