Canada is looking forward to playing on home soil ahead of this summer’s Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. But it may take a little ingenuity to get there. The sixth-place Canadians in the Shebelieves Cup battled for the first place.
Canada is looking forward to playing on home soil ahead of this summer’s Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. But it may take a little ingenuity to get there.
The sixth-seeded Canadians, who wrapped up a Sheriff’s Cup match against 11th-ranked Japan in Frisco, Texas on Wednesday, have just two windows left before their World Cup opener against Nigeria on July 21 in Melbourne.
Soccer Canada on Tuesday announced a friendly against France on April 11 in Le Mans. Coach Bev Priestman said the Canadiens will play one game in April and spend the rest of the window at camp.
“It’s because as a team we need time on the turf, we need real practice time to work,” he said of Texas’ virtual availability.
He said Canada Soccer is targeting two matches in Australia before the World Cup and has already staged a match behind closed doors against an as yet unannounced opponent.
“The conversation goes back to what it would be like if the (Canada game) was sent off,” Priestman said.
“I haven’t had any discussions yet, but I have a feeling we will try our best to make it happen,” he added.
The Canadian players, currently embroiled in a labor dispute with the Canadian soccer team, have expressed their displeasure at not playing at home before the World Cup.
However, Priestman said the chances are few, with the squad due to leave for the World Cup in late June before the FIFA window before the tournament opens in July.
“I think before the July window, in June… before we leave, we’ll explore if we can play against a team,” he said.
The April 11 match will be played against fifth-placed France at Marie-Marvington.
The players’ current legal battle with Soccer Canada may end in the April window.
The women refused to practice before the Sheriff’s Cup, and were forced back onto the field by threats of legal action from Soccer Canada, which said they were unable to strike. April doesn’t have to be like this.
They play the four-team Shebelieves Cup under opposition.
The women want the same support and preparation before the World Cup as the men before Qatar. Both the women’s and men’s teams will be asking that Canada Soccer open its books and explain why it scaled back its plans for 2023.
The priest says that friendship with France has been going on for some time. This game ticks a lot of boxes as a top 10 team and a European opponent.
“It applies from a tactical point of view and from a training point of view,” he said. “But you know, the players want to play at home before they go to the World Cup, and I know that’s up for debate about Canadian soccer players.”
Canada has faced France 15 times, with a score of 5-7-3. The last time the French met in Calais was in March 2020, just before the pandemic hit, as they won 1-0.
Canada has won only one of the last six encounters (1-4-1) since a 1-0 victory over the French in the bronze medal match at the 2012 London Olympics. They beat France 1-0 in the quarter-finals of the Rio 2016 Olympics.
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This report by The Canadian Press was originally published on February 21, 2023
Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press
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