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Time is flying for our women’s national team as they prepare for next year’s World Cup. With just over seven months until they open the tournament next June, coach John Herdman is still focusing on playing what he calls “tier one opposition” in preparation. Canada will play third ranked Japan in two friendlies, one this Saturday in Edmonton at Commonwealth Stadium and the other next Tuesday in Vancouver at BC Place. Let’s have a look at how the teams match up for these friendlies and what else this final stretch for the team might have in store.
Both Canada’s 20-woman roster and Japan’s roster of 21 are listed below. There are no big surprises on Canada’s roster, with defender Allysha Chapman being the only player who is uncapped. Chapman, a 25 year-old from Oshawa, Ontario is a natural left footed player, an attribute Herdman has said multiple times he’s been looking for since the London Olympics. She has been playing consistent minutes for Eskilstuna United DFF, a mid-table team in the top women’s football league in Sweden. Her statistics for the recently completed 2013-2014 season can be found here.
Japan is coming off a busy but successful year that saw them win the 2014 AFC Women’s Asian cup in May with a 1-0 win over a young but very talented Australian side. Japan, Australia, China, South Korea and Thailand were the five teams to qualify from that AFC championship for next year’s World Cup. Japan also recently finished second at the 2014 Asian Games, losing 3-1 in the final to North Korea on October 1st.
Japan is one of the most enjoyable teams to watch in the world of women’s soccer. Their technical brilliance allows them to move the ball around the pitch, mainly on the ground, quickly and accurately. The Canadian women are going to have their hands full dealing with Japan’s many scoring options. At the Asian games, both Mizuho Sakaguchi and Yuika Sugasawa scored five goals each, and at May’s AFC championship, Japan had six different players score two goals each.
As for Canada, getting Kadeisha Buchanan and Ashley Lawrence released from West Virginia University in the middle of the NCAA season for these two games is a big positive. The thought of playing the reigning World Champions without Buchanan would have been quite daunting. It’s also encouraging to see Herdman call up Sura Yekka and Jessie Fleming again, two young players that Herdman thinks will play a role next year.
It will be particularly interesting to see how Emily Zurrer and Desiree Scott perform, two players who played in NWSL last year but not in 2014. Zurrer recently finished a season with Jitex BK in the Swedish league, but the team failed to earn any points in 20 games. Scott, who was excellent in NWSL in 2013, decided to play in the English FAWSL this past season, and her team Notts County finished sixth out of eight teams in their fourteen game season.
Canada and Japan last met at the 2012 Olympics, where the Japanese came out with a deserved 2-1 victory. Melissa Tancredi scored the lone goal for Canada.
Beyond these two October friendlies, the CanWNT’s schedule is starting to take shape. Though not yet confirmed by the CSA, Jeff Kassouf of The Equalizer and NBC reported this week that Canada will play fifth ranked Sweden on November 24th and 26th in Los Angeles. I’ve heard both will be closed-door friendlies. Having a game away from the interviews and appearances that come with these home friendlies isn’t necessarily a bad thing for the team.
I recently asked the CSA if its plan to play friendlies in each of the World Cup venues across Canada leading up to 2015 is still a go, and a CSA media representative told me, “There is still a desire to have the team play in the various markets but it is impossible for me to say if it will happen or not [at this time].” The rep added “Moncton would most likely not be in the running to host a match should we plan more at home ahead of the Women’s World Cup,” due to the fact that the team’s send off match before the London Olympics in 2012 was held in Moncton. That leaves Ottawa and Montreal as the two venues the senior women’s team is yet to play in, though Canada’s U20 team played their final group game of this summer’s U20 World Cup at Montreal’s Big O.
According to a release by the Swiss football federation, Canada is not among the 12 nations that will compete at next March’s Algarve Cup, consistently the most competitive women’s soccer tournament outside of WWCs and Olympic games. Canada hasn’t been in the Algarve since 2003, and although unconfirmed, will likely play in the Cyprus Cup again. They have been to the Cyprus Cup every year since the tournament’s inception in 2008.
Additionally, the field for this year’s four-nation tournament in Brazil has been named, and Canada is not one of them. Canada competed in the tournament last December.
Rosters for Canada vs. Japan, October 25th (in Edmonton, 2pm ET on the 4 main Sportsnet channels) and October 28th (in Vancouver, 10pm ET on Sportsnet 1):
CANADA
GK- Stephanie Labbe | SWE / KIF Orebro
GK- Erin McLeod | USA / Houston Dash
D- Kadeisha Buchanan | USA / West Virginia University
D- Allysha Chapman | SWE / Eskilstuna United DFF
D- Rhian Wilkinson | CAN / Comètes de Laval
D- Sura Yekka | CAN / Brams United
D- Emily Zurrer | SWE / Jitex BK
D- Carmelina Moscato | USA / Seattle Reign FC
D- Rachel Quon | USA / Chicago Red Stars
M- Jessie Fleming | CAN / London NorWest SC
M- Kaylyn Kyle | USA / Houston Dash
M- Ashley Lawrence | USA / West Virginia University
M- Diana Matheson | USA / Washington Spirit
M- Sophie Schmidt | USA / Sky Blue FC
M- Desiree Scott | ENG / Notts County FC
F- Adriana Leon | USA / Chicago Stars
F- Christine Sinclair | USA / Portland Thorns
F- Melissa Tancredi | USA / Chicago Red Stars
F- Josée Bélanger | CAN / Comètes de Laval
F- Jonelle Filigno | USA / Sky Blue FC
JAPAN
GK- 1- Miho Fukumoto | JPN / Okayama Yunogo Belle
GK- 21- Erina Yamane | JPN / JEF United Ichihara Chiba Ladies
D- 2- Yukari Kinga | ENG / Arsenal Ladies FC
D- 3- Azusa Iwashimizu | JPN / Nippon Television Beleza
D- 5- Aya Sameshima | JPN / Vegalta Sendai Ladies
D- 18- Saori Ariyoshi | JPN / Nippon Television Beleza
D- 19- Yuri Kawamura | JPN / Vegalta Sendai Ladies
D- 4- Saki Kumagai | FRA / Olympique Lyonnais
M- 7- Kozue Ando | GER / FFC Frankfurt
M- 8- Aya Miyama | JPN / Okayama Yunogo Belle
M- 9- Nahomi Kawasumi | JPN / INAC Kobe
M- 12- Megumi Kamionobe | JPN / Albirex Niigata Ladies
M- 6- Mizuho Akaguchi | JPN / Nippon Television Beleza
M- 14- Asuna Tanaka | GER / FFC Frankfurt
M- 13- Rumi Utsugi | FRA / Montpellier Herault Sport Club
M- 20- Asano Nagasato | GER / Turbine Potsdam
F- 11- Shinobu Ohno | ENG / Arsenal Ladies FC
F- 17- Yuki Ogimi | ENG / Chelsea Ladies Football Club
F- 22- Yuika Sugasawa | JPN / JEF United Ichihara Chiba Ladies
F- 15- Megumi Takase | JPN / INAC Kobe
F- 16- Mana Iwabuchi | GER / FC Bayern Munich
Some more links to check out before the friendlies:
1) Sandra Prusinia of Northern Kick did a great interview with John Herdman last week, which can be found here.
2) Toronto’s FAN590 radio station spoke with Herdman ahead of Saturday’s games.
3) TSN’s Jason deVos gave his opinion and some insight on Canada’s roster for these two friendlies on the latest podcast episode of TSNFC. (Starting at around the 34:40 mark.)
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