3 KEY takeaways from the CanWNT's squad for the June window
The Canadian Women’s National Team took their latest step towards the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics this week, announcing their squad for the June window on Thursday.
As they get set for a pair of games against Mexico in Montréal and Toronto, it’s a crucial camp, the last one before head coach Bev Priestman names her Olympic squad on July 3rd, just ahead of one final window in which Canada will play two preparation games later that month.
Who’s ready for our Summer Send-Off Series, presented by CIBC and VISA🙋♀️🙋♂️
— CANWNT (@CANWNT) May 23, 2024
Here’s who you can expect to see there!#CANWNT pic.twitter.com/NzBFzmATiO
Because of that, it means this June window is the final audition opportunity for players to impress Priestman up close, showing why they deserve to make the Olympic squad.
Especially with some European seasons now over, meaning that a chunk of the team won’t be able to further cement their cases with some big club performances later in June, this is truly the last chance for some of them to leave a positive impression in Priestman’s mind, too.
That will leave the Canadian coach with some tough decisions to make, as she must still whittle down her squad to 18 players and four alternates. Having named 24 in this camp, with a further two out injured and a third in Allysha Chapman making her return from maternity leave (and is set to be a training player in this camp), that’s a big task for her to achieve over the next six weeks.
With that in mind, however, here are three key takeaways from this squad, looking at what stood out from her latest squad announcement.
Injuries a worry for Canada:
Naturally, with the Olympic squad deadline rapidly approaching, the biggest questions often surround those who aren’t there.
This camp is no exception to that, as the big absences are Quinn and Sydney Collins, who both remain out injured.
Collins’ absence isn’t surprising, as she’s been out since the Gold Cup with an ankle injury, and is yet to make her return to action for the North Carolina Courage, making it seem less likely by the day that she’ll be able to make her return in time for the Olympics, something Priestman confirmed afterwards.
As for Quinn, however, their absence is bigger news. Given that they suffered a knee injury playing for the Seattle Reign almost a month ago, of which the severity isn’t known, it’s a huge concern to see they can’t play a part in camp.
Yet, the good news? As Priestman also noted in her press conference, Quinn avoided a major long-term injury, meaning that they remain a possibility to be included in the Olympics squad, with their return more optimistic than Collins' at this stage.
Bev Priestman opens her press conference talking about some of the key #CanWNT/#CanXNT absences, noting that Quinn and Sydney Collins are still in contention for the Olympics but that'll be very tight, especially for Collins
— Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic (@AlexGangueRuzic) May 23, 2024
Adds that Quinn isn't out long-term, which is huge
Otherwise, Canada did get some good injury news this camp, as Jordyn Huitema is back after being out for nearly two months following a back problem she picked up in Canada’s last camp at the She Believes Cup in April. After not cracking a Seattle Reign matchday squad since, that’s positive to see, indicating she’s close to a return.
Along with the return of Chapman as a training player, marking the beginning of her journey back from maternity leave, those are two encouraging returns of players whose statuses were unclear.
Elsewhere, a few others also return from injury after missing out on the She Believes Cup, as Lysianne Proulx, Jayde Riviere, Nichelle Prince and Olivia Smith are all in the squad after returning to action with their various clubs over the last month, which is good news.
Now, Priestman will hope her injury list doesn’t grow over the next month, keeping her task of naming a squad as straightforward as possible, although that will be out of her control. 
Can form be enough in the race for the Olympic squad?
The big thing to watch in this camp?
How much of a run those in top form will get, especially given that there are a few players on the bubble of the Olympic squad who have stepped up big for their clubs as of late.
Namely, the big ones to watch are Gabrielle Carle, Olivia Smith, Clarissa Larisey and Evelyne Viens, who have been in good form for their respective clubs over the past month or so.
To begin, there’s Carle, who has been an everyday starter on a very good Washington Spirit side, one currently third in the NWSL after 10 games, just three points off first. A key part of their backline, having played at both full back positions and even recently at centre back, she’s also been in strong form for Canada since the beginning of the year, making her someone to watch in the race for the Olympics.
With her form, her versatility, and her left-footedness, she feels like a no-brainer inclusion into the Olympic squad, but she still has yet to carve out a regular role for Canada, something she hopes she can earn this camp to cement her spot in Paris.
Then, up front, a trio of names are looking to leave their mark, as they battle for minutes in a busy Canadian frontline.
