New coach, widening player pool should be priorities for women’s national team in 2025

Although Canada’s women’s soccer team ended the year with an emphatic 5-1 win in a friendly against Korea Republic on Tuesday, no one may be more eager to flip the calendar to 2025 than the national team’s players.

The squad entered the year with lofty aspirations. For the first time in the program’s history, the Canadians were the defending champions in a major tournament, looking to repeat as gold medallists at the Paris Olympics.

But off-field distractions took centre stage once again, with the team embroiled in a drone-spying scandal. Head coach Bev Priestman, along with two other members of the staff, were suspended for a year by FIFA. Canada Soccer later announced that Priestman would not return to the helm.

The players banded together like never before to make the knockout round of the Olympics, overcoming a six-point deduction in the group stage. But their perseverance could only take them so far, as they’d go on to lose to Germany in penalties in the knockout round.

Despite exiting the Olympics without a fourth consecutive podium appearance, Canada finishes the year undefeated (9-0-7) for the first time in the program’s history, with three losses on penalties (in the Olympics, CONCACAF W Gold Cup and SheBelieves Cup) all officially recorded as draws.

Canada, ranked sixth in the world, rounded out the year with a pair of friendlies played on neutral ground in Spain. Following a lacklustre 0-0 draw against 13th-ranked Iceland on Friday, the Canadians rallied for a dominant 5-1 win against 19th-ranked Korea Republic.

Next year will mark a transitional time for the team. There is no major tournament on the schedule until the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil. Qualifiers for that tournament, as well as the 2028 Olympics, will take place in Nov. 2026.

That leaves a lengthy runway for Canada before competitive matches. Here is what the team should focus on next year, in the lead up to the 2027 World Cup.

Hiring a new head coach

The most obvious need for the team is also the most pressing. Priestman was officially let go by Canada Soccer last month following a third-party investigation into allegations of spying on opposition during her tenure.

Andy Spence, an assistant under Priestman, took on the role as interim head coach during the Olympics and for a friendly against Spain in the fall. In an interview with TSN’s Rick Westhead, Kevin Blue, Canada Soccer’s general secretary and CEO, declined to discuss Spence’s future.

The Englishman, who previously served as head coach of Everton in the Women’s Super League, was unavailable for the final camp of the year, but in a media release, Canada Soccer stated he is “scheduled to return in the next FIFA window.”

Cindy Tye, the head coach of Canada’s under-20 women’s team, took on the interim head coach role for the final two friendlies of the year. When asked if she had any interest in taking on the role permanently, Tye told the media last week that her focus lies at Dalhousie University, where she is head coach of the women’s team.

In terms of possible external candidates, there are a number of high-profile names available. Casey Stoney was let go by the San Diego Wave this year but led the team to the NWSL Shield in 2023. She also has a connection to the Canadian national team, having coached starting goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan for several seasons with the Wave.

Tony Gustavsson is also a free agent after leaving his post with the Australian women’s team. At last year’s World Cup in Australia, he led the Matildas to a fourth-place finish, the best-ever mark for the country at any World Cup (men’s or women’s). His march with the Matildas included a dominant 4-0 win over Canada that eliminated the Olympic champions from the World Cup. However, he resigned from the team following a disappointing performance in this summer’s Paris Olympics, where the Matildas were eliminated in the group stage.

Whoever takes over will be saddled with some lofty expectations almost immediately. On the pitch, the new coach will have a perennial top 10 team at their disposal, but one that has underperformed at the past two World Cups. Off the field, there are reparations needed, not only to the program’s reputation, which has been under fire since the Olympic drone scandal, but to the staff culture.

According to a recent Globe and Mail investigative report, there were two confidential workplace investigations in 2023, stemming from accusations that the women’s program had become a toxic workplace for staff.

The players have, unfortunately, become adept at playing through off-field distractions, from their fight for equitable treatment with their federation in early 2023, to “drone-gate” and the subsequent fallout. Having a new face at the helm will hopefully be the first step to leading the team to stability on and off the field.

Widening the player pool

A crucial part of the build-up to 2027 will be bringing in new or less experienced players to camp. Canada boasts some elite talent, but its depth players haven’t always been granted minutes on the pitch in recent years.

Goalkeeper Lysianne Proulx, who has been regularly called into camp since 2022, just earned her first two international caps in this last window. Marie-Yasmine (“Mimi”) Alidou has struggled to earn call-ups despite putting up dynamic performances for Portuguese club Benfica, but earned two straight starts to end the year for Canada, netting two goals in three games.

This past camp could serve as a good blueprint in terms of giving opportunities to non-regulars, although this was partly necessary due to injuries to key players like Kadeisha Buchanan, Jade Rose, Quinn, and Cloé Lacasse.

Three players earned their first international caps in the match against Korea Republic: dual national Megan Reid, and under-20 standouts Jeneva Hernandez Gray and Nyah Rose. Midfielder Emma Regan made her fourth international appearance at the senior level, playing all 90 minutes in the final match of the year.

Olivia Smith, 20, who was surprisingly left off Canada’s Olympic roster, picked up her fourth start in her 13th appearance. After forcing an own goal to open the scoring, she bullied her way past the Korean backline, finishing with a beautiful strike for her third international goal, and also earned Player of the Match honours.

Giving players like Smith, Alidou and Regan a chance to shine will also diminish any sense of complacency within the team. Regular starters will have to remain on top of their game, knowing that other players may be nipping at their heels.

The national team will also likely receive a boost from the launch of the Northern Super League, which is set to kick off its inaugural season in April.

The new domestic league, which will showcase six teams across the country, will bring Canadian players who may be plying their trade overseas back home. From a player selection standpoint, being able to evaluate Canadian talent on Canadian soil will be a luxury in the lead-up to the 2027 World Cup, and could lead to discovering diamonds in the rough.

We’ve seen what domestic leagues can do for the success of national teams. Part of Spain’s rise to World Cup champions has been due to investment in Liga F. Even the United States, which has always boasted some of the deepest rosters in the women’s game, has benefited from the National Women’s Soccer League, which launched in 2013.

Forward Lynn Williams, who was part of both U.S. Olympic rosters in Tokyo and Paris, earned her first call-up to the national team in 2016 after a breakout NWSL season. More recently, defender Emily Sams was named as an alternate for the Americans at the Paris Olympics after a standout sophomore year, where she was ultimately named NWSL Defender of the Year.

Securing friendlies against top-tier opposition

A long runway to the 2027 World Cup provides breathing room for Canada and the new head coach, but it can also invite complacency. It will be crucial for the team to stay sharp, which means booking friendlies against top-tier opposition.

First on the docket will be securing plans for the February window. For the past two years, Canada has participated in the SheBelieves Cup, hosted by the U.S. women’s team. However, U.S. Soccer has already announced that Australia, Colombia and Japan will be the invitees for the 2025 edition. With European teams taking part in the UEFA Nations League during this window, Canada will need to look elsewhere for competition.

Canada Soccer is often late to announce friendlies, at least when compared to other top teams, like the U.S. This can lead to tier one opponents already booking competitions and forcing Canada to look at other options.

The last time Canada had a two-year run up to the World Cup came in 2017, but that year proved to be lacking in competition for the Canadians. After a home friendly to start the year, which was followed by the Algarve Cup, Canada had a pair of friendlies against Germany and Sweden, two top-tier teams, in April. The Canadians then hosted Costa Rica, ranked 30th at the time, for two games in June.