Record-chasing Sinclair highlights Canada's World Cup squad
The 23 players who will represent Canada at this summer's Women's World Cup were announced Saturday, with head coach Kenneth Heiner-Moller naming a squad short on surprises.
Talismanic captain Christine Sinclair, who sits just three goals shy of equaling Abby Wambach's international record of 184 tallies, will once again lead the fifth-ranked Canadians into action.
The 35-year-old striker will be making her fifth World Cup appearance.
Sinclair is one of nine players going to France who also featured at the 2015 tournament on home soil when Canada fell to England in the quarterfinals. Kadeisha Buchanan, Stephanie Labbe, Allysha Chapman, Jessie Fleming, Ashley Lawrence, Desiree Scott, Sophie Schmidt, and Adriana Leon make up the remainder of that contingent.
Two stalwarts of the program, midfielder Diana Matheson and goalkeeper Erin McLeod, will miss the competition due to injury, however. The veteran duo, who've racked up a combined 321 caps for Canada, are sidelined by toe and foot issues, respectively.
Despite those absences, Canada still boasts arguably the best team the nation has ever produced heading into a major international tournament. It's a point not lost on Sinclair, who will likely be featuring in her final World Cup.
"My time on the national team has been a roller coaster, a journey, ups and downs. And I can honestly say I've been waiting my entire career for this team, in that we're so talented and have the depth to be able to compete at World Cups and Olympics. That excites me," she said, according to The Canadian Press.
"We're just so much more talented than we've ever been."
The Canadians, unbeaten in eight matches in 2019, open their World Cup campaign on June 10 against Cameroon before closing out Group E action with contests against New Zealand and the Netherlands. They'll be looking to improve on their best-ever finish, when they placed fourth in 2003.
The full 23-woman squad is as follows:
GK: Stephanie Labbe (North Carolina Courage), Kailen Sheridan (Sky Blue FC), Sabrina D’Angelo (Vittsjo GIK).
DF: Lindsay Agnew (Houston Dash), Kadeisha Buchanan (Lyon), Allysha Chapman (Houston Dash), Jenna Hellstrom (KIF Orebro), Ashley Lawrence (Paris Saint-Germain), Rebecca Quinn (Paris FC), Jayde Riviere (Markham SC), Shannon Woeller (Eskilstuna United DFF), Shelina Zadorsky (Orlando Pride).
MF: Deanne Rose (University of Florida), Julia Grosso (University of Texas at Austin), Desiree Scott (Utah Royals FC), Sophie Schmidt (Houston Dash), Jessie Fleming (UCLA).
FW: Janine Beckie (Manchester City), Gabrielle Carle (Florida State University), Jordyn Huitema (Paris Saint-Germain), Adriana Leon (West Ham United), Nichelle Prince (Houston Dash), Christine Sinclair (Portland Thorns).