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SOCCER MEDIA REPORTS:

CANADA'S WOMEN LOOK TOWARDS BEIJING OLYMPICS

23rd November, 2006

From Vancouver Whitecaps website

After the disappointment of an early exit from this year’s Women’s World Cup finals, Canada are preparing to bounce back and qualify for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Just over two months has past since head coach Even Pellerud’s squad were stunned by a last-minute Australia equalizer in their final group game in China. The 2-2 draw denied Canada the chance to reach the knockout stages and repeat their achievements of 2003 when they reached the World Cup semifinals in the USA.

Though hugely disappointed by the outcome of their World Cup campaign, Canada will aim to reach their first ever Women’s Olympic Football Tournament by returning to China and its nation’s capital next year. For that to occur, Canada must finish as one of the top two sides from a six-nation qualifying tournament to be held in Chihuahua, Mexico next April. Rivals USA and hosts Mexico will be joined by Costa Rica from Central America, plus a further two countries from the Caribbean.

This Friday and Sunday, Puerto Rico will host Trinidad & Tobago in a two-game, total-goal series in Bayamon before Cuba meet Jamaica in a similar two-match series in Havana on November 29 and December 1. The two winners will advance to next year’s qualifying tournament.

As with their World Cup preparations, Canada are based in Vancouver for the first phase of their Olympic qualification residency program, with the players having taken a long break after their World Cup excursions back in September. “We had a break as a team until we started up again on November 9,” Pellerud told whitecapsfc.com. “We will run the first phase of that program until the middle of December. Not all of the players are available, as we have four or five players that are recovering from injuries, while we have another four or five players playing in the NCAA for their universities, so that leaves us with between 13 to 15 players for every training session. It’s a good time for this group to get back training and maintain their fitness and their skills.”

The current absentees include four notable players from Pellerud’s World Cup squad. Robyn Gayle (University of North Carolina), Melanie Booth (University of Florida), Sophie Schmidt (University of Portland) and Kara Lang (UCLA) are in the midst of NCAA championship action with their schools, but are expected to rejoin the squad in early 2008. “The good news is the tournament will be in April and we will have three months of camp with all the players involved in the New Year,” Pellerud said. “I’m very pleased that we will have three months together and we hope to arrange some international games, so I feel we will be very well prepared for Mexico.”

In the lead-up to the World Cup in China, a lack of quality game action was a concern for the Norwegian tactician. Pellerud hopes to address that issue by arranging up to six international friendlies before April’s qualifying tournament. “I think we are doing a lot of good things, though we need to address our game fitness,” stressed Pellerud. “Match fitness was what was missing at the World Cup in the fall and it is something that we need to correct.”

Vancouver Whitecaps FC wish Canada’s national women’s team the very best with their preparations for Mexico and qualifying for the Beijing Olympics.