Photo Credit Soccer Canada
With the MLS season wrapping up that saw New York city FC win the 2021 Cup title in penalty kicks over the Portland Timbers at Providence Park, soccer is still on the minds of many in the area.
We are hearing that the Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team Program will organize U-17 and U-20 identification camps this December and January.
This is in preparation for the upcoming International schedule which includes Concacaf youth tournaments in both age categories.
Canada Soccer’s Women’s U-17 National Team prepares to visit Mexico for a full 10-day camp which includes a pair of international matches against Mexico while the Women’s U-20 National Team is set to prepare for the upcoming January camp in Markham.
Both camps are in line for Canada’s preparations for the 2022 Concacaf Women’s Under-17 Championship as well as the 2022 Concacaf Women’s Under-20 Championship held in the Dominican Republic.
The U-17 camp is Canada Soccer’s first women’s youth camp since the global pandemic hit the world that saw the 2020 Concacaf Women’s Under-17 Championship canceled.
Bev Priestman, Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team Head Coach mentioned “It is exciting for the Women’s National Team Program to re-launch our Youth National Teams for the first time since the pandemic and see what talent we have coming through the system.”“
She continued “These players have just witnessed our Women’s National Team achieve a Gold Medal and the role our Youth National Teams Program had in that unbelievable achievement. I’m sure they need no more motivation to put on the jersey, work hard and dream big.”
While many of Canada Soccer’s elite young players have been progressing through the Regional EXCEL and Super REX Centres across the country, the upcoming camp gives Canada an opportunity to gain valuable experience through a pair of international matches against Mexico.
The two matches will be played on Thursday 16 December and Sunday 19 December.
Canada’s U-17 team is led by coach Emma Humphries and features 24 players in camp from December 11th to the 20th December.
Canada’s U-20 squad, led by coach Cindy Tye, will be announced in the coming weeks ahead of the camp dates in early January 2022.
The 2022 Concacaf Women’s Under-17 Championship runs 23 April to 8 May in the Dominican Republic featuring 16 nations divided into four groups (Canada is in a group alongside Bermuda, Dominican Republic and Jamaica).
From the group phase, the top two nations from each group advance to the knockout phase and from the knockout phase the top three nations qualify for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup India 2022.
The 2022 Concacaf Women’s Under-20 Championship runs 25 February to 12 March 2022 in the Dominican Republic featuring 16 nations divided into four groups (Canada is in a group with El Salvador, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Trinidad and Tobago).
From the group phase, the top two nations from each group advance to the knockout phase and from the knockout phase the top three nations qualify for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Costa Rica 2022.
CANADA SOCCER’S WOMEN’S NATIONAL TEAM
Canada are Olympic champions (Tokyo 2020), two-time bronze medal winners (2012 and 2016), and two-time Concacaf champions (1998 and 2010).
In all, Canada have participated in seven consecutive editions of the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ (1995 to 2019) and four consecutive editions of the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament (2008 to 2021).
At Tokyo 2020, Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team became the first Canadian team to win three consecutive medals at the Summer Olympic Games and just the third nation in the world to win three medals in women’s soccer.
Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Youth Teams, meanwhile, have won four Concacaf youth titles: the 2004 and 2008 Concacaf Women’s Under-20 Championship, the 2010 Concacaf Women’s Under-17 Championship, and the 2014 Concacaf Girls’ Under-15 Championship.
Canada have qualified for seven editions of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup (including a silver medal at Canada 2002) and all six editions of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup (including a fourth-place finish at Uruguay 2018).
Thanks to Soccer Canada for the press release!!
