3 key takeaways from the CanWNT's SheBelieves Cup squad release
The dust may still be settling on the 2024 Gold Cup, but the CanWNT are already focused on their next challenge, as they get set for the start of the She Believes Cup next month in the US.
With that in mind, they released their squad for that friendly tournament on Thursday, revealing which 23 names they’ll bring down to Atlanta and Columbus over that week.
Miss us? We're backkkkk... 👀
— CANWNT (@CANWNT) March 28, 2024
Your 2024 SheBelieves Cup Roster 🍁@CANWNT x @CIBC
A big camp, this will serve as the first of three windows Canada will have between now and the Olympics, allowing them to continue assessing their squad ahead of the start of that tournament, which starts at the end of July.
With some key roster decisions still to be made, they’ve got plenty of work to do over these next three windows, too, in which they’ll aim to play a total of six games, with those 540 minutes of action hoped to be enough to make a final decision on their squad.
That starts with this She Believes Cup, which serves as both a chance to win a trophy while facing some good opposition in Brazil in the semi-finals, and then either Japan or the US in the final or third-place game depending on how Canada fares against the Seleção in that first game.
Even if it’s a friendly tournament, Canada will want to win it, having last won a competition of this sort at the Algarve Cup in 2016, something they’ll want to change.
Because of that, it shows what’s at stake in this tournament, and why Canada will be eager for a pair of strong performances.
With that in mind, here are three things that stood out from Canada’s latest squad reveal for this tournament.
Janine Beckie and Desiree Scott’s long-awaited return:
For the first time in over a year, Janine Beckie and Desiree Scott are both back in a Canadian squad, as the pair will mark their long-awaited returns from injury in this camp.
After both dealing with knee injuries that kept them out of club action in 2023, both are back to full fitness and playing with their respective clubs, allowing them to return this window.
That’s huge for Canada, who have certainly missed them in their squad over the last year, given that both are key leaders on and off the pitch for this side.
Now, however, it’ll be intriguing to see how they look for Canada after extended absences.
Returning to a @CANWNT training session near you... 🇨🇦
— CANWNT (@CANWNT) March 28, 2024
Desi and Janine are back 💪 pic.twitter.com/Loto4rH8h6
For what it’s worth, Beckie’s expected to slot back in quite seamlessly, given that she returned to club action in style, scoring two goals in her first game back for the Portland Thorns since the injury.
Plus, she looks to have come back even stronger from her injury, too, looking lively in both of her appearances, showing why she’s favoured to make the Olympic squad despite her lengthy layoff.
Despite playing at a loaded forward position for Canada, her ability to play across multiple positions is a big asset, further helping her case to be in the Olympic squad.
As for Scott, however, she’ll have some more questions to answer, as she’s yet to see the field in a competitive match since she played for Canada in their 2-1 win over Brazil in November of 2022, where she played 35 minutes off the bench. For comparison, Beckie played for Canada in February of 2023 before her injury, which was still an absence of 13 months, yet is far off Scott’s absence of 16 months.
Because of that, it’s hard to tell how the 36-year-old will look in her return to action after such a break, which is something to keep an eye on.
To be fair, given Scott’s style of play, which relies on her tenacity and strong defensive positioning to be an effective defensive midfielder, one has to imagine that helps make her return to action easier, at least.
Plus, with Canada being lighter in midfield, she should get every chance to get a good look at midfield in this camp and beyond, allowing her to find her feet again.
But with Simi Awujo now knocking on the door in midfield, excelling at the Gold Cup, Scott faces more of an uphill battle than Beckie to make the Olympic squad, which is why she’ll look to impress in this camp and beyond.
Either way, one thing’s for sure - it’ll be key to have the pair back, giving a big boost to this Canadian team, even if they’ll now get dropped into the middle of a fierce race for places in this squad.
Familiarity a big factor in squad selection:
While a lot of focus will always go to those included in this squad, the absence of one name ended up grabbing a lot of attention, and rightfully so - Marie-Yasmine Alidou, who was left out despite her big campaign with Benfica, where she has 25 goals and 3 assists this year, including nine in the Champions League.
Yet, she continues to struggle to make her way into this Canadian team, as she remains with just two caps, having made her debut in February of 2022 before only seeing the field once since - an appearance in Canada’s Gold Cup opener in February.
But with this Canadian team blessed with a congested forward line, Alidou keeps ending up as the odd player out, even if it feels like she deserves more of an extended look than she’s gotten.
