Two out of 22 on a test is a quick ticket to summer school.
Two out of 22 on a soccer roster featuring the best of the best that your country has to offer is a little different.
The 22-player roster for Canada’s entry into a two-match set of friendlies against Germany and Sweden, features two Londoners, Shelina Zadorsky and Jessie Fleming.
Both are part of a squad that shows off just how young and talented Canada is in the women’s game.
The average age is 22.4 years old and there are seven teenagers. At 19, Jessie Fleming is one of them. She is attending UCLA at the moment where she is majoring in engineering.
Zadorsky is only 24, but becomes one of the veterans for the tip that takes place in early April. Canada will face Olympic Gold medallist Germany on April 6 and then Sweden on April 9. Sweden wound up with silver in Rio after a narrow 2-1 loss to Germany in the Olympic final.
Canada earned bronze by beating Brazil 2-1 in Sao Paulo.
Zadorsky looks back on the experience last summer with incredibly fond memories.
Canada finished first in the Group stage, upsetting Germany and then wound up having to play them in the semifinals and lost a tough match by a 2-1 score.
Zadorsky is currently playing for the Washington Spirit of the NWSL and is joined on the Canadian roster by Spirit teammates, Lindsay Agnew of Kingston and Stephanie Labbe of Edmonton. Half of the Canadian side currently plays professionally in North America. Three, including Fleming, are playing NCAA.
The head coach of Canada’s women’s soccer team, John Herdman spoke very optimistically about his side in a conversation with Canadasoccer.com, indicating that he is looking forward to seeing what his players can do against top competition.
“… You don’t often get the opportunity to play both the Olympic Gold and Silver medalist in back-to-back matches… Both teams are favourites for the European Championships later this summer and we know they will be in prime condition and getting ready to peak for the competition. The matches are going to be tough, but this is what we are looking for to test our current group and to identify our gaps in the build-up to the FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019.”
Canada has twice had solid CONCACAF success, winning gold at the women’s championship in 1998 and gold again at the Gold Cup in 2010.
Canada currently sits 5th in the FIFA Women’s World soccer rankings.
Herdman says his goal is to take Canada’s women’s team to No. 1.
If he and his team can achieve that, two Londoners will play very big roles.
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