ANALYSIS – The CanWNT Olympic 18-player roster reveal came out on Monday morning. There were a few notable surprises and omissions in the roster, with Cloé Lacasse making her debut in the Olympics for the national team. The list of players can be accessed via the photo below:
CanWNT Olympic Roster Reveal Includes Players like Cloé Lacasse
The Ones That Were Not Surprises
Of the 18 players in the 2024 CanWNT Olympic Roster Reveal, some should come as no surprise. The most prominent player on the national team, Jessie Fleming, is the captain of the national team. This is what the CanWNT head coach, Beverly Priestman, had to say about Jesse Fleming on a Zoom call:
“She’s done a lot of things off the pitch as well as on the pitch. But what I haven’t seen is anything different. And I think that was the most important thing,” Priestman said. “But I think she has an aura of confidence and belief, she lifts others. And that was a key contributor of Christine Sinclair. You know, she always felt young players. She made everybody feel at home and I think that’s the number one thing I’ve seen of Jesse’s team first always makes decisions based on the team never about herself.”
Other players who are returning to the roster include Janine Beckie and Nichelle Prince, who both recovered from injuries this year, with Beckie playing in the two friendlies against Mexico.
The CANWNT Debutants
READ MORE: Cloé Lacasse: A Rising Star With The CanWNT
The one player that is headlined will be Cloé Lacasse. The 30-year-old started playing for the national team in 2021. This is what Priestman said about Cloé Lacasse when asked by the writer of this article via a Zoom call:
“I think what we’ve seen from Cloé, I felt to be fair to in the Mexico series. It was the best I’ve seen it for a while. I think what I know with Cloé is when she believes in herself, she has a real sort of like, a little bit like a dream Maverick sort of direct approach that really does create things out of nothing. And I think Cloé, you know, she’s grown as a player.”
Lacasse has been an excellent player for the national team, scoring big goals in big competitions for the CanWNT. This included scoring one of the two goals in the Olympic qualifying play-in round against Jamaica at BMO Field.
Other players making their debut for the national team include Simi Awujo, Sydney Collins, and Jade Rose. This is what J. Rose, who is only 20 years old and is making her debut in the Olympics for her national team, said (Source: Neil Davidson of The Canadian Press):
“When I think back to 2012, it was this very team that inspired a nine-year-old girl to strive for greatness,” said Jade Rose. “And to have those dreams turn into reality 12 years later is beyond anything I could describe.”
The Alternates
There are four alternates that were confirmed by Priestman in case an injury replacement is needed. These four players include Gabrielle Carle, Lysianne Proulx, Deanne Rose, and Shelina Zadorsky. The most significant ones absent are Zadorsky and D. Rose, with both on the national team for a while as Zadorsky recently played her 100 games for her country. This is what Priestman said about Zadorsky after the game against Mexico asked by the author of this article:
It is also interesting and a bit surprising that D. Rose is not part of the initial 18-players. Fans may remember Julia Grosso’s Gold Medal winning penalty-kick, but D. Rose made the previous penalty kick for Canada. If D. Rose did not make the penalty kick, Sweden would have won Gold and Grosso would not have made history. Also, D. Rose has been with the national team since 2015, scoring 11 goals in 84 appearances.
Players That Will Miss Out
There are three notable players that did not make the roster. The two more veteran players include Allysha Chapman and Desiree Scott. The one though that this writer did not expect was 19-year-old, Olivia Smith. This is what Priestman had to say about that when questioned by TSN’s Luke Wileman:
“And I think this is not new for the conversations I’ve had with myself, and Olivia is it only came down to who has the physical capability to be able to cope against teams in the games back to back and do that,” Priestman said. “I think there’s only so many players you can take that maybe, you know, can’t do that.”
Smith is excelling at Sporting Clube de Portugal Feminino, of Campeonato Nacional Feminino, scoring 13 goals in only 18 appearances. However, what may have played against her is that the Portuguese league may not be as highly regarded as some of the other leagues around the world.
READ MORE: Shelina Zadorsky Impresses in CanWNT’s Draw against Mexico
This might change for Smith though as Emma Saunders of BBC Sports has reported that Liverpool FC Women are interested in Smith. Nothing is confirmed as of right now, but according to Saunders of BBC Sport, a club record transfer fee is possible at around €250,000 ($368,751.25 Canadian Dollars).
The Olympic Games to Look Forward to with the CanWNT
READ MORE: CanWNT Makes History With First-Ever Olympic Gold Medal
With Canada, there is an Olympic Games to look forward to. Fans can watch these games nationally on CBC as the CanWNT looks to defend their Summer Olympic Gold Medal in France. The first game on July 25 against New Zealand and the second game on July 28 against France will be at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, Saint-Étienne, while the third game will be at Stade de Nice in Nice on July 31 against Colombia.
The first game against New Zealand will be at 7:00AM EST (5:00PM CET), the second game against France and the third game against Colombia will be at 3:00PM EST (9:00PM CET).
Photo Credit: Canada Soccer EN X Account and the Canada Soccer FR X Account on July 1, 2024.
