Canada, China PR rosters confirmed

For more information on this Women’s International Friendly match, please visit the FIXTURES page.



Both Canada and China PR have confirmed their rosters for the upcoming Women’s International Friendly match this Thursday 30 September. Canada has had 23 players in camp with three more players to arrive on Monday evening following this past weekend’s Women’s Professional Soccer championship. China PR, meanwhile, has 23 players in Canada for away matches against Canada (30 September) and USA (2 October and 6 October).



This Thursday’s match, which is presented by Winners, kicks off at 19.30 local time. Tickets for the match start at just $15 and are available via Ticketmaster (Ticketmaster.ca / 416.872.5000 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              416.872.5000      end_of_the_skype_highlighting), the BMO Field box office and the Ontario Soccer Association (for group sales, contact Jamie Smith – JSmith@soccer.on.ca).



Canadian coach Carolina Morace is currenly preparing for the 2010 CONCACAF Women’s World Cup Qualifier, which runs 28 October to 8 November in Cancun, Mexico. Morace will have through late October to make final adjustments to her official roster, with 20 players to be selected for the continental championship. Canada will announce its CONCACAF Women’s World Cup Qualifier roster to the Canadian public in mid-October (in the week following the 2010 BMO National Championships).



On Monday 27 September, Women’s Professional Soccer players Karina LeBlanc (Philadelphia Independence), Candace Chapman and Christine Sinclair (both from FC Gold Pride) arrived in Toronto from USA. Chapman and Sinclair won the WPS Championship with FC Gold Pride on Sunday 26 September. LeBlanc, Chapman, Sinclair and weekend addition Diamond Simpson (from the Dixie Dragons) means that coach Morace now has 26 players in her Canadian camp.



Morace’s current squad is a mix of experienced stars, new national heroes, and up-and-coming youth. Morace has 11 players with previous experience at the FIFA Women’s World Cup. Eight other players have participated at either a FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup or a FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup. The three youngest players in the squad are goalkeeper Rachelle Beanlands, midfielder Diamond Simpson, and forward Amélia Pietrangelo.



As for China PR, it has three players in its lineup from the last FIFA Women’s World Cup: goalkeeper Zhang Yanru and defenders Weng Xinzhi and Zhou Gaoping all participated at China 2007. China PR also has 11 players who have participated in past FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cups, five of whom won a silver medal at either Thailand 2004 or Russia 2006.



China PR’s 23-player also has 11 players who featured in either one of two recent international matches against Canada in China PR: the Women’s International Friendly match in Yongchuan on 24 April 2010 (a 2:0 win for the host) or the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament match in Tianjin on 9 August 2008 (a 1:1 draw in group play).



This past May, China PR finished fourth in Asia at the AFC women’s championship and did not qualify for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Germany 2011. China PR had previously never finished lower than sixth at a FIFA Women’s World Cup (five appearances from 1991 to 1997) and finished as high as second place at USA 1999.



Canada, whose title sponsor is Winners and presenting sponsor is Teck, hopes to qualify for its fifth FIFA Women’s World Cup this November. Canada previously qualified for Sweden 1995, USA 1999, USA 2003 and China 2007. In 1998, Canada won the CONCACAF Women’s Championship.