Kailen Sheridan named to Canada’s Algarve Cup roster

Kailen Sheridan, Sky Blue’s third draft pick and 23rd overall, has been named to Canada women’s national team roster for the Algarve Cup international tournament next month. The Canadian team will return to Portugal eager to prove themselves as back-to-back winners of the tournament.

The 24th Algarve Cup will feature 12 nations and will take place from March 1-8. Canada will face Denmark on March 1, Russia on March 3 and host Portugal on March 6. The three teams are more than likely to be a challenge for the Canadian side as they have all qualified for the 2017 Euros. The final match will take place on March 8.

Talking about their opponents, head coach John Herdman, said the Denmark match will be a tough one given they lost to them last year. “Many of these teams are looking to peak for the European Championships later this year but our goal is clear: win the group and win the Algarve Cup. Our players are committed to taking Canada forward over these next four years and this is the first real test of that commitment”.

It will be interesting to see how the team will fare as this is their first time playing consecutive competitive games since the Rio Olympics. Not only that, there are also six new additions to the team. These additions are the players who have performed well on Canada’s assessment camp and will add depth to key positions according to challenge the Olympic core players according to Herdman.

CANADA ROSTER BY POSITION

Goalkeepers (3): Sabrina D’Angelo (North Carolina Courage), Stephanie Labbé (Washington Spirit), Kailen Sheridan (Sky Blue FC)

Defenders (5): Kadeisha Buchanan (Olympique Lyonnais), Allysha Chapman (Boston Breakers), Rebecca Quinn (Duke), Hannah Taylor (Eastside FC), Shelina Zadorsky (Washington Spirit)

Midfielders (6): Jessie Fleming (UCLA), Ashley Lawrence (Paris Saint-Germain), Deanne Rose (Scarborough GS United), Sophie Schmidt (FFC Frankfurt), Desiree Scott (FC Kansas City), Sarah Stratigakis (Aurora United FC)

Forwards (8): Lindsay Agnew (Washington Spirit), Janine Beckie (Houston Dash), Gabrielle Carle (Dynamo Québec & Québec Soccer REX), Jordyn Huitema (Vancouver Whitecaps), Alex Lamontagne (Durham United FC), Marie Levasseur (University of Memphis), Nichelle Prince (Houston Dash), Christine Sinclair (Portland Thorns FC)