From Sky Blue to cloud nine.
 
It was a memorable August for Canadian forward Janine Beckie, who is back with the national team ahead of its friendly against Brazil in Ottawa on Sunday (live on TSN5 at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT). After leaving her NWSL team, Sky Blue, to sign with Manchester City earlier in the month, Beckie scored in her debut with her new club last Sunday, just 10 minutes after being subbed on during a Continental League Cup match.

Manchester City begins its season in the FA Women’s Super League on Sept. 9. Although her time in England has been short, Beckie is thrilled with the experience so far.

“It’s been fantastic,” she told TSN.ca. “It’s a move that I’ve had my eye on for a long time. I’m excited that it’s finally come to fruition. It’s going to be a challenge for me to get playing time, which is great. That’s the environment I want to be in.”  

Beckie’s departure from Sky Blue couldn’t have come at a better time for the 24-year-old. She had zero goals in 15 appearances for the floundering team, which sits at the bottom of the NWSL standings with zero wins. There have also been various reports over the past month about poor living and playing conditions for Sky Blue’s athletes.  

Beckie has never directly addressed any of the allegations against the club. In a statement she tweeted after her departure, she did write that improvements could be made, but also stated that she had nothing but gratitude for Sky Blue.

When asked about the biggest difference so far between Sky Blue and Manchester City, Beckie says it’s about the approach to the game.

“I think tactically it’s a lot different. There’s a lot more attention on tactics in Europe. It’s a little less athletic and physical. I think it’ll play to my strengths as a player, having that athleticism but also the tactical part to my game, so that’s what I was really excited about going to England.”

Beckie re-joined the Canadian national team this week ahead of Sunday’s match against Brazil. This is the team’s final chance to fine-tune before World Cup qualifying begins in October. 

“I think it’s a good test for us, a different style than we’ve seen earlier this year with France and Germany,” she said about facing Brazil. “It’s important for us to get a win here, a good test to see where we’re at physically, tactically, mentally, all those kind of things. It’s good to go into qualifying with a bit of a different team to play.

“I think we’re excited to be back together. It’s been a few months since we’ve seen each other, so it’s fantastic.” 

This is the first time Canada and Brazil will face each other since the bronze-medal match at the 2016 Rio Olympics, which Canada won 2-1. Beckie expects the South Americans to come out firing on Sunday.

“I think it’s the complete opposite (of Rio). They’re on our home soil, so they’re looking to get revenge. But this is such a good game for us. It’s high intensity, it’s high physicality, a lot of fun soccer.”

Five teenagers have joined the team for this camp, including several players from the under-17 program. With the team’s biggest tournament in over two years on the horizon, Beckie is excited about the upcoming test.

“This is such a good group. It’s a really talented group. We’ve got some young ones that are coming up the ranks that are going to be exciting for us. To get everyone cohesive in such a short amount of time can be difficult, but short turnarounds in qualifying can get hard. Having depth is important, and that’s what we see in this group.”