Which CanWNT regulars are on the hot seat heading into the SheBelieves Cup?
After ending 2025 on a five-game losing streak, the pressure is rapidly increasing on the CanWNT, who are looking to put an end to that unfortunate streak next week at the SheBelieves Cup.
There, they’ll take on Colombia, the United States and Argentina in what will be three fascinating tests for Casey Stoney’s side to kick off the year with.
As the Concacaf Championships begin to approach later this fall, with that tournament serving as qualifiers for the 2027 World Cup and 2028 Summer Olympics, the SheBelieves Cup is a great chance for Canada to get back on track, as they try to avoid dragging out this slump into the bigger games that await them at the end of 2026.
If they’re to do that, however, they’re going to need some big individual performances from some of their key players in this camp. While there’s no doubt that they’ve got a lot of work to do to improve as a team, as they’re yet to fully embed Stoney’s tactical philosophy, several Canadian players are battling to prove that they can be part of Stoney’s long-term plans, period.
Therefore, while a lot of focus will be placed on Canada’s overall performances, which dipped massively at the end of 2025 after a great start to the year, many will also be keeping a keen eye on some of those under-pressure players in this camp, too.
On that note, here’s a look at some of those players who will look to step off the proverbial hot seat over the next week, helping them reaffirm their status within this team going forward.
Jordyn Huitema:
This will be a huge camp for striker Jordyn Huitema, who has now gone a year without scoring for Canada, having last found the net against Chinese Taipei on February 25th, 2025 - a run of six games without a goal.
For a Canadian team that has struggled to score goals as of late, failing to score in each of their last five losses, they’re looking for any possible solutions up front right now, and Huitema will look to show that she can remain in that mix despite her scoring woes, especially after playing in each of those five losses (in which she made two starts, and played 243 minutes)
There’s no doubt, though, that if she’s going to claim a starting role, the pressure will be on her to find some form, and quickly, as she’s struggled to hit the sort of level she’s shown to be capable of playing at when at her best.
To that point, not only has she scored just five goals for Canada since the start of 2024, but she’s also only scored six goals for the Seattle Reign across that span, which is even more worrying. It’d be one thing if she were only struggling for goals on a Canadian team that has had their own long-standing goalscoring woes - those frustrations would be softened if she were at least filling the net for the Reign in the meantime.
Instead, she’s also struggled to find the net there, too, as she’s been unable to match the heights she hit in 2023, when she scored seven goals for the club - that she hasn’t been able to match that total across her 2024 and 2025 seasons combined just shows how tough of a run it’s been for Huitema lately.
GOAL 🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) February 25, 2025
The #CanWNT put one hand on the 2025 Pinatar Cup as Jordyn Huitema scores off a corner kick to go up 3-0 over Chinese Taipei 🎯
🔴 Watch LIVE on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/wrXrreXvvN
Still just 24, Huitema still has a lot of growth to come in her overall game, which is important to remember - while she’s already scored 23 goals and made 94 appearances for Canada, she’s not even in her prime yet, and is still figuring out what the best version of herself is as a striker.
But given that she’s the player with the fourth-most caps in this current squad, there’s also pressure on her to step up into a bigger role on this team as she nears her prime, and for an attacker, that’ll hopefully be a role where she can find the net more regularly again.
Nichelle Prince:
After her move to the NWSL expansion side Boston Legacy this offseason, a big 2026 awaits Nichelle Prince at the club level - which, in turn, could have a big impact on her future with this Canadian team.
Having scored just three times at the club level since suffering a major Achilles injury at the end of 2022, she just never seemed to find her feet on a stacked KC Current team after joining them ahead of the 2024 season, proving unable to hit the heights she hit with the Houston Dash before her injury.
Now 31 years of age, she hopes that she can use her experience to her advantage as she assumes a leadership role on the expansion side, although her priority will be to first find a regular starting role in the Legacy’s attack, more than anything.
From there, she’ll look to translate that to Canada, where she’s had some good runs as a striker, most notably at the end of 2023 (in which she scored three goals), especially after having a pretty lean 2024 and 2025 in front of goal (in which she scored one goal across both years).
GOAL 🇨🇦🇨🇦
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) April 5, 2025
ADRIANA LEON OH MY 😱
What an assist from the #CanWNT attacker to set up this goal for Nichelle Prince 🔥
🔴 Watch LIVE on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/vFPEWHGiNR
Therefore, while some might see her age and suggest that she’ll be in tough to assume a starting role for Canada going forward, there is some hope that she can recover the form she showed as a striker a few years ago. Ultimately, while Canada has some promising young forwards coming through the ranks, such as Annabelle Chukwu and Kaylee Hunter, until they step up and seize a role, any veteran player will be able to grab a starting spot with a good run of games.
