The Our Futbol Podcast is proud to be collaborating with FUTBO13RA® to bring readers coverage of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games – Women’s Soccer Tournament. You can download the FUTBO13RA® Guide: Paris 2024 PDF here.
The reigning Olympic champions will take part in their fifth competition to defend that gold that had the world rejoicing when they beat Sweden in the 2020 Tokyo Final.
Qualifying for this tournament was not easy. With only 12 available spaces, Canada secured its ticket during the Olympic playoffs after beating Jamaica with an aggregate score of 4 to 1.
The dispute with their federation on the eve of the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand in 2023 and ongoing budget cuts forced them to focus on negotiations rather than properly prepare for the competition.
Whether that truly led to their elimination in the group stage during the World Cup is up to interpretation, but these Olympic Games could be the turning point to return to a leading role and seek to level the United States as the second team to obtain two consecutive gold medals in the women’s soccer tournament.
“It is clear to me that the future is bright with the talent we have across our system, and I am honored to lead our efforts to achieve even more success for this program and our country,” stated Bev Priestman for The Athletic.
The helmsman of the Canadian team, Bev Priestman, committed to the long-term project after she renewed her contract until the 2027 World Cup in Brazil. The federation trusts her talent and believes in her growth since working with the U17 and U20 categories as well as the experience she acquired as Assistant Technical Director of the England women’s team.
Priestman’s winning mentality was evident from the minute she declared that she was joining the Canadian team to “change the color of the medal.” And change it she did. Since her arrival to the team in 2020, the pressure to escape from the United States’ shadow has been latent and leaving the Stars and Stripes out of the race for the gold medal in Tokyo was an important leap, but the commitment goes beyond just surpassing their regional rivals.
Despite how hard 2023 was, the English coach has been reassuring all that her team is ready to face the challenges of playing the Olympic Games with a high degree of competitiveness and looking for repeat success, especially because this time around, there are no external distractions to keep them from thriving.
The main challenge for the Canadian team will be showing danger in attack and converting the opportunities their forwards have. The retirement of Christine Sinclair, the nation’s standard bearer and top goalscorer of any category, marked the end of an era for many and raised doubts regarding the Canadians’ offensive power. The effectiveness of Adriana Leon or Jordyn Huitema will be decisive for a team that is not usually spectacular in its victories but will have to be consistent if it wants to be at the top of the podium.
Captain: Jessie Fleming
“I am excited about the role I play with the national team right now and have been leaning towards more of a leadership position,” Jessie Fleming told KPTV. “I feel like I have a little more of a positive influence on the program.”
The demands of modern football require having extremely complete players. Not only does Fleming have great soccer talent and technique, but her background as a track and cross-country athlete allowed her to develop a physical advantage that isn’t quite noticeable to the naked eye.
She debuted with the Canadian national team at age 15 and has played in a total of 132 matches. She studied at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and chose not to register for the NWSL Draft in 2020, instead opting to sign directly with Chelsea, where she won three league championships, a Shield Cup and played in a UEFA Champions League final. She currently plays for the Portland Thorns in the NWSL who paid 300,000 euros to sign her.
At 26 years old, she is entering her third Olympic Games, but this time in a completely new role for the team. Sinclair’s departure from the national team represented a transition in the team’s leadership, something that Priestman worked on gradually. Jessie’s warmth and way of preaching by example have been decisive in finding a new way to guide this group and have them transcend.
Player to watch: Ashley Lawrence
The best defense is the best offense and Ashley Lawrence knows this very well. She started playing in the midfield as her career progressed, she possessed impressive qualities as a winger and she established herself in that position. Although she was expected to register for the NWSL Draft in 2017, she signed with Paris Saint-Germain in France and remained there until 2023, winning the only league title that the team has won in its entire history. Lawrence then joined Chelsea FC Women in England, signing until 2026.
At the national team level she has vast amounts of experience at the youth level, being part of the U17 squad in 2010 and from there rose to the U20 category. She made her debut with the senior team in 2014 and since then has played 134 games, has gone to three World Cups and is heading to her fourth Olympic Games.
Her ability to join the attack during crucial plays has earned her the title of “best offensive winger in the world.” The duality that she has to defend and cover and be part of the buildup play makes her very important for The Canucks
With the adjustments they’ve made since the last World Cup, the change in mentality and the preparation matches that have left good impressions, the current Olympic champions want to hit the ground running and show that the medal obtained in 2020 was not a fluke.
What time does Canada play at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games?
Canada’s match schedule in Group A
Thursday, July 25th
Canada vs. New Zealand | 8:00 AM PST | 9:00 AM CDMX | 10:00 AM CST | 11:00 AM EST | Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, Saint-Étienne
Sunday, July 28th
France vs. Canada | 12:00 PM PST | 1:00 PM CDMX | 2:00 PM CST | 3:00 PM EST | Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, Saint-Étienne
Wednesday, July 31st
Colombia vs. Canada | 12:00 PM PST | 1:00 PM CDMX | 2:00 PM CST | 3:00 PM EST | Stade de Nice
This has been edited from its original version which can be found on the Futbo13ra website here.
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