Christine Sinclair headlines Canada's Olympic soccer team
18-player squad announced Monday
Christine Sinclair will once again lead Canada's women's soccer team into the Olympics.
Canada Soccer announced the 18 players that will compete at the upcoming Games in Rio. The team will look to improve on its bronze-medal finish at the 2012 Olympics.
This will be Sinclair's third Olympics. However, the veteran captain will be joined by a large contingent of young players.
"The young players coming into this Olympic squad have brought an energy and passion to our team and they have risen the bar," Sincliar said in a press release.
The average age of the squad at the start of the Games will be 25.4 years, with players like Deanne Rose, Ashley Lawrence and Shelina Zadorsky leading the charge. Goalkeeper Stephanie Labbé is expected to start in net, but the situation between the posts is still up in the air after star Erin McLeod suffered a knee injury on March 23.
Head coach John Herdman still has to name three alternate players.
The roster has a combined 1,295 caps with 978 of those belonging to Sinclair (243), Diana Matheson (183), Rhian Wilkinson (175), Melissa Tancredi (118), Sophie Schmidt (149) and Desiree Scott (110).
Fifteen of the 16 outfield players named have scored for Canada with a combined total of 266 goals. Sinclair alone accounts for 162 of those, with another 48 coming from the trio of Tancredi, Matheson and Schmidt.
Canada, ranked 10th in the world, is in a group with No. 2 Germany, No. 5 Australia and No. 95 Zimbabwe.
"We will have to be at our best in every match to progress through this Olympic tournament," Herdman said in a press release. "I believe that the combination of the young players that we've brought into the team and the culture that's been created by the veterans, will give us a chance to really have a push in Rio."
The following players will represent Canada at the Olympics in Rio:
- Janine Beckie, Highlands Ranch, Col.
- Josée Bélanger, Coaticook, Que.
- Kadeisha Buchanan, Brampton, Ont.
- Allysha Chapman, Courtice, Ont.
- Sabrina D'Angelo, Welland, Ont.
- Jessie Fleming, London, Ont.
- Stephanie Labbé, Stony Plain, Alta.
- Ashley Lawrence, Caledon, Ont.
- Diana Matheson, Oakville, Ont.
- Nichelle Prince, Ajax, Ont.
- Rebecca Quinn, Toronto, Ont.
- Deanne Rose, Alliston, Ont.
- Sophie Schmidt, Abbotsford, B.C.
- Desiree Scott, Winnipeg, Man.
- Christine Sinclair, Burnaby, B.C,
- Melissa Tancredi, Ancaster, Ont.
- Rhian Wilkinson, Baie-d'Urfé, Que.
- Shelina Zadorsky, London, Ont.
With files from The Canadian Press