The CanWNT World Cup roster has many storylines. There are some players that were expected to make it, some surprises, and some heartbreak for those who did not make it. This roster overall looks pretty strong and should do well in this year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup.
CanWNT World Cup Roster Revealed: Analysis on the Roster
Your World Cup Squad 🇨🇦🏆@CANWNT x @CIBC #WeCAN pic.twitter.com/O9WIIldFId
— Canada Soccer (@CanadaSoccerEN) July 9, 2023
Veterans Christine Sinclair and Sophie Schmidt Highlights the Roster
Sophie Schmidt will be making her fifth World Cup appearance while Christine Sinclair will make her sixth in Australia and New Zealand. Furthermore, the team will depend on their leadership skills. Also to make plays to help Canada win. This is what Sinclair said about their performance heading into the FIFA Women’s World Cup (source: CBC Sports):
“We’re going there to win it.”
Sharing the good news with Deanne and Nichelle ❤️#WeCAN pic.twitter.com/omjYJoCnBL
— CANWNT (@CANWNT) July 9, 2023
Two players that were questionable due to injury were Nichelle Prince and Deanne Rose. Both players will be appearing in this year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup. The speed of these two players will be instrumental in delivering chances for players like Adriana Leon, Sinclair, and others in this competition.
Other key players on the squad include centre-backs Kadeisha Buchanan, who will make her third appearance for Canada in the FIFA Women’s World Cup. There is, of course, Jessie Fleming, who scored some key penalties in all three knockout games of the Olympics last year.
CanWNT First-Timers Including Olivia Smith
READ MORE: Vanessa Gilles: The CanWNT’s Dependable Centre-Back
The first player to talk about is Vanessa Gilles. The Canadian centre-back will be making her first FIFA Women’s World Cup appearance after making her first Olympics appearance just two years ago. Gilles played a critical role in Canada’s Olympic win with her strong defensive performance throughout the tournament. Also, the partnership between her and Buchanan makes it a no-brainer for Gilles to be part of the CanWNT World Cup roster.
It is no surprise that both Evelyne Viens and Cloe Lacasse are part of the team. Viens has 27 goals in 33 games for the Swedish side, Kristianstad. She also has scored four goals for her country, including a win in the SheBelieves Cup over Brazil. There is also forward, Lacasse, who recently made her move to Arsenal this year. She has played 19 games for her country and scored one goal against Argentina late last year for her country.
Simi Awujo, a midfielder on the squad, is also going to be at the FIFA Women’s World Cup. Awujo won the Canada Soccer Young Player of the Year last year, giving her a good chance to make the squad. Lysianne Proux is also making her first appearance for the squad. However, it is unclear how much playing time she will get as she will be behind both Sabrina D’Angelo and Kailen Sheridan.
The one surprise that has many people talking is Olivia Smith. Smith has made two appearances for the national team. The eighteen-year-old midfielder will be making her first-ever FIFA Women’s World Cup appearance. She last played for the North Toronto Nitros, scoring 18 goals in 11 appearances. Apparently, Smith has signed a deal with a top European club according to Bennedict Rhodes of the Canadian Premier League.
Players That Missed Out
There are some notable players that missed out. Veterans like Desiree Scott and Janine Beckie will be sorely missed as both players will not be on the World Cup roster because of injuries. Beckie showed her potential in the partnership with Sinclair in the two games against Nigeria. This is what Scott had to say about it in her Instagram post:
This quote shows that Scott is heartbroken but will still support her team in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Roster Update 🔁@CANWNT defender Jade Rose has been forced to withdraw from camp and World Cup selection due to injury. A replacement will be announced during Sunday, June 9th's roster release. pic.twitter.com/JRKocJ12Uj
— Canada Soccer (@CanadaSoccerEN) July 7, 2023
It is also unfortunate that defender Jade Rose will also not be on the roster.
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Games Coming up for the CanWNT
This is what Sinclair said about the needed protests at the SheBelieves Cup and how they can learn from it moving forward (source: Andi Petrillo of Soccer North)
“I think what I learned I think what our team learned so with the SheBelieves was that there is a limit to your energy and through those games you could just see that we were like a deflated team,” Sinclair said, “yes we’re going to go to battle but once it gets World Cup time the off-field battle has to end.”
The CanWNT has three FIFA Women’s World Cup games coming up. The first one will be against Nigeria on July 20 at 10:30 p.m. ET. This is followed up by the game against the Republic of Ireland on July 26 at 8:00 AM ET, and then against the Australians on July 31 at 6:00 AM ET. All three games will be televised nationally on TSN and will also be shown on RDS.
Photo Credit: Steve Roberts-USA TODAY Sports, of a CanWNT Headshot, on February 19, 2023.