Got to feel for Marie Yasmine Alidou, as she continues to remain on the fringes of the #CanWNT/#CanXNT squad despite her form for Benfica. It’s hard to drop any of the FWs there, but it feels like she should be in
— Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic (@AlexGangueRuzic) March 28, 2024
Especially in this window, where Nichelle Prince is out injured, it could’ve been a perfect opportunity for an extended cameo for Alidou, whose profile as a forward is very similar to Prince’s, as they both like to play as more of a false-nine that links up with teammates.
Instead, it looks like she might have to wait until after the Olympics for that extended opportunity, as her exclusion from this camp indicates a key theme with this squad for Priestman - she’s prioritizing familiarity over the next few months.
ICYMI, Marie Yasmine Alidou’s breakout season continued for Benfica, as she scored despite her team’s elimination in the #UCL QFs to Lyon
— Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic (@AlexGangueRuzic) March 28, 2024
Her 9th goal in 11 UCL games, that puts her up to 25G/3A in 23/24😳
🇨🇦 call likely loading tomorrow#CanWNT/#CanXNTpic.twitter.com/CcuuxpaVRp
And that’s understandable from Priestman’s perspective.
Given that she has to whittle down her group to 18 players by July, if she thinks that Alidou isn’t going to make that squad, she may feel that there’s no point in calling her up just for her to stay on the bench as she has so far, as she’s already got enough tough decisions to make among the 23 in this squad and the three that missed out with injuries (Prince, Jayde Riviere and Sydney Collins).
Had this been a World Cup, for example, where she could’ve selected 23 players, one has to imagine that Alidou would be given more of a chance to try and make a squad like that.
There’s no reason why Alidou can’t become a key player after the Olympics, the same way Cloé Lacasse had to wait until November of 2021 for her debut after looking like someone who could’ve pushed into the squad earlier in the year, which also was an Olympic campaign for Canada. Given that Lacasse was also in the midst of a strong season for Benfica at the time, going on to score 22 goals and 12 assists, the comparison is quite uncanny, too.
Of course, it can be questioned if that’s the right move for Alidou, especially given that Lacasse has grown into a key part of this Canadian team, something that Alidou looks able to do based on her performances for Benfica, but Priestman isn’t budging for now.
BP: "I have headaches—like Mimi, how does she fit in with the forwards I have? It's not that I'll only select from the SBC roster for the OLY, but it will go down right to the wire. Some players will really be trying to get minutes in their legs."
— Rise Higher (@RiseHigherCa) March 28, 2024
So for now, look for Priestman to continue to stick with more familiar names, unless someone has a major breakout between now and the Olympics. One of her strengths as a manager is how she manages this group, which was how she was able to push this team to an Olympic gold medal, and she’ll look to use that familiarity to her advantage once again.
Where are the remaining battles?![20240302 27 Audrey Magny]()
Otherwise, it’ll be intriguing to see how Priestman sees the rest of the roster shaping up, as she gets set to make those tough Olympic decisions.
For example, some of that Olympic roster seems set in stone at the moment - Kailen Sheridan and Sabrina D’Angelo will be there as the two goalkeepers, while it feels like Kadeisha Buchanan, Vanessa Gilles, Shelina Zadorsky and Jade Rose will be the centre backs.
Elsewhere, however, some key positional battles remain.
To start, there’s the full back position, where after Ashley Lawrence, things remain wide-open in the hunt for spots. Jayde Riviere and Sydney Collins are strong candidates when healthy, but are battling injuries, which could open the door for Gabrielle Carle, who was excellent for Canada at the Gold Cup, or Bianca St-Georges, who was once again included in this camp and has had a strong start to the NWSL season.
Then, in the middle, while Jessie Fleming, Quinn and Julia Grosso feel like locks to be in, it looks like it’ll come down to Desiree Scott vs. Simi Awujo for a final midfield spot, which could be a fierce battle.
Then, up front, it remains anyone's guess as to what the frontline might look like, even with no Alidou. Right now, the lone locks seem to be Adriana Leon and Cloé Lacasse, while Nichelle Prince is also likely in that category if fully healthy, and Beckie is also on course to be a lock if she continues on her trajectory post-injury.
After that, however? Olivia Smith has made a big push, Jordyn Huitema has had some strong performances for Canada as of late, Evelyne Viens is hard to ignore given her proficiency in front of goal, Clarissa Larisey can be an x-factor as a super sub and Deanne Rose is a wild card if she re-finds her form, with only two or three of that list likely to make it.
Because of that, look for Priestman to try and get some clarity in some of these battles, especially up front, where most of the names are in camp and healthy, compared to the question marks that sit with the health of some of the full backs.
A herculean task remains for her in terms of figuring out that Olympic squad, so any sort of clarity that she can find between now and July will go a long way, which is why those positional battles will be worth keeping an eye on in this camp.
