Some early thoughts from the CanWNT/CanXNT roster drop for the April window
The CanWNT/CanXNT are back (in Canada!) in just over 10 days, as they get set to continue the celebration tour over on the West Coast. Here are some thoughts after they released their roster for that.
After a solid February window, the push towards the summer continues.
And for the CanWNT/CanXNT, they’ll take the next step in their journey in just a week and a half here, as they get set to take on Nigeria in a pair of friendlies in British Columbia.
As they get set for CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers later this summer (where they’ll also have a shot at the 2024 Olympics), this is a huge step for them to take on the journey that they’ve been on this past year.
Having won the Olympics last year, making and winning the World Cup would be a nice follow-up to that, and Canada is looking to make that a reality with a strong qualifying campaign, before taking that success to the tournament proper.
So to do that, the hard work must continue during this window. With these two friendlies coming as part of Canada’s Olympic gold medal celebration tour, there will be a lot of focus on the past, no doubt, but with a quickly-growing Nigeria team on the docket, it’s important that Canada doesn’t lose track of the present.
But at the same time, it’s important that Canada soaks up the occasion. Getting set to play just their 4th and 5th games in Canada since the start of 2019, it’s expected that the crowds in Vancouver and Langford, where these games will be held, will show up big time for this side.
And given that this team just hasn’t really had that chance to connect with their fans these past few years, that’s huge, as while it’s important they focus on looking ahead, there’s just the reality that they’ve had to achieve a lot of their success away from their closest supporters.
Because of that, it makes this intersection of celebration, preparation for the future and playing at home an intriguing one, one that Canada will need to sink in.
So as Canada gets set to travel to the west coast next week, here’s a look at how they’re feeling ahead of this camp, which is rapidly approaching here. Having already announced their squad, all is left for them to get together and get out on the pitch, continuing their journey towards the 2023 World Cup.
Push towards World Cup continues in earnest:
And speaking of that push towards 2023, you can really feel that in the Canadian squad that was announced for these games.
With this being the ‘celebration tour’ still, it was expected that Canada would bring back a good chunk of their 22-player Olympic squad from last year, which they did, but they also did so while bringing in a bunch of new faces, too.
As a result, that’s seen Canada bring in a whopping 29 players for this camp, with all 22 from the Olympics coming back in, on top of 7 other ‘new’ players, which consist of a mix of players that have been in Canadian camps before, as well as some fresher faces.
Because of that, it’s expected that competition for spots will be fierce during this camp. Other than the inclusion of Stephanie Labbe, who is going to play her last games for Canada in this camp before officially retiring, everyone else in this squad is expected to push for minutes at World Cup qualifiers, giving a tall task for Canadian head coach, Bev Priestman, as she evaluates how everyone fits into the fold.
But at the same time, it’s one that Priestman relishes. While she admits it’ll be good to celebrate those who won the gold medal, and especially honour Labbe’s distinguished international career, she adds that adding some fresh blood to that mix can only help, as she balances preparing for what lies ahead.
“Yeah, it’s a blended roster of the past with the celebrations, connections with our fans and the Olympic gold medalists,” Priestman explained. “But I think for me as a coach, I have to move the team forward and I think the seven additions to the roster help us make sure that we're assessing if players are ready for the summer in terms of our qualification and journey to the World Cup.”
“I want to widen the pool, and make sure that we’re doing exactly what we did before we went to the Olympics, while leaving no stone unturned for the future, as well.”
And that’s key, as while it hasn’t been talked about much yet, it’s important to note how difficult this journey to the World Cup will be for Canada.
Of course, as the Olympic champions, they’ll be expected to be ready for that, but the World Cup is a different beast.
For example, Canada has qualified for 4 Olympic tournaments in their history, and has medalled at 3 of them (2 bronzes, 1 gold). At the World Cup, though, despite qualifying for 7 of those tournaments, they’ve made it past the quarter-finals just once, finishing 4th place in 2003.
So while it might be easy to suggest that they should now be a threat to win the World Cup given their most recent triumph, there’s just the reality that the World Cup is a whole different game than the Olympics.
And that’s playing a role in Priestman’s planning for that. The squad is just one example, as she’s looking to use the new players to push the old squad to a new level, and playing these sorts of friendlies are another example of that, as Canada specifically picked a team like Nigeria, who they don’t play often, to give them a different test.
All done with the World Cup in mind, it’s hoped that can help prepare Canada for what lies ahead, giving them an edge as they head into the bigger games.
