Canada announces preliminary World Cup roster: Who was left off and who makes final cut

Canada announced on Thursday its preliminary roster of 25 players who will travel to Australia for the team’s final camp ahead of the World Cup. Here’s what you need to know:

Canada’s camp will begin on June 28, according to Canada Soccer.
Final World Cup rosters have a maximum of 23 players and must be submitted by July 10.
Players will report to the Gold Coast on June 28, with the exception of Clarissa Larisey and Evelyne Viens, who will not be released by their clubs in the Damallsvenskan until the official FIFA window begins July 10.
Canada will play a closed-door friendly against England on July 14 in Australia.

The Athletic’s instant analysis:

Who will get cut?

Per FIFA regulations, players may be replaced in the event of “serious injury or illness” until 24 hours before the start of their team’s first match. Given how far away Australia is from Canada, it makes sense to simply bring the whole preliminary roster, although only bringing two extra players is a slim margin, with other countries naming 26- and even 30-player preliminary squads, like France and Netherlands.

That being said, two likely cuts could be 28-year-old Marie-Yasmine Alidou and 23-year-old Larisey. Alidou was in camp ahead of Canada’s last friendly against France but did not get minutes. Larisey entered that game as a substitute in the 77th minute, but out of the eight forwards currently named, she has the least experience.

How prepared is Canada?

Amidst a contentious public battle between the Canadian women’s national team and Canada Soccer — women’s team players say their World Cup funding was nearly half of what the men’s national team for 2022 and veteran midfielder Sophie Schmidt testified in front of Parliament that “Canada Soccer treats the women’s game as an afterthought,” — a smaller budget necessitating a smaller group traveling to Australia/Aotearoa New Zealand makes sense.

Canada Soccer did issue a statement saying they had agreed to a “comparable budget” for the women’s preparations, but with the federation now mired in Parliamentary hearings and an upcoming financial audit and governance review courtesy of federal sports minister Pascale St-Onge, logistical and operational support for the women’s team feels tenuous at best. Case in point, Canada Soccer does not appear to have scheduled any kind of sendoff game for the team on home soil.

Canada has also been juggling a spate of injuries, with Kadeisha Buchanan, Deanne Rose, Desiree Scott, Quinn, Nichelle Prince, and Shelina Zadorsky having all been out as recently as April. Interestingly, coach Bev Priestman said in April that she wanted to take a larger group to Australia given so many injuries — whether she meant 25 or a much larger number, there isn’t much margin for error when it comes to bench depth.

Who got left off the roster?

Some interesting omissions from Canada’s World Cup roster include defenders Bianca St-Georges and Gabrielle Carle. Both players have had plenty of regular time with their respective clubs, the Chicago Red Stars and the Washington Spirit, and both have international experience.

However, neither player got minutes in Canada’s friendly against France. Whatever questions Priestman was asking of her fullbacks, she seems to have found her answers.

Complete roster

Goalkeepers (3)
Sabrina D’Angelo | ENG / Arsenal FC
Lysianne Proulx | POR / SCU Torreense
Kailen Sheridan | USA / San Diego Wave FC

Required reading

(Photo: Anne-Marie Sorvin / USA Today)

Who will get cut?

How prepared is Canada?

Who got left off the roster?

Complete roster

Required reading

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