W-League Feature
Thursday, January 30, 2014
The Canadian Women’s National Team is set to take on the United States on Friday night at Toyota Stadium, with a number of former W-League standouts set to lead their side in what has become arguably the biggest rivalry in women’s soccer internationally. Eighteen members of the 19-players squad selected by John Herdman are alumni of the W-League, with two having competed in the league in 2013.
Defender Kadeisha Buchanan of the Toronto Lady Lynx and forward Josee Belanger of the Quebec City Amiral are both included in the squad as they continue their national team careers. Buchanan made four appearances for Toronto last season while also appearing regularly for the CWNT, and had a strong freshman season for West Virginia last fall as they claimed the Big XII championship.
Belanger, meanwhile, will aim to make her first appearance for her country since 2010, when she played against Brazil. The forward had three goals in six games last summer for the Amiral, and joins an attack led by USL Hall of Famer Christine Sinclair, formerly of the Vancouver Whitecaps Women, and Jonelle Filigno, also formerly of the Lady Lynx.
All three goalkeepers bring W-League experience, including former New Jersey Wildcats keeper Karina LeBlanc, now of the NWSL’s Chicago Red Stars. LeBlanc earned All-League honors in 2005 as the helped the Wildcats claim the league championship and could go up against former Wildcats teammate Heather O’Reilly, who is included in the squad for the U.S. at Toyota Stadium.
Other former W-League standouts selected include former All- League selection Marie-Eve Nault, who previously played for the Ottawa Fury, and Vancouver’s Sophie Schmidt, who alongside Sinclair, Brittany Baxter (née Timko) and Erin McLeod helped the Whitecaps claim the 2006 W-League championship against Nault’s Fury.
Kickoff for Friday night’s contest is set for 8 p.m. ET, with all of the action available live on Fox Sports 1 in the United States.