Algarve Cup is her 50th mission cap
Beckie to reach mark when Canada faces Iceland on Wednesday
Janine Beckie has already lifted one trophy this week. Plenty more await this year.
On Wednesday the 24-yearold striker is set to celebrate her 50th cap as fifth-ranked Canada opens Algarve Cup play against No. 22 Iceland in Parchal, Portugal.
On Saturday, Beckie converted the decisive spot kick in a penalty shootout as Manchester City beat Arsenal to claim the FA Women’s Continental League Cup at Sheffield’s Bramall Lane. A day later, the Man City men edged Chelsea in another penalty shootout to win the Carabao Cup.
Beckie downplayed her role in the cup win, deflecting praise to England goalkeeper Karen Bardsley, who made two saves in the shootout.
“It was to win the game, it wasn’t to stay in the game — and I think the pressure is really different,” Beckie said of her winning penalty. “(Bardsley) definitely won the game for us. It doesn’t feel like I did. She was fantastic; she made my job easy.”
The game finished scoreless after extra time. Beckie, who had come off the bench in the 65th minute, had hit the woodwork earlier in the match.
Man City is looking for the treble this year. It leads the FA Women’s Super League at 110-5 and will face Liverpool in the quarter-finals of the SSE Women’s FA Cup on March 17.
The trophy that matters most, however, is the Women’s World Cup. The Algarve Cup is seen as a valuable warm-up for the world showcase, which starts in June in France.
Other Algarve Cup participants headed to the World Cup are the seventh-ranked Netherlands, No. 9 Sweden, No. 12 Spain, No. 13 Norway, No. 15 China and No. 20 Scotland. The other five participating teams are No.17 Denmark, No.18 Switzerland, No. 22 Iceland, No. 32 Portugal and No. 34 Poland.
Canada has been drawn with No. 46 Cameroon, No. 19 New Zealand and the seventhranked Netherlands at the World Cup.
Born in Colorado to parents from Saskatchewan, Beckie was 20 when she made her debut for Canada in November 2014.
A star at Texas Tech, where she became the Red Raiders’ career leading scorer with 57 goals, Beckie was taken by the Houston Dash in the first round in the 2016 NWSL college draft.
New Jersey-based Sky Blue acquired her in a trade in Janu- ary in a three-way trade with Houston and the Chicago Red Stars.
Beckie joined Manchester City in August from Sky Blue FC.
“I’m really enjoying it,” she said. “It’s a lot different, it’s a lot more technical.”
Eight members of the 23women Canadian roster play their club football in Europe, with teenager Jordyn Huitema expected to join them soon at Paris Saint-Germain.
Beckie, who made her senior debut in November 2014, has scored 24 goals and added four assists for Canada. Just missing out on the 2015 World Cup roster, she was assigned to the PanAmerican Games, where she excelled.