Ottawa, Ontario - Canadian Women's World Cup Team head coach Even Pellerud today released the roster for the upcoming 8th annual Algarve Cup in Portugal, March 11-17. The Canadian team will depart Canada on March 5 and return on March 18. Canada will play a friendly against Russia in Faro, Portugal on March 8 in preparation for the tournament.



The 18-player roster consists of two new players from the team which split a two-game series with Morocco earlier this month. Noel Trepanier, who plays for the Ottawa Fury and led the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees to the CIAU Final in November while being named the country's most valuable player in 2000, earns her first national team call-up after impressing during a training camp in Ottawa in January. Katie Lee returns to the national team for the first time since playing in Canada's 3-1 win over the United States on November 11, 2000. The pair will replace the injured Isabelle Morneau (dislocated shoulder) and Silvana Burtini who is in training with the Carolina Tempest (WUSA). Christine Latham, who missed the Morocco series, will also not attend the Algarve Cup due to school commitments at the University of Nebraska.



Canadian veteran Charmaine Hooper is three appearances away from becoming Canada's all-time caps leader. The Nepean, Ontario native has been capped 70 times for her country, two less than Geri Donnelly who leads with 72 appearances. Hooper could pass Donnelly against Sweden in the second game of the tournament if she plays against Russia and the United States. Hooper is already Canada's all-time leading goalscorer with 44 goals.



Canada finished a respectable fifth out of eight teams at the Algarve Cup last year, after winning their final two games of the competition against Finland and Denmark. Canada's first game will be against the Americans, followed by Sweden and hosts Portugal. The Canadians own a 2-1-22 record against the U.S. in 25 games while they are 0-0-4 against Sweden and have yet to face Portugal in international competition.



“I'm very happy for us to be invited back,” said Pellerud. “This is a major tournament for us and we are playing some of the best teams in the World with the USA and Sweden, who are on the way back to being a world-class team. We have never played Portugal but it will interesting to play them at home.”



Group A

USA, Canada, Sweden, Portugal



Group B

China, Norway, Denmark, Finland



Canada at the 2001 Algarve Cup



March 11, 2001\tCanada vs USA\t

March 13, 2001\tCanada vs Sweden\t

March 15, 2001\tCanada vs Portugal\t\t

March 17, 2001\tPlacing match\t



Canada at the 2000 Algarve Cup



March 12, 2000\tChina 4, Canada 0\t

March 14, 2000\tNorway 2, Canada 1\t

March 16, 2000\tCanada 2, Finland 1\t

March 18, 2000\tCanada 3, Denmark 2

Name\tPosition

Nicole Wright\tGK

Karina LeBlanc\tGK

Breanna Boyd\tD\t

Sharolta Nonen\tD\t

Marie-Claude Dion\tD\t

Janine Willis\tD\t

Katie Lee\tD\t

Noel Trepanier\tD\t

Andrea Neil\tM\t

Randee Hermus\tM\t

Leah Robinson\tM\t

Amy Walsh\tM\t

Kristina Kiss\tM\t

Clare Rustad\tM\t

Kim Warner\tF\t

Christine Sinclair\tF\t

Charmaine Hooper\tF\t

Isabelle Harvey\tF\t



STAFF

Even Pellerud\tHead Coach\t

Ian Bridge\tAssistant Coach

Jerry Knutsson\tGoalkeeper Coach/Equipment Manager\t

Cathy Ayoub\tTeam Manager\t

Erin Perry Jackson\tAthletic Therapist

Cathy Campbell\tDoctor

Peter McKenzie\tHead of Delegation\t

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