Who are Canada's 5 biggest stars (not named Sinclair!) at 2023 World Cup

Christine Sinclair is an absolute icon of the game of football, ranking first among all international goal-scorers as the result of a legendary, gold medal-winning career for Canada.

But heading into their eighth FIFA Women's World Cup, the Canadian women's national team now stands a united team of top talents, built around more than one star. This year, Canada is looking to climb their highest mountain yet, to better their efforts from last time, and bring a rejuvenated squad filled with talented veterans and bright young prospects.

So, besides the legend who is Christine Sinclair, here are 5 Canadian stars you should be watching heading into the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.

Kadeisha Buchanan

Since making her tournament debut and impressing in 2015, Kadeisha Buchanan has grown into an absolute force in the backline for both club and country, featuring as a starting centre-back in Canada's last two World Cup runs and dominating in her first season at Chelsea this year.

It was before that 2015 tournament when then-head coach John Herdman referred to Kadeisha as the "Christine Sinclair of defence," an incredible word of praise to receive at such a young age. And although it may have seemed like a bit of a stretch at the time, Buchanan ended up winning the Young Player of the Tournament award at that 2015 World Cup, and has yet to stop improving and growing into the special talent she is.

For Canada, not only has Buchanan been a part of the last couple World Cups, but she's also played a massive role in Canada's Olympic medal finishes in 2016 and 2021, too. 

In her domestic career, Buchanan spent six seasons with Division 1 Feminine club Olympique Lyonnais, winning an astonishing five league titles and five Champions League crowns before most recently making the move to WSL, headlining Chelsea's defence in England and helping the Blues achieve their fourth-straight league title.

Ashley Lawrence

Another mainstay in Canada's backline, full-back Ashley Lawrence is back for her 3rd World Cup journey, having just finalized her move to Chelsea where she will be playing alongside fellow Canadian internationals Jessie Fleming and Kadeisha Buchanan.

It's a nice reunion, too, as Lawrence and Buchanan have been practically inseparable throughout their careers, featuring in the same squad for 7 different clubs dating back to their days in youth systems in Canada. In fact, the only time these two weren’t playing for the same club was when they both moved to Division 1 Arkema in France, where, rather than joining Buchanan at Lyon, Lawrence decided to sign with league rivals PSG (and pipped a 2020-21 league title from Lyon in the midst of their dominant run, too!)

In 2021, Lawrence would be named to the IFFHS Women's World Team as well as the Women's CONCACAF Team of the Year. For Canada, she featured in both of Canada's medalling teams at the 2016 and 2020 Olympics, most notably responsible for a crucial goal-line clearance that came in extra time in the semi-finals vs. Sweden in 2021.

Julia Grosso

Julia Grosso will always be remembered as the player who scored Canada's Olympic gold-winning goal in the penalty shoot-out, but the 22-year-old midfielder has made plenty of inroads since.

She was brought in as a teenager to be a part of Canada’s team back at the 2019 World Cup in France, though she didn't make an appearance in that tournament. This time around, she's expected to play a key role in midfield.

Coming off a breakout campaign with Juventus in Serie A Feminile, Grosso scored three goals and assisted seven in 20 league appearances, earning her the honour of being named Midfielder of the Season as well as breaching the 2022-23 Serie A Team of the Season.

Most recently, Grosso made her impact for Canada at the 2021 Concacaf Women’s Championships, with the midfielder taking home the golden boot award with three goals along with being named to the Team of the Tournament.

We’ve yet to see the full potential of Julia Grosso, but with the form she’s on and with a stage like the World Cup to put her talent on display, this might conclude the ultimate breakout year for the midfield talent.

Jordyn Huitema

The heir to Christine Sinclair's throne, Jordyn Huitema has the opportunity at this tournament to rise up as Canada’s next great no. 9.

At just 22, it's quite remarkable how much Huitema has achieved in such little time. Scoring her first national team goal at 16 years old was definitely an indicator that she was ahead of the game at a young age.

She’d then make her mark on the European stage, scoring the most goals by a Canadian in Women’s Champions League history as a teenager for PSG, a record which held up until this past season when she would be leapfrogged by teammate Cloe Lacasse.

For Canada, Huitema also played a part on their way to the 2020 Olympic gold medal, and she’s shown promise over the years by already racking up 16 goals, most recently scoring against France in a friendly 2-1 loss back in April.

Jessie Fleming

The final piece of Chelsea's Canadian trio, Fleming will be the only starting midfielder returning from the 2019 team, having played all four of Canada's games at the previous World Cup at just 21 years old. This time around, veterans Desiree Scott and Sophie Schmidt have been likely replaced by just the one midfield partner in Grosso, with the former out for this tournament with an injury, while the latter unlikely to play a starting role.

The Grosso - Fleming midfield has been a bright spot for Priestman's tactical lineups at times, so expect to see it return for the World Cup, perhaps in tandem with Quinn as a holding option or even Christine Sinclair as a CAM.

Regardless of her specific instruction, Fleming will bring the same work ethic and drive that makes her such a star at club level with Chelsea, too. Fleming has spent her last three seasons with the Blues, racking up nine goals and five assists over her last two campaigns and lifting trophy after trophy, too.

For Canada, she's really stepped up as a key piece in midfield, scoring 19 goals in an already-impressive 119 caps for her country, while playing a big role in how they play in possession.