VANCOUVER, B.C - Canada will hope to earn a better result against Japan on Tuesday night at BC Place. Norio Sasaki's team scored twice in a dominate second half as they beat Canada 3-0 on Saturday night in Edmonton, Alberta. John Herdman will be making a few changes to his lineup for the second friendly. Desiree Scott will start in midfield for Kaylyn Kyle, but the biggest alteration will be in net.
Stephanie Labbe will pick up her 15th cap with the senior national team as she will make her first start for Canada since a 3-1 victory over Italy on March 7, at the 2014 Cyprus Cup. Labbe has often been behind veterans Erin McLeod and Karina LeBlanc on Canada's goalkeeper depth chart. She has taken her career overseas to Sweden with Damallsvenskan club Kif Orebro and performed exceptionally well this season with her strong play helping her gain a start vs Japan.
"It's a tough position to be in and you try to stay patient and wait for your time to come. I'm just really excited to show how I've developed this year. Coming off a good season in Sweden it's really exciting and I feel really good."
Kif Orebro finished second in the Damallsvenskan behind league champions FC Rosengard. An automatic berth in the 2015 edition of the Champions League was up for grabs on the final match day of the season earlier this month. Orebro defeated Eskilstuna United 2-0 and finished ahead of Goteborg FC to earn the right to play in the Champions League next summer. The Stony Plain, Alberta native has also been nominated for Swedish goalkeeper of the year. It has been a remarkable 2014 for Stephanie Labbe and she is looking forward to the big challenge she faces on Tuesday.
"It's a huge opportunity. I believe in myself and I that know I'm at this level and that I can do it, it's just about continuing to get others to believe in me. I'm just excited to go out. Against a top team, there's no better challenge than that."
For Labbe this year has been one of the most enjoyable she has experienced as a footballer.
"It was extremely exciting. To be one of two Canadians, I think we're maybe the first two that have qualified for Champions League, so it's exciting. I think the journey with the team that we've taken, in the past three years, to go from a team that was fighting for relegation to stay in the league, and then now to turn it around and get the club's first medal and qualify for Champions League, it's extremely exciting. I felt really good after my season and I felt like I was able to improve a lot and really help the team have a really good, solid defensive performance. It feels really good."
John Herdman always wants his players playing in top women's leagues. The NWSL, FAWSL, and Damallsvenskan Leagues have all been homes to Canadian players this calendar year. The ability to play well and improve in one of the top women's leagues is a big draw and reason why players are called up to compete for a roster spot during residency. Labbe has taken her chance in Sweden and showed that she can play in a top league. Herdman is pleased she has done that.
"It's a great opportunity, and Steph has had a wonderful season. Those players that go off, we keep saying to them; let your career tell the story. Players come knocking on the door wanting game time and wanting opportunities for Canada that aren't playing at the highest level in the women's game, but she is. She's just qualified for the Champions League and she's had a terrific season. She's set a few little records there and she deserves it, a chance to play and to keep pushing Erin McLeod for that no.1 spot. That healthy competition is what we need in this squad."
Canadian central-defender Emily Zurrer also played in the Damallsvenskan league this past season. Zurrer captained Jitex. Zurer had a terrific time playing over in Sweden despite the fact that Jitex was relegated after failing to pick up any points in twenty league matches. Jitex and Orebro met on October 11, with Labbe's team winning 2-1. The former Vancouver Whitecaps defender has really seen Labbe grow as a keeper this past season in Sweden.
"Yeah Steph, she's an amazing keeper and I think Sweden has really done so much for her. She's really grown into one of the best in the world as well as our other keepers. I'm so proud and excited for them to have made Champions League. I think they deserved it and it was cool to see their team, with not so many big names, able to really push through and hold onto that second position in the Damallsvenskan."
The avid Edmonton Oilers supporter who went to her high school prom with Ben Scrivens was motivated and focused on earning a call up to the residency camp in Vancouver after not being named to John Herdman's roster for Canada's friendly 2-1 friendly loss to Germany on June 18 in at BC Place. Labbe wanted to improve, get better and show that she deserved to be called up for Canada's pair of friendlies against Japan.
"I'm always trying to push myself and always trying to be better. It's always an honour to be called in here, so when you don't you want to push yourself to be even better and to get the call up. I've just been focusing on myself , I'm happy and I feel confident right now. I know that I've had a really good season in Sweden so I'm just confident with that, don't try to do too much, but just do what I know I'm able to do and that's all I can control."
The creative mind that is John Herdman has always touted Erin McLeod as his no.1 keeper and as one of the best keepers in the world. Like Labbe, McLeod has also been playing at a high level and has done so for numerous years. The Houston Dash keeper was a strong competitor on a struggling expansion Dash team. McLeod realizes that Labbe is making history right now and well deserving of an opportunity to learn, play and gain more caps with Canada.
"Steph is a phenomenal keeper, their team just qualified for Champions League and she's making history over there for a Canadian goalkeeper. To be honest, she doesn't have that many caps with us yet, but I think it's coming. She'll get a lot more opportunities. We have the utmost trust in her and I'm excited to see her play."
Canada's depth at the keeper position is one of the strongest assets the team has. McLeod, and Karina LeBlanc have often carried the bulk of work for Canada. They've also represented Canada well in the NWSL with Portland, Chicago and Houston over the past two seasons. Supporters should be very excited about the future Canada has in net. John Herdman isn't worried about his keepers, because he has full confidence in whoever he has starting for Canada.
"All I know is, I sleep very well at night knowing that if something ever happened to Erin, we've got two great keepers sitting underneath and one that seems to be coming into her prime."
Emily Zurrer looks forward to the battles between the keepers she is defends in front of while on the pitch. It's not known why Canada is such a strong force in-goal, but it's no secret that the players have faith in whoever plays.
"I feel like we've always had strong goalkeepers in Canada. I don't know why, maybe it's something in the water. It's definitely always a battle, and we have trust and faith in whoever is in net behind us."
NOTES: Diana Matheson had imaging tests done on her knee Monday in Vancouver and the extent of her injury is unknown at this time.
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