One advantage that Prince has over other attackers is that she’s a versatile player, one who has played out wide as well as up front, making her a bit of a unique profile - but that won’t matter if she’s unable to prove that she can step up and find the net a bit more regularly for both club and country. Ultimately, for forwards, goals are a valuable currency, so Prince will hope to add a few more of them to her account over the next few months.
Marie-Yasmine Alidou:
Despite being one of Canada’s best players in 2025, Marie-Yasmine Alidou will have to prove herself again in 2026, as she looks to show that she can build on what she did for this team last year.
Especially after a trying season at the club level, in which she scored just one goal and added one assist following her move to the NWSL’s Portland Thorns, there will be pressure for her to show that she’s not going to slow down anytime soon, even though she’s hit 30 years of age.
Having worked so hard to earn a regular Canada role, as she struggled to break into this team before the end of 2024 despite her excellent play in Portugal with Benfica, the last thing she’d want to do is relinquish a starting role already with just 17 caps to her name.
Casey Stoney appears to like Alidou’s profile as a flexible attacker, one who can play anywhere across the frontline and a bit deeper on the pitch, but that won’t matter if Alidou is unable to take a big step forward for the Thorns this year, as Stoney has pushed her players to put in better performances with their clubs - it’s no coincidence that Canada’s struggles in the second half in 2025 came during a lean period for many of their key players with their clubs.
Since it was her first season in the NWSL, Alidou will be let off the hook for not being able to hit the ground running right away in 2025, but now that she’ll have had a full preseason under her belt after coming partway through last year, the pressure will be on her to hit the ground running in 2026.
GOAL 🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) February 25, 2025
It's a #CanWNT HAT-TRICK for Mimi Alidou as she applies the deft touch on the outside of the boot to make it 4-0 over Chinese Taipei 🎩
🔴 Watch LIVE on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/7FsiefkLOs
Of course, the onus will also be on Portland to play her more, as she earned just 800 minutes of action across 22 appearances, but it’ll also be up to Alidou to push for more playing time, which she’ll get if she can hit anything close to the sort of offensive numbers she had in Portugal.
Certainly, Canada will be hoping that she can find that sort of form again, as she’s shown that she can be a dangerous attacker when on her game, as seen when she generated five goals and added one assist for her country in a span of six months between October of 2024 and February of 2025 - how Stoney would welcome another stretch like that from Alidou to kick off 2026.
Simi Awujo:
After a big 2024, one in which she made 13 appearances for Canada (including some standout performances at that summer’s Olympics), Awujo featured just six times in 2025 as she dealt with some injury woes.
Then, when she did play, she wasn’t able to hit her usual level, as she just didn’t quite look up to speed after the injuries, and she never seemed entirely comfortable with playing in Stoney’s system, either.
Because of that, it’s hoped that 2026 can be a bit of a fresh start for her, as she has the potential to be a crucial piece on this Canadian team, one that could use a player like her in midfield.
With how Stoney wants this team to play, with a lot of emphasis on intense and direct play on both sides of the ball, Canada will need to be strong in the middle of the park, which is where someone like Awujo could be crucial as a box-to-box presence.
GOAL 🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) December 2, 2023
SIMI AWUJO makes it 4-0 for the #CanWNT vs. Australia, notching her first goal for country in front of a home crowd on a great strike on the second phase of play ⭐️
🔴 TUNE IN on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/nr1w4pjos5
Having recently put in some great performances for Manchester United, she’s finding form at just the right time, so maybe this is a sign that 2026 could be a big year for club and country. That last point is significant, too, as it can’t be forgotten that her injury woes have also impacted her club career pretty significantly, as she made just 17 appearances in 2024-2025 (a number she’s already matched in 2025-2026), making it a slower start to life at the club after signing there off the back of her excellent Olympic performances in 2024.
Therefore, look for her to take a big step forward this year. Now 22, she’ll have a big role to play on this team for years to come, and Canada will hope she can step up and hit the level she was on the cusp of hitting in 2024.
The future success of this team depends on players like Awujo, Olivia Smith, Jade Rose and others, but with Smith’s ongoing injury woes and Rose’s quiet consistency, a brighter spotlight will shine on Awujo to start this year.