“Yeah, it’s going to be difficult,” Priestman said of her team’s World Cup ambitions. “I think in many ways, you’ve heard me talk about the analogy of (us climbing) the mountain (for the Olympics), and our new mountain of the World Cup is bigger than ever. I think you can see that, as historically we have not necessarily struggled, but we haven’t had the same level of success in that area, so it’s a totally different mountain.”
Growth at Arnold Clark Cup was key:
But while Canada is still not where they want to be if they’re to do well at a World Cup, they’ve already taken some big steps towards finding that level.
For example, they could’ve played at home in February, but were invited to go play in the inaugural Arnold Clark Cup over in England, where they got to take on top sides England, Germany and Spain over the span of a week.
And there, they showed some excellent things.
Despite having a squad filled with players out of season or out of form, leading many to expect them to get walked over, they competed excellently in all three games, beating Germany, drawing England and losing to Spain, all while giving each team a good run for their money.
Not only that, they didn’t do so by just sitting deep and praying for results, as they did well to develop their tactical identity, doing well to build off of the solid defensive framework that made the Olympic champions, while also showing a new side of their game in transition, off of set pieces and in possession.
As a result, it proved to many that while this Canadian team might not be a finished product, they’re still one of the better sides in the world for a reason, one that is quite underrated, if anything.
So for Canada, it’s important that they build off of that here.
After such a solid ACC tournament, one where they learned a lot about their tactical framework, their fighting spirit and some of their players, they can take a big step forward from that here, even if this Nigeria side doesn’t have the same reputation of the teams they played then.
And that’s what Priestman is hoping they do, as she made sure to talk about how important that tournament was for her players, something that she feels will bode well for them going forward.
“I personally felt on the sideline that I've seen some shifts in a positive way,” Priestman said. “And that's only the start, we've got to keep demanding and pushing the standards. But yeah, I thought we competed with three top, top nations, and we were disappointed obviously not to get that third game and go win the tournament, but in the grand scheme of things, it definitely gave me a good look at players as some players I felt came in and performed very, very well.”
Don’t sleep on Nigeria:
But while on paper, this Nigeria matchup might be seen as an inferior matchup on paper, don’t be fooled by that. Yes, Canada going from playing three top 10 ranked teams last window to a team ranked 39th in the world might seem like a big drop, but this Nigerian team is a lot more solid than their ranking indicates.
The top-ranked team in Africa right now, they’re expecting to do some big things at the World Cup next year, especially considering that they’re one of only a few teams to make every World Cup in their history.
And given that they’re also three-time defending champions of the African Cup of Nations, and have a squad filled with players at top leagues in Europe and in the NWSL, it’s hard to doubt their credentials.
They might not have the star power of some of the other teams, nor the depth, but they can definitely compete on their day, and will bring a different challenge to the table than most European teams.
So because of that, Priestman is expecting a stiff test in these games.
Canada is expected to win, of course, as their depth should shine through across these games, but it won’t be easy, so if they come out with anything but their full effort, they could be in for a surprise.
“Yeah, I think Nigeria will be a really tough test,” Priestman said. “I think watching them, they're more organized than they’ve ever been before, and they have this athleticism that will compete with ours. I think that's definitely worth noting, as we can't underestimate them. The games in the past with Nigeria have been difficult games.”
And given that this is the first 32-team World Cup, it’s good to see Canada prepare for different types of opponents. Of course, given that 7 out of the 8 quarter-finalists at the 2019 World Cup were European, you have to be ready for those sorts of teams, but under the new format, a maximum of 12 teams will be from that continent, leaving 20 (or 21) non-UEFA teams.
So for Canada, it’s important that they prepare for what those teams will offer, with these Nigeria games being a good start in that regard.
Looking Forward:
But knowing this Canadian team, getting up for these games shouldn’t be a problem. As they’ve shown over the past year and a bit, they almost always find a way to come out strong for these sorts of games, knowing that their World Cup journey begins now.
And seeing how fierce competition is going to be in this squad for places, it’s hard to imagine anything different this time around.
So if you can, make sure to head out to BC to follow along with this journey if possible. With their qualifiers being held in Mexico, this is as good of a chance as any to see this team in action as they get set for what’s next.
Which, based on last year, are expected to be big things, with these games just being the next step in that journey, one that’s hoped to end in triumph over in Australia and New Zealand next summer.
Canada’s Nichelle Prince in action against England in February (Canada Soccer/Daniela Porcelli)