Canada Announces Squad For 2022 Arnold Clark Cup

Written by Oluwaseun Oyediji

Canada Soccer has announced their first squad of the 2022 international year as they prepare for the inaugural Arnold Clark Cup competition in England.

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The squad will face a trio of European opponents as Canada prepares for this summer’s 2022 Concacaf Women’s Championship as qualifiers to both the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023 as well as the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Canada will face England on Thursday 17 February in Middlesbrough, Germany on Sunday 20 February in Norwich, and Spain on Wednesday 23 February in Wolverhampton.

All four nations competing in the new annual competition were ranked amongst the top-10 nations on the latest FIFA/Coca-Cola World Rankings, with Germany at third (2,073 ranking points), Canada at sixth (2,021 points), England at eighth (1,973 points), and Spain at 10th (1,935 points).

Canada are preparing for the 2022 Concacaf Women’s Championship final round in July, Germany, England, and Spain are all perfect midway through their respective group phases in UEFA qualifying for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023.

The Canada squad features players attached to clubs in seven different countries. As the February 2022 international window coincides with the upcoming Concacaf Women’s Under-20 Championship, coach Priestman has not called up all youth players that may otherwise be eligible to compete with Canada’s U-20 team (players born 2002 or later).

First-time call-ups are midfielder Marie-Yasmine Alidou, who recently transferred from Klepp IL in Norway to SK Sturm Graz in Austria, forward Tanya Boychuk from the University of Memphis, and goalkeeper Devon Kerr of Washington Spirit. Second-year call ups, meanwhile, are both forward Cloé Lacasse of Benfica in Portugal and midfielder Victoria Pickett of the Kansas City Current.

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Also included in the Canada squad are four players who have signed or changed professional clubs since the last international window in November: fullback Gabrielle Carle has turned pro with Kristianstads DFF in Sweden; centre back Vanessa Gilles has joined NWSL expansion side Angel City FC; midfielder Julia Grosso has turned pro with Juventus FC in Italy, and goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan has joined NWSL expansion side San Diego Wave FC.

Other NWSL-based players in the Canada squad are fullback Allysha Chapman, forward Nichelle Prince and midfielder Sophie Schmidt of Houston Dash, goalkeeper Erin McLeod of Orlando Pride, Quinn of OL Reign, and Desiree Scott of the Kansas City Current. Fullback Jayde Riviere, meanwhile, plays her football at the University of Michigan.

Other European-based players in the Canada squad are forward Janine Beckie of Manchester City FC, center-back Kadeisha Buchanan of Olympique Lyonnais, goalkeeper Sabrina D’Angelo of Vittsjö GIK, midfielder Jessie Fleming of Chelsea FC, forward Jordyn Huitema and fullback Ashley Lawrence of Paris Saint-Germain FC, forward Deanne Rose of Reading FC, fullback Sura Yekka of Havre AC, and center-back Shelina Zadorsky of Tottenham Hotspurs.

Meanwhile…

Players unavailable for the February camp include Adriana Leon of West Ham United (returning from injury) and Christine Sinclair of Portland Thorns FC (personal). Sinclair will miss the tournament after her mother Sandi passed away after a 40-year battle with Multiple Sclerosis.

Canada are Olympic champions (Tokyo 2020), two-time bronze medal winners (2012 and 2016), and two-time Concacaf champions (1998 and 2010). In all, Canada have participated in seven consecutive editions of the FIFA Women’s World Cup (1995 to 2019) and four consecutive editions of the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament (2008 to 2021). At Tokyo 2020, Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team became the first Canadian team to win three consecutive medals at the Summer Olympic Games and just the third nation in the world to win three medals in women’s soccer.

Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Youth Teams, meanwhile, have won four Concacaf youth titles: the 2004 and 2008 Concacaf Women’s Under-20 Championship, the 2010 Concacaf Women’s Under-17 Championship, and the 2014 Concacaf Girls’ Under-15 Championship. Canada have qualified for seven editions of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup (including a silver medal at Canada 2002) and all six editions of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup (including a fourth-place finish at Uruguay 2018).

Source: Canada Soccer

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Oluwaseun Oyediji

I am a huge advocate of Women’s football after covering the Nigeria Women Football Leagues (NWFL) since 2019. An unbiased football writer with penchant for women’s in sports and historical analysis.

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