Canada Soccer News

Lucas Cavallini and Kailen Sheridan were named Canada Soccer’s Players of the Month for July 2022. Forward Cavallini helped Vancouver Whitecaps FC win the 2022 Canadian Championship to qualify for Concacaf Nations League while goalkeeper Sheridan won the Top Goalkeeper Award at the 2022 Concacaf W Championship to help Canada qualify for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023™. Sheridan along with Jessie Fleming, Vanessa Gilles and Julia Grosso were all named to the Best XI as Canada finished second at the Concacaf Women’s Championship. Sheridan from Whitby, Ontario posted four consecutive clean sheets for Canada in July at the Concacaf W Championship. She then earned Performance of the Match honours in the Final, a 1:0 loss to the USA who scored the Championship winner on a penalty in the 78th minute. Sheridan made a handful of saves in the Final, the best from the goal line toward the end of the first half to keep Canada in the match.

After the Concacaf W Championship, Sheridan posted another clean sheet in club colours, this time a 1:0 win as San Diego Wave FC held first place in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). Sheridan, the all-time Canadian leader in NWSL clean sheets, stopped a penalty attempt in the away win. Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team finished in second place at the 2022 Concacaf W Championship after they were defeated 1:0 in the Concacaf Final in Guadalupe, NL, Mexico. Already qualified for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023™, Canada will now advance to an Olympic playoff series against Jamaica in September 2023 in order to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Cavallini from Mississauga, Ontario helped Vancouver Whitecaps FC win the 2022 Canadian Championship at home. With 24,307 fans in attendance at BC Place, Whitecaps FC won 5-3 on kicks after a 1:1 draw with Toronto FC. In Major League Soccer action, Cavallini scored two goals in five matches as the Whitecaps moved to within four points from a playoff spot. Alongside Cavallini, eight other Canadians dressed for Whitecaps FC during this year’s Canadian Championship: Ben Alexander, Michael Baldisimo, Isaac Boehmer, Marcus Godinho, Cristián Gutiérrez, Ryan Raposo, Tosaint Ricketts and captain Russell Teibert. Overseas in Europe, meanwhile, Tajon Buchanan and Cyle Larin helped Club Brugge KV win the Supercup in Belgium, Alphonso Davies helped FC Bayern win the DFL-Supercup in Germany, and Stephen Eustáquio helped FC Porto win the Supertaça in Portugal.

Canada Soccer announced today that they have agreed to voluntarily recognise the Canadian Men’s National Soccer Team Players Association (CMNSTPA) as the exclusive bargaining agent for players invited by Canada Soccer to train or to play for the Canada Soccer’s Men’s National Team.

The Players Association has been formed by players who have been called into any camp of Canada Soccer’s Men’s National Team since January 2021. This Association covers all current players and will be the point of contact for Canada Soccer, rather than individual players, on all issues going forward. “This is an important evolution as we strive to establish a more consistent approach in how our Men’s National Team negotiates and communicates with our organization” said Earl Cochrane, Canada Soccer General Secretary. “We are confident this will help immensely in further progressing our open and transparent conversations with both our National Teams. The objective remains — to collectively find a resolution based on the values of fairness and equal pay and this news takes us a step closer to the reality we all want to see.”

In 2016, Canada Soccer also voluntarily recognised the Canadian Soccer Players’ Association (CSPA) as the exclusive bargaining agent for Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team.

JOHN HERDMAN A RECIPIENT AT THE IMMIGRANT AWARDS

Canada Soccer’s Men’s National Team Head Coach John Herdman has been recognised at this year’s Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards. Herdman, originally from Consett, England, has been instrumental in leading our nation into a new era of soccer since he arrived in Canada back in 2011. Herdman and the other recipients are recognised as ‘inspirational immigrants who have made a positive impact on their communities since arriving in Canada.’ This marks the 14th year of the Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards. Recipients are ‘chosen from a stellar list of 75 finalists, by a combination of online votes and scores from (their) judging panel.’ Herdman joins a group of notable sporting figures that have previously been recognised including Donovan Bailey (athletics), Michael Clemons (American football), Daniel Igali (wrestling) and Steve Nash (basketball). After arriving in Canada, Herdman led Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team to back-to-back Olympic bronze medals, which made them the first Canadian traditional team sport to repeat on the podium in back-to-back Summer Olympic Games in more than a century. In 2017, Herdman was presented the Jack Donohue Coach of the Year Award. After taking over the Men’s National Team Program in 2018, Herdman led Canada to the top of the Concacaf table in FIFA World Cup Qualifiers and helped Canada qualify for the men’s FIFA World Cup for the first time since 1986.