Firstly, Smith is one to watch, as she just capped off a dream first professional season in Portugal, finishing with 16 goals and 10 assists with Sporting. A dynamic attacking piece, one who can score and create with both feet, she could be a wildcard in Canada’s attack, giving them a different look off the bench, which will be the role she’ll gun for as she looks to make her first Olympics following a surprise inclusion at the World Cup last year.
After that, Larisey is looking to make some noise amid that busy frontline, as she’s gotten off to a solid start for BK Häcken in Sweden, scoring three goals in their first seven games of the year. A quick forward, she brings speed and finishing to a frontline who could always use the former and won’t say no to the latter, but minutes have sometimes been hard to come by for Canada, which she’ll want to change this camp.
Lastly, Viens is the name with the most to prove, it feels like. Once again, she’s had an excellent season, this time for new club Roma, as she scored 17 goals in all competitions, including a league-leading 13 in Serie A play to claim the Golden Boot, helping Roma win the title in the process.
Evelyne Viens has secured the Serie A Golden Boot, as she scored a goal in Roma’s 5-0 win over Fiorentina on the final day of the campaign to give her 13 goals on the season, 1 ahead of teammate Valentina Giacinti
— Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic (@AlexGangueRuzic) May 19, 2024
Big achievement for Viens - Olympics next?#CanWNT/#CanXNT https://t.co/7E52QF5biH
Yet, after scoring 34 goals in 45 games for Swedish side Kristianstads across 2022 and 2023 before her Roma move, and 11 goals in 15 games for Paris FC in 2020, it was just a continuation of the last few years at the club level for Viens, who can’t stop scoring no matter where she plays. Despite that, she’s been unable to leverage that into regular starts for Canada, although this latest run on a club of Roma’s pedigree will surely be enough for her to get an extended audition, as she looks like Canada’s most dangerous attacking option right now.
How will the minutes be allocated?
Speaking of Viens, however, that’ll be the biggest question that Priestman will be asked in this camp - how will she manage the minutes of her players across the 180 minutes?
One has to imagine the tactical tweaks she’ll make will be minimal this camp, as she’s settled on Canada’s new-look 3-4-2-1 as her main formation heading into the Olympics, with a strong showing in the She Believes Cup final against the US confirming that the formation can do the job this summer against top teams.
She still has some work to do tactically, as she’s yet to find an alternative formation for games where she needs to tweak things, but that might not even be needed with how versatile the 3-4-2-1 has proven to be, with the ability to turn into a 5-4-1 or a 5-3-2 there for Priestman depending on her personnel.
Because of that, this camp can be purely about finding players who can fit this system, seeing how they look in different roles.
Yet, the big question will be who gets the long look at certain positions. For example, at wing back, how will the minutes be split between Ashley Lawrence, Gabrielle Carle and Jayde Riviere? Lawrence will be expected to play a lot this camp and at the Olympics, but given the battle Carle and Riviere are in to make the squad, will they split minutes or even play together to help give Priestman a further look at them this camp?
Or how about up front, where Priestman still has a lot of work to do in terms of whittling down her squad, with her forward group the most bloated position on this roster?
Will she reward the form of Viens with a good look? Or will someone like Nichelle Prince get a longer look after her return from injury, given how good she looked at the end of 2023 when playing with Cloé Lacasse and Adriana Leon, a trio Priestman might want to reunite in this camp? Or how about Jordyn Huitema, who has had a strong 2024 for Priestman, putting her in line to earn minutes after her return from injury?
A similar question awaits in midfield, too, as one would expect Jessie Fleming and Simi Awujo to be the first-choice pivot with Quinn out, but will Desiree Scott get an audition as she returns from injury?
Those sorts of battles are the toughest questions Priestman will have to balance, making it interesting to see how she navigates this window.
With so much still to be determined in the race for the Olympic squad, what she does could provide a lot of clarity about how she feels at certain positions, making it intriguing to watch who gets the reps in this camp.
Because of that, keep an eye out for how she allocates minutes at certain positions, as it’ll give an early indication of what her Olympic squad might look like, especially based on how certain players in battles for spots perform in those cameos.
Especially in the battles between familiarity and form, it’ll be interesting to see where Priestman draws the line, as she tries to find the right mix for this Canadian team as they try and defend their gold medal this summer.
"How do I get this group down to 18 players, it almost feels impossible," Priestman mused. "So I think I have to approach these two games with a balanced approach of who do I need to see more of, while also keeping up our momentum, partnerships and our style of play?"
