Canadian soccer teams nominated for Pan Am Games
Feature: Ashley Lawrence (Canada Soccer)
Young Canadian talent is set to compete at the Hamilton Soccer Stadium from July 11-26.
Team Canada will face stiff competition against Brazil on July 12th before wrapping up play in Group A with games against Panama (July 16) and Peru (July 20). The top two teams in both groups will qualify for the medal rounds. The gold medal match takes place on July 26.
Manjrekar James (Canada Soccer)
The Pan American competition is an Olympic Developmental U23 event, serving as a valuable opportunity for the team to prepare for Rio 2016 qualifications in fall 2015.
Winnipeg 1999 was the last Pan Am Games for the men’s team, where they finished fourth. The 18-man squad will be looking to improve their performance this summer. “I hope that we can reach the semi-finals,” said Antonio Floro, Head Coach. “We are really excited for that first game against Brazil because it’s a really important game for us.”
The full team is as follows:
Goalkeepers: Maxime Crépeau, Ricky Gomes
Defenders: Kevon Black, Adam Bouchard, Alex Comsia, Jackson Farmer, Jonathan Grant, Manjrekar James
Midfielders: Kevan Aleman, Manuel Aparicio, Louis Béland-Goyette, Jérémy Gagnon-Laparé, Chris Manella
Forwards: Molham Babouli, Hanson Boakai, Caleb Clarke, Raheem Edwards, Ben Fisk
Team Canada: women’s selection
Kadeisha Buchanan (Canada Soccer)
The talented women’s team will field some of world’s top players, including three FIFA Women’s World Cup 2015 competitors: Kadeisha Buchanan, Ashley Lawrence and Jessie Fleming.
Team Canada (Group B) will take the field July 11 when they face Ecuador before wrapping up play with games against Costa Rica (July 15) and Brazil (July 19).
Women’s soccer made its Pan Am debut at the Winnipeg 1999 Games. Canadians have secured three podium finishes, including a gold medal at the games in Guadalajara 2011.
The full team is as follows:
Goalkeepers: Kailen Sheridan, Stephanie Labbé
Defenders: Kadeisha Buchanan, Kinley McNicoll, Victoria Pickett, Rebecca Quinn, Chelsea Stewart, Shelina Zadorsky
Midfielders: Jessie Fleming, Emma Fletcher, Sarah Kinzner, Ashley Lawrence, Danica Wu
Forwards: Janine Beckie, Gabrielle Carle, Nkem Ezurike, Marie Levasseur, Nichelle Prince
Goalkeeper Karina Leblanc (left) and captain Christine Sinclair react after winning gold in Guadalajara 2011
“We are approaching this event with an Olympic depth focus and with ’the future’ in mind of increasing the current and future positional threshold of Canada’s Women’s National Team,” said head coach, Daniel Worthington. “It is a great opportunity for these girls to gain tournament expertise against five international teams that will pose different challenges.”
