Canadian women's players to face South Korea in FIFA U-20 World Cup

Canada campaigns at FIFA U-20 Women's World A cup match against South Korea on Thursday kicks off a challenging first-round schedule that also features Group C matches against France and Nigeria.・Team competition in Costa Rica.

Canada's group winner will face the runners-up in Group D, consisting of defending his champions Japan, three-time champions USA, Ghana and the Netherlands, in the quarterfinals. The Group C runner-up team will face off against the Group D champion team.

Canadian coach Cindy Tye knows the future of her young team.

She said, "It's a tough group, but I think it's a challenge and a great experience for the kids," said former Canadian international Ty, who also coaches the Dalhousie University women's team.

Canada failed to qualify for her 2018 U-20 World Cup in France. In 2016 in Papua New Guinea, the Canadian women's team failed to make it out of the group stage.

"We are not the underdog here. The group feels in a very good place right now," she said Tye. "We're very ambitious. We want to be on the podium, and I feel like we're going to surprise some people as we go."

Costa Rica initially started with Panama She was set to co-host her U-20 event in 2020. The tournament was postponed due to the pandemic, with Costa Rica taking over as sole host.

Canada has qualified for eight of the ten FIFA U-20 World Cups. In 2002, the Canadian team, led by a young Christine Sinclair, lost in overtime to the United States and finished runners-up before 47,784 players at the Edmontons. Commonwealth Stadium.

That first event came in 2006 at her U-19 level before the tournament switched to her U-20.

Canada hosted the event in 2014 and lost to Germany. in the quarter-finals.

France has finished 4th, 2nd and 3rd in her last three FIFA U20 Championship competitions before defeating Germany in the final of the 2019 European Women's U19 Championship.

Nigeria, who was runner-up in 2010 and she was runner-up in 2014, advanced to her round knockouts in seven of her nine tournament appearances. South Korea, where she placed third in 2010, has reached the quarterfinals in two of her four tournament appearances.

She defeated Puerto Rico 2-0 in her third-place play-off at the CONCACAF Women's Under-20 Championship in the Dominican Republic in March, qualifying the Canadian women's team.

The Canadians, who first met in January, held a camp in Toronto in July and have been in Costa Rica since 2 August. In a pre-tournament friendly against Japan, she lost 2-1 to Olivia. Canada's Smith scores.

Canada will face South Korea at the Estadio Her Nacional in San Jose and France on Sunday at the same venue. They wrap up her August 17 round-robin match against Nigeria, some 18 kilometers away, at Alajuela's Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto.

"I think this group is a big challenge because there are four very different styles of play," she said. “For us, it's about maintaining our identity and building it up as a young player. It's not necessarily dangerous, but there are so many different styles that it's a challenge to keep adapting to every game, and that's what we do with our staff. It's a really exciting opportunity for players."

South Korea and France are among the teams named by the federation for their performance in the 2019 tournament after their regional qualifiers were canceled due to the pandemic.

Nigeria defeated Senegal 7-2 on aggregate to join Ghana in the African squad.

USA (2002, 2008, 2012), Germany (2004, 2010, 2014), North Korea (2006, 2016) (21-8) only won the women's under-20 title.

Tournaments are showcases for young talent. England failed to qualify for the tournament in Costa Rica, but her five members of the recent European champions squad were among England's third-place entry at her 2018 U-20 World Cup in France. It was part

Tie's roster includes Smith, captain Jade Rose and Zoe Barnes, all of whom have earned caps at the senior level.

Rose and Smith each have her two senior caps, and Barnes has his one. Goalkeepers Anna Karpenko and Nikaila Small have also been called up by the Canadian national team, but have yet to feature.

"We have that experience and we have some great young players," Tai said. "The group has become more and more connected from our time in January to the present."

Smith tied for second with eight goals in the CONCACAF Championship, Barnes with four assists. And he tied for second place.

Tye is one of her nine female coaches in her FIFA tournaments in her 16 countries.

"I'm so excited. Beyond words, coming as a former international player and now representing a coach, I know I can speak for others here. Here.

"Having young women who can see that, they can see them on television and be exposed to this media." so they can feel it and dream it,” she added.

She is the only roster change from the CONCACAF tournament. Wake Forest defender Zara Chavosi has replaced Maya Radani, who was under contract with the club in Europe.

Canadian Roster

Goalkeepers: Sierra Giorgio, Syracuse (NCAA); Anna Karpenko, Harvard University (NCAA). Coralie Lallier, NDC-CDN Quebec.

Advocate: Vivian Bessette, South Florida (NCAA). Zara Chavoshi, Wake Forest University (NCAA). Brooklyn Courtnall, USC (NCAA); Anika Leslie, West Her Virginia (NCAA); Mia Pante, Texas A&M (NCAA); Jade Rose, Harvard University (NCAA). Elizabeth Tse, SMU (NCAA).

Midfielder: Simi Aujo, USC (NCAA). Zoe Barnes, USC (NCAA); Keira Mellenhorst, University of Pittsburgh (NCAA). Nikayla Small, Wake Forest (NCAA). Olivia Smith, Florida (NCAA). Sonia Walk, Boston College (NCAA). Holly Ward University of Texas (NCAA)

Forwards: Florianne Jourde, NDC-CDN Quebec. Miya Grant Clavijo, Brown University (NCAA). Kyla Novak, UCLA (NCAA); Selita Sarton, South Florida (NCAA).

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This Canadian Press report was first published on August 10, 2022.