“To share the pure joy of qualifying for the World Cup with the fans in Edmonton, Hamilton and Toronto for our home matches, those moments were just priceless,” said Herdman. “The emotion was intense seeing the fans connect around the team in those moments and the pride they all had for Canada when they sang the national anthem in the dying minutes of the game.”

Canada Soccer have announced their 23-player roster for their two-match away series against Australia during the September FIFA international window. This will be the first time the team will reunite since qualifying for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023™ with their second-place finish at the 2022 Concacaf W Championship. Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team will travel to Australia and gain invaluable experience with the two-match campaign against the co-hosts for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023™. The first match will be played on Saturday 3 September at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium and the second match will be played at Sydney’s Allianz Stadium on Tuesday 6 September 2022. This will be the first time in 14 years that Canada will face the Matildas in Australia. Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team Head Coach, Bev Priestman, has called up two new faces to her squad. Simi Awujo, a sophomore at the University of Southern California, recently competed at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup 2022™ where she received two Player of the Match mentions. Clarissa Larisey, competing for Celtic FC in the Scottish Women’s Premier League, has recorded 9 goals this season for the Scottish club. “This window is about us experiencing the conditions we will face next summer, particularly the significant travel and jetlag which we will look to adapt and learn from,” said Bev Priestman, Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team Head Coach. “With some significant regular starters missing, I have opted to bring in some brand-new faces and some players we haven’t seen for a while to support our roster realities. Australia are a top team, so it will be two challenging matches with some great crowds, which is exactly the pressures and environments we hope to experience next summer.” Both matches will be broadcast live on OneSoccer, available as a linear channel on Telus’s Optik TV (Channel 980) as well as online at OneSoccer.ca, through the OneSoccer app and on the fuboTV Canada platform. Fans will find extended coverage for the matches across Canada Soccer’s digital channels on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube featuring the hashtag #CANWNT. The FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023™, which will be held from 20 July 2023 to 20 August 2023, will see 30 nations join the hosts Australia and New Zealand who have already qualified for the biggest tournament in the world. The FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 will be a tournament of firsts. In 2023, fans will see 32 nations playing 64 matches across nine host cities in Australia and New Zealand for the first time in Women’s World Cup history.

GK- Sabrina D’Angelo | SWE / Vittsjö GIK GK- Lysianne Proulx | POR / SCU Torreense GK- Kailen Sheridan | USA / San Diego Wave FC CB- Kadeisha Buchanan | ENG / Chelsea FC CB- Jade Rose | USA / Harvard University CB- Shelina Zadorsky | ENG / Tottenham Hotspur FB- Allysha Chapman | USA / Houston Dash FB- Marie Levasseur | FRA / Fleury FC FB- Bianca St-Georges | USA / Chicago Red Stars FB- Sura Yekka | FRA / Le Havre AC M- Simi Awujo | USA / University of Southern California M- Jessie Fleming | ENG / Chelsea FC M- Julia Grosso | ITA / Juventus FC M- Quinn | USA / OL Reign M- Sophie Schmidt | USA / Houston Dash M- Desiree Scott | USA / Kansas City Current F- Jordyn Huitema | USA / OL Reign F- Cloé Lacasse | POR / SL Benfica F- Clarissa Larisey | SCO / Glasgow Celtic FC F- Adriana Leon | ENG / Manchester United FC F- Nichelle Prince | USA / Houston Dash F- Christine Sinclair | USA / Portland Thorns FC F- Janine Beckie | USA / Portland Thorns FC