Coach John Herdman picks young squad to defend Algarve Cup in Portugal
Captain Christine Sinclair leads a young roster featuring seven teenagers as Canada looks to defend its title at the Algarve Cup.
John Herdman’s fourth-ranked team leaves Thursday for Portugal and the 12-nation tournament that runs March 1-8. Canada defeated Brazil 2-1 in last year’s final.
With the tournament falling on a FIFA international window, Herdman has been able to summon European-based pros Kadeisha Buchanan (Olympique Lyonnais) and Ashley Lawrence (Paris Saint-Germain) for the first time since Canada won bronze at last summer’s Rio Olympics.
The Canadian women have had one camp and played just one game — a 3-2 win over Mexico on Feb. 4 in Vancouver that was more about the past than the future in feting three retiring players.