Christine Sinclair will add to her record number of caps next month when she turns out for Canada at the 2018 Concacaf Women’s Championship.
Canadian coach Kenneth Heiner-Moller released his 20-player roster on Wednesday, which included Sinclair who, at age 35 is the all-time leader in appearances (269) and goals (173) for Canada’s women’s team.
Sinclair is one of four players on the roster with over 100 caps for Canada, joined by midfielders Diana Matheson (196) and Sophie Schmidt (172), and goalkeeper Erin McLeod (116).
Sinclair is the second-highest goal scorer in the history of international women’s soccer, trailing retired U.S. player Abby Wambach, the current record holder with 184, by 11 goals.
Canada’s roster also includes five teenagers in Jordyn Huitema (17), Julia Grosso (18), Emma Regan (18), Gabrielle Carle (19) and Deanne Rose (19). Regan has yet to play for the senior women’s team.
Both Carle and Rose were members of the Canadian team that won a bronze medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics and have 42 caps between them, while Huitema finished as the top scorer at the 2018 Concacaf Women’s U-20 Championship earlier this year by scoring five goals.
The average age of on this roster is 24.65, according to Canada Soccer.
“We’ve been really impressed with how this group has been playing together throughout 2018 and how they are continually working to improve both on and off the field,” Heiner-Moller said in a news release.
One notable name not on Canada’s roster is veteran midfielder Desiree Scott, who is sidlelined with a foot injury.
Canada’s opening match of the group stage at the Concacaf Championship comes against Jamaica on Oct. 5, followed by contests versus Cuba (Oct. 8) and Costa Rica (Oct. 11). All of Canada’s group games will take place at H-E-B Park in Edinburg, Texas. Following the group stage, all matches will be played at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.
Canada is ranked No. 5 in the world, well ahead of No. 33 Costa Rica, No. 71 Jamaica and No. 85 Cuba. The other group features The other group features the U.S., Mexico, Trinidad and Tobago, and Panama.
The top two nations from both opening-round groups advance to the semifinals. From there, the two finalists automatically qualify for next summer’s FIFA Women’s World Cup in France. The winner of the tournament’s third-place game will also qualify for the World Cup. The fourth-place team will meet Argentina in a playoff game at a later time with a World Cup berth at stake.
“We are expecting to be tested in our group. Our opponents are hungry and are really going out there to try and earn a spot in France for their nations, so we are going to have to go into each game in excellent form and with our eye on ensuring we qualify,” Heiner-Moller said.
CANADA’S ROSTERGoalkeepers: Stephanie Labbe and Erin McLeod
Defenders: Lindsay Agnew, Allysha Chapman, Ashley Lawrence, Emma Regan, Kadeisha Buchanan, Shelina Zadorsky and Rebecca Quinn
Midfielders: Jessie Fleming, Julia Grosso, Diana Matheson, Sophie Schmidt, and Gabrielle Carle
Forwards: Jordyn Huitema, Adriana Leon, Nichelle Prince, Deanne Rose, Christine Sinclair and Janine Beckie
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