Priestman names CanWNT squad for October friendlies vs. Argentina, Morocco

Canada NT

Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team have announced their squad for the upcoming October 2022 international window for the International Football Festival in Cádiz, Spain. Canada will face Argentina on Thursday 6 October and then Morocco on Monday 10 October. Both matches will be played at Estadio Municipal de Chapín in Jerez, Spain.

Priestman’s squad will have the opportunity to test themselves against two opponents who have already qualified for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023™. This camp will mark the last international window before the Official Draw for the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ on 22 October 2022 in Auckland, New Zealand, where Canada will learn more about the path that lies ahead of the biggest tournament in the world.

“To play two Women’s World Cup opponents with different styles ahead of the draw is exciting and will only support the invaluable experiences we will accumulate in the remaining four FIFA windows,” said Bev Priestman, Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team Head Coach. “We know that in a World Cup, the variation of tiers and styles is much greater compared to an Olympics. Therefore, this is a perfect fit at this stage given our recent and future Tier one fixtures. The squad is still missing some key players, however, at this stage it does allow us to assess and re-assess players that have done well in our environment, in club or college ahead of 2023.”

The Thursday match kicks off at 13.00 ET / 10.00 PT (19.00 local) while the Monday match kicks off at 10.30 ET / 07.30 PT (16.30 local). Fans will find extended coverage for the matches across Canada Soccer’s digital channels on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube featuring the hashtag #CANWNT.
Canada won both of their matches in the September window against Australia, a 1:0 victory on Saturday 3 September and the 2:1 victory on Tuesday 6 September 2022. They were Canada’s first two international matches since the Concacaf W Championship as the squad now focuses squarely on the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023™.

The FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023™, which will be held from 20 July 2023 to 20 August 2023, will see 30 nations join the hosts Australia and New Zealand who have already qualified for the biggest tournament in the world. The FIFA Women’s World Cup™ will be a tournament of firsts. In 2023, fans will see 32 nations playing 64 matches across nine host cities in Australia and New Zealand for the first time in FIFA Women’s World Cup™ history.

CANADA SQUAD
Two players will return to Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team after receiving their first call ups during September’s international window: Celtic FC Clarissa Larisey and University of Southern California Simi Awujo. Awujo’s University of Southern California teammate, Zoe Burns, has received her third call-up into Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team. Jade Rose of Harvard University will join the Canada squad for the ninth time in her career.

With 317 international “A” appearances, Christine Sinclair is the most experienced international player in the October squad. Sinclair has made 305 starts, scored 190 goals, and helped Canada post 170 wins. She is a 14-time Canada Soccer Player of the Year and two-time Canadian Athlete of the Year. Sinclair of Portland Thorns FC is one of 10 Canada players based in the National Women’s Soccer League alongside club teammate Janine Beckie of Portland Thorns FC, Kailen Sheridan of San Diego Wave FC, Allysha Chapman, Sophie Schmidt and Nichelle Prince of Houston Dash, Bianca St-Georges of Chicago Red Stars, Quinn and Jordyn Huitema of OL Reign, and Desiree Scott of Kansas City Current.

Kadeisha Buchanan of Chelsea FC and Ashley Lawrence of Paris Saint-Germain will both return to the Canada lineup after not being available for the last Canada camp in September. The rest of the Canada squad features returning players based in Europe Jessie Fleming of Chelsea FC, Adriana Leon of Manchester United FC, Shelina Zadorsky of Tottenham Hotspur, Julia Grosso of Juventus FC, Cloé Lacasse of SL Benfica, Evelyne Viens of Kristianstads DFF, Sura Yekka of Le Havre AC, Sabrina D’Angelo of Vittsjö GIK and Lysianne Proulx of SCU Torreense.

Unavailable for the October camp are injured players Vanessa Gilles of FCF Olympique Lyonnais, Deanne Rose of Reading FC, Gabrielle Carle of Kristianstads DFF and Jayde Riviere of the University of Michigan.

FULL SQUAD: