Canada will face Sweden twice next week in closed-door friendlies in LA. (USA Today Images)
Canada coach John Herdman named his 24-player roster — including the usual cast of teenagers on the rise — for next week’s pair of closed-door friendly matches against Sweden. The matches will be played in the Los Angeles area on Monday and Wednesday.
Defenders Kadeisha Buchanan, 19, and Sura Yekka, 17, join 16-year-old wunderkind midfielder Jessie Fleming on Herdman’s roster for the two huge test matches against the world’s No. 5 team. Canada is currently ranked eighth in the world.
“It’s a large squad,” Herdman said. “We’ve taken pretty much all our residency-based players that are physically able to contribute in the game,” said Herdman. “That’s pretty much our widest squad that we’re taking in.”
“When we get to Christmas time, we’ve got some assessments we want to make about the squad we take in January. This is a chance for people to get game time under their belt before we begin again next year and it gets more serious.”
Monday’s game will reportedly take place at Loyola Marymount University at 5 p.m. ET and Wednesday’s game will take place at Long Beach State University at 10 p.m. ET.
Canada’s roster
GK- Stephanie Labbe | SWE / KIF Orebro
GK- Erin McLeod | USA / HoustonDash
D- Kadeisha Buchanan | USA / West Virginia University
D- Allysha Chapman | SWE / Eskilstuna United DFF
D- Robyn Gayle | USA / Washington Spirit
D- Carmelina Moscato | USA / Seattle Reign FC
D- Marie-Eve Nault | SWE / KIF Orebro
D- Rebecca Quinn | USA / Duke University
D- Rachel Quon | USA / Chicago Red Stars
D- Rhian Wilkinson | CAN / Comètes de Laval
D- Sura Yekka | CAN / Brams United
D- Emily Zurrer | SWE / Jitex BK
M- Brittany Baxter | unattached / sans club
M- Jessie Fleming | CAN / London NorWest SC
M- Selenia Iacchelli | unattached / sans club
M- Kaylyn Kyle | USA / Houston Dash
M- Ashley Lawrence | USA / West Virginia University
M- Sophie Schmidt | USA / Sky Blue FC
M- Desiree Scott | ENG / Notts County
F- Josée Bélanger | CAN / Comètes de Laval
F- Jonelle Filigno | USA / Sky Blue FC
F- Adriana Leon | USA / Chicago Red Stars
F- Christine Sinclair | USA / Portland Thorns FC
F- Melissa Tancredi | USA / Chicago Red Stars
Sweden’s roster
Hilda Carlén | Piteå IF
Malin Reuterwall | Umeå IK FF
Carola Söberg | Avaldsnes IL
Emma Berglund | Umeå IK FF
Magdalena Ericsson | Linköpings FC
Nilla Fischer | VfL Wolfsburg
Lina Nilsson | FC Rosengård
Charlotte Rohlin | Linköpings FC
Linda Sembrant | Montpellier Hérault SC
Sara Thunebro | Eskilstuna United DFF
Kosovare Asllani | Paris Saint-Germain FC
Lisa Dahlkvist | Avaldsnes IL
Malin Diaz Pettersson | Eskilstuna United DFF
Hanna Folkesson | Umeå IK FF
Amanda Ilestedt | FC Rosengård
Sofia Jakobsson | Montpellier Hérault SC
Caroline Seger | Paris Saint-Germain FC
Marija Banusic | Kristianstads DFF
Mia Carlsson | Kristianstads DFF
Jenny Hjohlman | Umeå IK FF
Lina Hurtig | Umeå IK FF
Emma Lund | AIK FF
Fridolina Rolfö | Linköpings FC
lin Rubensson | FC Rosengård
Olivia Schough | FC Rossiyanka
Therese Sjögran | FC Rosengård
Lotta Schelin | Olympique Lyonnais
