Canada announces squad for the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Costa Rica 2022

Canada Soccer have announced their 21-player squad for the upcoming FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Costa Rica 2022. The Canada squad, selected by U-20 coach Cindy Tye, will travel to Costa Rica next month and be amongst the 16 nations participating in the biennial FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Costa Rica 2022 from 10 to 28 August. 

“We know that the experience of competing and being exposed to different styles of play is critical for our young players development,” said Cindy Tye, Canada Soccer’s Women’s U-20 National Team Coach. “It will be a great opportunity for this age group to be tested on the international stage and we can’t wait to get started.”

Canada have been drawn into Group C for the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Costa Rica 2022 and will face Korea Republic on Thursday 11 August, France on Sunday 14 August, and Nigeria on Wednesday 17 August. All of Canada’s matches will be broadcast live on TSN and RDS. Beyond the group phase, the Quarter-Finals are 20 and 21 August, the Semi-Finals are 25 August, and both the Match for Third Place and Final. Fans will find extended coverage for the Canadian Championship across Canada Soccer’s digital channels on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube featuring the hashtag #canw20.

Canada qualified for the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup earlier this year by finishing in third place at the Concacaf Women’s Under-20 Championship in the Dominican Republic. Across seven matches in just over two weeks, Canada posted six wins and one loss with 32 goals scored and just one goal conceded in seven international matches against Concacaf competition.

To be eligible for the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Costa Rica 2022, players must be born in 2002 or later. Already this year, Canada Soccer have featured 40 different players in youth camps for this age category, including a recent camp in Ontario that provided coach Tye with an opportunity to assess and reassess players since the Concacaf tournament in February and March.

Of note, this will be the first FIFA youth tournament since the global pandemic canceled global tournaments in 2020 and 2021. Already this year, Canada have qualified for both the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Costa Rica 2022 and the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup India 2022. From the Concacaf region, Canada, Mexico, USA and hosts Costa Rica have all qualified for this year’s FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.

CANADA SOCCER’S WOMEN’S NATIONAL TEAM
Canada are Olympic champions (Tokyo 2020), two-time bronze medal winners (2012 and 2016), and two-time Concacaf champions (1998 and 2010). In all, Canada have participated in seven consecutive editions of the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ (1995 to 2019) and four consecutive editions of the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament (2008 to 2021). At Tokyo 2020, Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team became the first Canadian team to win three consecutive medals at the Summer Olympic Games and just the third nation in the world to win three medals in women’s soccer.

Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Youth Teams, meanwhile, have won four Concacaf youth titles: the 2004 and 2008 Concacaf Women’s Under-20 Championship, the 2010 Concacaf Women’s Under-17 Championship, and the 2014 Concacaf Girls’ Under-15 Championship. Canada have qualified for eight editions of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup (including a silver medal at Canada 2002) and all seven editions of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup (including a fourth-place finish at Uruguay 2018).

CANADA
1- GK- Anna Karpenko | USA / Harvard University
2- M- Zoe Burns | USA / University of Southern California
3- FB- Mia Pante | USA / Texas A&M University
4- CB- Jade Rose | USA / Harvard University
5- CB- Annika Leslie | USA / West Virginia University
6- CB- Zara Chavoshi | USA / Wake Forest University
7- F- Florianne Jourde | CAN / NDC-CDN Québec
8- M- Sonia Walk | USA / Boston College
9- F- Miya Grant-Clavijo | USA / Brown University
10- M- Nikayla Small | USA / Wake Forest University
11- F- Kaila Novak | USA / UCLA
12- CB- Vivianne Bessette | USA / University of South Florida
13- M- Simi Awujo | USA / University of Southern California
14- CB- Brooklyn Courtnall | USA / University of Southern California
15- FB- Élisabeth Tsé | USA / Southern Methodist University
16- M- Keera Melenhorst | USA / University of Pittsburgh
17- W- Holly Ward | USA / University of Texas
18- M- Olivia Smith | USA / Florida State University
19- F- Serita Thurton | USA / University of South Florida
20- GK- Sierra Giorgio | USA / Syracuse University
21- GK- Coralie Lallier | CAN / NDC-CDN Québec

CANADA A-Z
Player name | pronoun | Birthyear | Where they grew up | Active start/first club
Awujo, Simi | she/elle | 2003 | Atlanta, GA, USA | AFC Lightning
Bessette, Vivianne | she/elle | 2002 | Cowansville, QC, CAN | AS Notre-Dame-de-Grâce
Burns, Zoe | she/elle | 2002 | Issaquah, WA, USA | Eastside FC in Preston
Chavoshi, Zara | she/elle | 2002 | Potomac, MD, USA | Hockessin SC
Courtnall, Brooklyn | she/elle | 2002 | Los Angeles, CA, USA | AYSO
Giorgio, Sierra | she/elle | 2003 | Toronto, ON, CAN | Kleinburg Nobleton SC
Grant-Clavijo, Miya | she/elle | 2003 | Toronto, ON, CAN | Ajax SC
Jourde, Florianne | she/elle | 2004 | Montréal, QC, CAN | CS Boucaniers Montréal
Karpenko, Anna | she/elle | 2002 | Richmond Hill, ON, CAN | Richmond Hill SC
Lallier, Coralie | she/elle | 2005 | St-Hubert, QC, CAN | Spatial St-Hubert
Leslie, Annika | she/elle | 2003 | Halifax, NS, CAN | Halifax City SC
Melenhorst, Keera | she/elle | 2003 | Ottawa, ON, CAN | Dovercourt Recreational Centre
Novak, Kaila | she/elle | 2002 | St. Thomas, ON, CAN | St. Thomas SC
Pante, Mia | she/elle | 2003 | North Vancouver, BC, CAN | North Shore GSC
Rose, Jade | she/elle | 2003 | Markham, ON, CAN | Markham SC
Small, Nikayla | she/elle | 2003 | Pickering, ON, CAN | Pickering SC
Smith, Olivia | she/elle | 2004 | Whitby, ON, CAN | Whitby Iroquois SC
Thurton, Serita | she/elle | 2002 | Ajax, ON, CAN | Ajax SC
Tsé, Élisabeth | she/elle | 2002 | Québec, QC, CAN | CS Phénix des Rivières de Québec
Walk, Sonia | she/elle | 2002 | Toronto, ON, CAN | East York SC
Ward, Holly | she/elle | 2003 | Portland, OR, USA | Portland Foothills SC