It is a blend of the celebratory and practical that brings the Olympic-champion Canadian women’s national soccer team to Starlight Stadium on Monday night to face Nigeria in a friendly.
These are heady times for the sport in this country with the establishment in 2019 of the domestic men’s pro Canadian Premier League, the women’s gold-medal triumph last summer in the Tokyo Olympics and the men’s national team qualifying for this year’s World Cup to end a 36-year drought.
It’s the women’s golden moment in the Olympics that will be spotlighted Monday as part of the celebration tour that included the 2-0 victory over Nigeria on Friday night at B.C. Place.
“Celebrating the gold medal with our home fans is special,” said Canadian defender Desiree Scott.
Added Canadian forward Nichelle Prince: “We have not played on the West Coast in a long time and we’re excited to be here.”
The game is sold out.
“The Island has embraced us and the game, and Pacific FC [of the CPL] has done an awesome job there,” said Canadian women’s team head coach Bev Priestman.
The B.C. fixtures are serving a practical purpose, as well. Canada is preparing for the eight-nation 2022 CONCACAF Championship from July 4-18 in Monterrey, Mexico, which serves as the qualification route for both the 2023 FIFA World Cup in Australia and New Zealand and the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Everybody knows the adage about the dangers of resting on laurels. So it will be a blend of old and new that will be on display in Langford.
“We have a big task beyond what we did last summer,” said Scott.
“So this tour is a balancing act [of celebrating Tokyo and preparing for the upcoming CONCACAF championship].”
Canada has brought to B.C. all 22 of its Olympic champion players from Tokyo last year and seven additional players being brought into the mix.
“We have to keep moving the roster forward and widening the pool. We will always be investing in youth, so it will be a balance between that and the celebration tour,” said Priestman.
“We do not have an overly-aged team for 2024 [Paris Olympics], but we have to continue investing in the pipeline. We have a lot of depth now coming up.”
Looking ahead is crucial for the program, yet it’s the celebratory element of this tour that resonates most with the public.
“It was surreal in those final Olympic moments in Tokyo,” said Priestman.
“And Canada stopped in the streets.”
