Christine Sinclair leads Canadian soccer squad for Rio Olympics

TORONTO – Christine Sinclair leads a young Canadian soccer squad for the Rio Olympics.

It will be the third Olympics for Sinclair, who captained Canada to a memorable bronze in the 2012 Games on London.

Coach John Herdman has six veterans returning from that podium squad but his 18-woman roster is infused with youth. Its average age come the start of the Olympics in August will be 25.4.

“This is a roster that has been four years in the making,” Herdman told a conference call.

Goalkeeper Sabrina D’Angelo makes the squad despite being sidelined recently with a fractured wrist.

Gabrielle Carle, who has been out with a high ankle sprain of late, is one of four alternates along with goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan, Marie-Eve Nault and Kaylyn Kyle.

The 18-woman roster has a combined 1,295 caps with 978 of those belonging to Sinclair (243), Diana Matheson (183), Rhian Wilkinson (175), Melissa Tancredi (118), Sophie Schmidt (149) and Desiree Scott (110).

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Fifteen of the 16 outfield players named have scored for Canada with a combined total of 266 goals. Sinclair alone accounts for 162 of those, with another 48 coming from the trio of Tancredi, Matheson and Schmidt.

In the absence of the injured Erin McLeod, Stephanie Labbe is the No. 1 goalkeeper with D’Angelo as her backup. Labbe has 14 clean sheets in 30 starts for Canada while D’Angelo has two caps and one clean sheet.

Canada, ranked 10th in the world, is in an Olympic group with No. 2 Germany, No. 5 Australia and No. 95 Zimbabwe.

The Canadian women have lost all 12 matches with Germany, are 5-7-3 against Australia and have never faced Zimbabwe.

Herdman’s team will assemble July 1 in Vancouver before heading to France to play China in a closed-door game July 20 and the French on July 23 in their final Olympic warmup.

Canada will then head for Brazil where it opens play Aug. 3 against Australia.

Canada Olympic Roster:

Janine Beckie, Highlands Ranch, Colo.; Josee Belanger, Coaticook, Que.; Kadeisha Buchanan, Brampton, Ont.; Allysha Chapman, Courtice, Ont.; Sabrina D’Angelo, Welland, Ont.; Jessie Fleming, London, Ont.; Stephanie Labbe, Stony Plain, Alta.; Ashley Lawrence, Caledon, Ont.; Diana Matheson, Oakville, Ont.; Nichelle Prince, Ajax, Ont.; Rebecca Quinn, Toronto; Deanne Rose, Alliston, Ont.; Sophie Schmidt, Abbotsford, B.C.; Desiree Scott, Winnipeg; Christine Sinclair (capt.), Burnaby, B.C.; Melissa Tancredi, Ancaster, Ont.; Rhian Wilkinson, Baie-d’Urfe, Que.; Shelina Zadorsky, London, Ont.