Canada’s World Cup team opens camp in Vancouver

OTTAWA (ONTARIO) – Canada’s women’s national team will start training this Jan. 21 for the 2007 FIFA Women’s World Cup in China this September. The country’s best players are taking part in a new Canadian residency camp by which the players will train together as a team throughout the year in Vancouver, BC. Canada qualified for the 2007 FIFA Women’s World Cup in November when it reached the 2006 Gold Cup final in Carson, CA.



“This residency camp will provide us the best opportunity ever to attend a World Cup Final with an optimum level of preparations,” says coach Even Pellerud. “For the first time, the team can, in principle, be run like a club team. This program allows us to set up daily, weekly and monthly schedules and technical programs that include fitness, tactics, skills, and psychology. The program will also reinforce team spirit and unity that is essential to a strong showing.”



The first stage to the 2007 residency camp runs Jan. 21 to Mar. 8. The focus for this stage is fitness as the players will go through an extensive program of tests. The team will train 8-10 times per week while also partaking in scrimmages against local teams.



There will be 24 players in camp for the first stage starting this Sunday. Players in the camp are receiving funding from Greg Kerfoot Foundation which is on top of the funding they are already receiving from the Sport Canada Athlete Assistance Program. More players will join the residency camp later in the year after they complete school commitments or when they are called to the team. The camp will maintain an open door throughout the year whereby players can be added or removed from the camp. This first stage also welcomes back players who have been recovering from lengthy injuries.



“Our World Cup team is entering a new era in Canadian soccer,” says Pellerud. “We are extremely thankful to the W-League franchises that have agreed to release their players for this program. September may seem like a long way away, but it will come quickly.”

At the last Women’s World Cup in 2003, Canada finished fourth overall in the 16-team finals held in the United States. In 2006, Canada qualified for the FIFA Women’s World Cup by reaching the CONCACAF Gold Cup final. While Canada lost the Gold Cup final to the United States 1:2 after a penalty kick in extra time, the team finished their year with a record of 10 wins, four draws and just three losses in 17 games. The 2007 FIFA Women’s World Cup takes place Sep. 10-30 in Wuhan, Chengdu, Shanghai, Hangzhou and Tianjin.





NAME / Age / Hometown / Team / Pos. / Caps

NOM / Age / Ville natale / Équipe / Pos. / Sélections

Paige Adams / 17 / Port Coquitlam, BC, Canada / Vancouver Whitecaps / F /

Amber Allen / 31 / Pitt Meadows, BC, Canada / Vancouver Whitecaps / M/F / 15

Sasha Andrews / 24 / Edmonton, AB, Canada / Vancouver Whitecaps / D / 35

Amy Apps / 29 / Unionville, ON, Canada / Vancouver Whitecaps / M/F / 2

Melanie Booth / 22 / Burlington, ON, Canada / University of Florida / D / 27

Candace Chapman / 24 / Ajax, ON, Canada / Vancouver Whitecaps / D/M / 31

Martina Franko / 31 / Squamish, BC, Canada / Vancouver Whitecaps / D / 17

Robyn Gayle / 21 / Mississauga, ON, Canada / University of North Carolina / D / 10

Randee Hermus / 27 / Langley, BC, Canada / Vancouver Whitecaps / D / 80

Kristina Kiss / 26 / Ottawa, ON, Canada / Amazon Grimstad / M / 57

Kara Lang / 20 / Oakville, ON, Canada / UCLA / D/M/F / 51

Karina LeBlanc / 27 / Maple Ridge, BC, Canada / New Jersey Wildcats / G / 49

Diana Matheson / 23 / Oakville, ON, Canada / Ottawa Fury / M / 55

Erin McLeod / 24 / Calgary, AB, Canada / Vancouver Whitecaps / G / 27

Andrea Neil / 35 / Vancouver, BC, Canada / Vancouver Whitecaps / M / 118

Jodi-Ann Robinson / 18 / Richmond, BC, Canada / Vancouver Whitecaps / F / 7

Sophie Schmidt / 19 / Abbotsford, BC, Canada / Vancouver Whitecaps / M / 21

Christine Sinclair / 24 / Burnaby, BC, Canada / Vancouver Whitecaps / F / 90

Taryn Swiatek / 26 / Calgary, AB, Canada / Ottawa Fury / G / 21

Katie Thorlakson / 22 / Langley, BC, Canada / Vancouver Whitecaps / F / 13

Brittany Timko / 21 / Coquitlam, BC, Canada / Vancouver Whitecaps / M/F / 58

Amy Vermeulen / 23 / Saskatoon, SK, Canada / Ottawa Fury / F / 3

Amy Walsh / 29 / St-Bruno, QC, Canada / Comètes de Laval / M / 81

Rhian Wilkinson / 25 / Baie d’Urfe, QC, Canada / Ottawa Fury / F / 32



G = Goalkeeper / Gardien. D = Defender / Défenseur. M = Midfielder / Milieu de terrain. F = Forward / Attaquant