Canada readies for match one against Argentina

For more information on this match, please visit the following fixture link.



Canada’s women’s national team has arrived in Suwon, Republic of Korea in anticipation of its first match in the 2008 Peace Queen Cup. Canada will kickoff against Argentina on Saturday 14 June at the Suwon World Cup Stadium.



“Our squad of 20 players arrived in Suwon safely after a long but uneventful flight from Vancouver,” says head coach Even Pellerud. “We have three Olympic-qualified teams in our pool – Argentina, Oceanic representative New Zealand, and hosts Korea Republic. Based on its recent performance, Korea Republic may be our strongest opponent.”



Canada will play Argentina on 14 June (17.00 local time), Korea Republic on 16 June (14.00), and New Zealand on 18 June (14.00).



“We had a longer training session on Thursday afternoon and the players looked quite lively and focused,” says Pellerud. “Our main goal will be to get back that consistent performance we showed at the CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualification Tournament. We need to consolidate our defensive shape and make sure we head into the month of July – and above all Beijing in August – with as high as possible confidence.”



Captain Christine Sinclair (115 caps) and defender Randee Hermus (105 caps) are the two most experienced players on the squad. Emily Zurrer (three caps) is the least experienced. Of note, Amber Allen has made a return to squad since suffering an injury last year.



“We are excited to see Amber Allen back in the squad. Amber was unlucky with injuries prior to the FIFA Women’s World Cup – both USA 2003 and China 2007. We would love to have Amber’s speed, ball control and finishing skills help us in this year’s Olympic Games.”