Jessie Fleming to lead Canadian team in Paris | Olympics

Of the lot, six will be at their third Olympic Games: Janine Beckie, Kadeisha Buchanan, Jessie Fleming, Ashley Lawrence, Quinn and Nichelle Prince. In Rio, in 2016, Canada won bronze.

Tenors Julia Grosso, Jordyn Huitema, Vanessa Gilles, Kailen Sheridan, Jayde Riviere, Evelyne Viens and Adriana Leon are also back, having been part of the champion group in Japan.

Goalkeeper Sabrina D’Angelo returns to the Olympic team, after her participation in Rio, while Simi Awujo, Sydney Collins, Cloé Lacasse and Jade Rose will be making their Olympic debut.

“I chose to take more attackers (6) than midfielders (4) to take advantage of the available talent,” Priestman admitted via videoconference. “The group of attackers was the most difficult to choose, and complementarity was very important in our choices.

Ultimately, I choose the players who offer the best balance to the team. That’s what counts for everything.

Bev Priestman.Photo : The Canadian Press / Graham Hughes

Midfielder Jessie Fleming will act as captain. She made her national team debut in 2013, when she was just 15 years old. Since then, she has won 132 caps, including 117 starting elevens, collecting 19 goals and 9 assists.

In Japan, Fleming notably scored the winning goal in the semi-final and the equalizer in the final.

Jessie is the epitome of a team-first captain, Priestman said. She leads by example, always works very hard in training. We know it less, but she also takes a lot of initiatives off the field, at the group level and the actions that the players take.

She’s the captain because she deserves to be. She has an aura of confidence, and she lifts everyone up. I’m really looking forward to seeing her raise the bar during the tournament.

It is always an honour to be part of this team and an even greater privilege to represent Canada in Paris. We have grown a lot as a team over the past year and we are confident that we can repeat the successes we have had in the past at this tournament.Fleming said in a press release.

The youngest will be midfielder Simi Awujo, 20, ahead of defender Jade Rose. They were named the country’s youth players of the year in turn, in 2022 for Awujo and in 2023 for Rose.

Awujo has played 17 times for the national team so far, while Rose already has, at 21, 21 caps, including 20 starts.

Awujo and Rose have had a taste of what a high-level competition like the Olympics demands, and the kind of opposition that awaits us there. We have a good group of veterans to coach them. I have always believed very strongly in the idea of ​​giving young players a chance to playadmitted Priestman.

In addition to the 18 players making up the team, four substitutes will travel and train with the team, available in the event of injuries within the main squad. The replacements include goalkeeper Lysianne Proulx, defenders Gabrielle Carle and Shelina Zadorsky, as well as forward Deanne Rose.

Gabrielle Carle, from Lévis, will be in the group of substitutes who will fly to Paris with the women’s soccer team.Photo : usa today sports / Mike Watters

girls players who we can trust, both to deliver the goods and to offer a good level until the end of the tournament. I count on them to train at their best, to have a smile in training and to give their all when called upon.”,”text”:”If a player from the main group gets injured, I know that I will I have in these 4 players girls who we can trust, both to deliver the goods and to offer a good level until the end of the tournament. I count on them to train at their best, to have a smile during training and to give their all when called upon.”}}”>If a player in the main group gets injured, I know that I have in these 4 players girls we can trust, both to deliver the goods and to offer a good level until the end of the tournament. I count on them to train at their best, to have a smile in training and to give their all when we call on them.

This group of replacements is crucial for us.

The Paris women’s soccer tournament will bring together 12 countries, divided into three groups. The representatives of the maple leaf will face France, New Zealand and Colombia.

Canada is the only country to have reached the Olympic podium in women’s soccer at each of the last three Olympic Games.

buzz to which nothing compares. When you think about this group of players, nothing is more important than the Olympics”,”text”:”What I love about the Olympics is that we really feel like we are representing our country , in a very unique way. There is a craze and a buzz that nothing compares to. When you think about this group of players, nothing is more important than the Olympics”}}”>What I love about the Olympic Games is that we really feel like we’re representing our country in a very unique way. There is a craze and a buzz to which nothing compares. When you think about this group of players, nothing is more important than the Olympicsa conclu Priestman.