Arnold Clark Cup doubles as audition for Canadian women’s soccer hopefuls

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This article was published 15/02/2022 (1692 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Improvements at the front and back will be high on the agenda for Canadian soccer coach Bev Priestman as she prepares the national team for next summer’s Women’s World Cup.

Scoring and filling Stephanie Labbé’s shoes, after the No. 1 goalkeeper announced her retirement last month, will be priorities as they compete in the inaugural Arnold Clark Cup in England — three games, starting Thursday against the hosts.

The need for change will present opportunities for some first-timers in camp, including striker Tanya Boychuk, goalkeeper Devon Kerr and midfielder Marie-Yasmine Alidou D’Anjou.

At last year’s Olympics in Tokyo, where the Canadians won gold, they scored more than one goal only once in six matches — penalty shootouts not included. Their two goals in regulation time over three knockout-round matches both came on penalty kicks.

Priestman wants them to become more ruthless in front of the net, which includes taking greater advantage of free kicks and corners.

“We need to score more on set plays … obviously scoring more goals in general,” said Priestman, who added Jennifer Herst to her staff last month specializing in goalkeeping and set plays.

Edmonton’s Boychuk, 21, co-led her University of Memphis team in scoring with six goals and four assists last year. She is among a handful of forwards and attacking midfielders Priestman has brought into the senior team mix to assess, joining Benfica’s Cloe Lacasse, Victoria Pickett of the Kansas City Current, FC Fleury 91’s Marie Levasseur and Amanda West from the University of Pittsburgh.

In net, the 24-year-old Kerr joins a core of Kailen Sheridan, Erin McLeod and Sabrina D’Angelo, who recently returned from a long-term knee injury. Sheridan is expected to emerge as Canada’s No. 1 in net, but the team has prided itself on its “goalkeepers union,” always pushing the starter to stay competitive.

Kerr, the No. 2 ’keeper for the Washington Spirit of the National Women’s Soccer League, played under Priestman in the youth ranks, but hasn’t seen action for Canada at any level since 2014.

“Devon has been the No. 2 in NWSL and so the level of game time hasn’t been there, so I thought this window was a great opportunity to assess her,” said Priestman.

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While there will be chances to break into the roster mix, this is an Olympic champion and any changes can’t lose sight of the athleticism that has made them successful. That’s where Alidou D’Anjou could play a role. The impression Priestman formed of the 26-year-old midfielder from Saint-Hubert, Que., who plays for SK Sturm Graz in Austria, via video scouting is that she has the tools and can cover a lot of ground quickly.

“(That’s) probably where we need to head in the future,” Priestman said.

There are no guarantees as she looks to select the roster for this summer’s CONCACAF W Championship in Mexico, a qualifier for both the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand and the 2024 Paris Olympics. But in England, there will be room to impress.

“It’s just an opportunity, particularly in this setting, to even train,” Priestman said of the newcomers. “And then if you blow us out of the water and you get on the pitch, it’s even better.”

Laura Armstrong is a Star sports reporter based in Toronto. Follow her on Twitter: @lauraarmy