Canada Soccer backing 10 in NWSL
Ten Canadian national team members have been allocated to teams in the National Women’s Soccer League — including a pair of players taken earlier this month at the NWSL college draft.
The Canadian Soccer Association announced its annual allocation list Wednesday. The CSA and the U.S. Soccer Federation allocate national team members to NWSL teams, and pay their salaries.
Last year, the CSA allocated 11 players. The number dropped this year, because the CSA decided to withdraw its support for Saskatchewanborn midfielder Kaylyn Kyle and Quebec defender Josée Bélanger, who played for the Orlando Pride last season. Striker Adriana Leon, currently in camp with the national team despite being largely dropped from the squad since the 2015 Women’s World Cup, is the third player off Canada’s books this year thanks to the move she made from now-defunct NWSL side Western New York Flash to Switzerland’s FC Zurich late last August.
New additions to the list include goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan, of Scarborough, and striker Nichelle Prince of Ajax, Ont. They were selected No. 23 and No. 28 to Sky Blue FC and Houston Dash, respectively, at this month’s college draft.
“The NWSL continues to provide a competitive environment for our players, ensuring they have access to high level competition to keep them at the top of their game,” Peter Montopoli, the organization’s general secretary, said in a release.
Others players allocated by the CSA for 2017 include: striker Janine Beckie (Houston Dash); defender Allysha Chapman (Boston Breakers); goalkeeper Sabrina D’Angelo (North Carolina Courage); goalkeeper Stephanie Labbé and defender Shelina Zadorsky (Washington Spirit); midfielder Desiree Scott (FC Kansas City); striker Christine Sinclair (Portland Thorns).
Per league rules, all seven players automatically return to the club they represented at the end of the 2016 season.
Midfielder Diana Matheson, Canada’s tenth and final allocated player, is the only Canadian currently suiting up for a different squad in 2017. She was traded from longtime club Washington Spirit to the Seattle Reign earlier this week.
While those10 players’ future in the league is now secure, the same can’t be said for Bélanger and Kyle.
The Pride then passed on retaining both players’ rights following Wednesday’s announcement, saying in a release it has no international roster spots available for the coming season. Kyle and Bélanger currently hold international status as Canadian citizens.
Bélanger, the release said, has elected to forgo the upcoming season. She will instead remain in Montreal, where she will continue to train and prepare for upcoming matches with the national team.
Kyle — who, unlike Bélanger, was not a member of the Canadian squad at Rio 2016 — is eligible for an upcoming NWSL distribution draft.
The midfielder hinted on social media earlier this week that change might be coming. Following Wednesday’s announcement, she used the medium to offer gratitude toward fans and her teammates.
“Shocked (and) devastated is an understatement, I wore my heart on my sleeve for this club, team (and) community! I have so many people to thank,” she tweeted. Canadian coach John Herdman said he is excited for two new players to experience an exciting league that has improved year after year.
“It’s great for Canada Soccer to have national team players in the NWSL because it enables us to bring our players together more frequently and consistently.”