Canada expects to play World Cup matches in front of large crowds. Will they wind up on the podium? (Photo copyright Meg Linehan for The Equalizer)
Looking for answers about NWSL allocation for 2014? You’ll have to wait a bit longer. At least for the Canadian answers. On Wednesday, John Herdman announced his roster for Canada’s October 30 friendly against South Korea. Thirteen of the 16 players he allocated to NWSL in 2013 are included, but the coach said it will not be until December or January that contracts for next season will be handed out.
“There are a number of spots that are under review,” Herdman said. He added that preliminary lists have been sent to NWSL and that some players have already been allocated. “Over these next two months when players come in to CDP in Vancouver, they’ll be reviewed, assessed, and the contracts will be disseminated throughout late December, early January.
“We’ve been shuffling our pack to try and make sure we’ve [accounted] for the 16 players that are going to impact Canada in the future on the podium.”
One player likely to be allocated is Melissa Tancredi, who sat out 2013 from soccer to attend chiropractor school. If Tancredi is allocated her NWSL team will have to wait until June to immerse her into a team.
“Melissa is still working hard at chiropractor school,” Herdman said. “She is doing our individual training program so she’s keeping herself where she needs to be. But she’ll not be available until June. We’re expecting she’ll move straight into the NWSL.”
If Tancredi, who played in WPS, does get allocated, it would mean her team having to play nearly half the season without her. The Thorns and Reign faced a similar circumstance this last NWSL season before Tobin Heath and Megan Rapinoe, respectively, joined their teams. Heath wound up as MVP of the championship match.
Another veteran, Marie-Eve Nault, is on the roster for South Korea and may find a way back into the team after Herdman informed her after the Olympics he would be trialing left backs.
“She’s one of the oldest players in the team and moving towards the twilight of her career,” Herdman said of Nault, who will be 33 during the World Cup. “I made it quite clear to Marie-Eve after the Olympics, I was going to look at a lot of other players in (that position). I was going to give time and assess them to see if there was anyone in the system. Marie-Eve was asked to stand down for a period of time and let me give minutes to other players.”
As such Nault has not suited up for Canada since the Bronze Medal match at the Olympics over a year ago.
“I think what Marie-Eve did is she took the bull by the horns. She’s still got a goal of being a part of this team. She had a very solid, consistent season playing every week for her team in Sweden (KIF Orebro DFF).”
One of the left backs Herdman has been hoping to look at is Rachel Quon. The former U.S. youth player agreed to play for Canada’s full team last spring but did not have proper clearance at that time. Now Herdman says she has picked up an injury. He did not go into specifics on the injury but Equalizer has learned it is a knee injury that is not considered serious. Herdman did add that Quon was unlikely to face Mexico on November 24.
In other roster news, Brittany Timko is back with the team and Kara Lang will join for the last two days of camp in Edmonton and could sit on the bench for the match. Herdman says Lang has been training pain-free and that the top goal is to have her in the 2015 World Cup side.
