Canada’s women’s U-20 team officially announced its roster today for the upcoming 2010 CONCACAF Women’s Under-20 Championship in Guatemala. National head coach Carolina Morace selected 20 players for the 11-day tournament which kicks off this 20 January in Ciudad, Guatemala. Canada is the tournament’s current defending champion from two years ago in Mexico.

'We have an excellent group of skilled athletes, but also players that can fill multiple roles in a tournament such as this,' said Morace. 'The high quality of players in this final camp made it very difficult to select only 20 players.'

Canada’s women’s U-20 team has been training this past week in Tampa, FL at the University of South Florida campus. The team spent seven days in Tampa before departing this Monday morning for Guatemala. Canada opens the confederation championship on 20 January against Costa Rica. Additional group matches are 22 January against Cuba and 24 January against host Guatemala.

The top two teams from each four-team group will advance to the semi-final stage on 28 January. Three of those four teams will qualify for the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Germany 2010 which runs 13 July through 1 August. The CONCACAF final will be played on 30 January.

Canada’s 20-player roster features players born 1990 or later. There are three returning members from the last FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Chile 2008: defenders Lexi Marton, Shannon Woeller and defender/midfielder and 2009 Canadian Player of the Year Chelsea Stewart. There are also four players from the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup team that reached the quarter-final stage at New Zealand 2008: goalkeeper Cynthia Leblanc, defenders Bryanna McCarthy and Shelina Zadorsky, and forward Rachel Lamarre.

There are several new faces to the program who have performed well at Canada’s National Training Centres (NTC), the BMO National Championships, and last year’s Canada Games Women’s Soccer Tournament. Of note, Canada Games bronze medalist and Top Scorer Adriana Leon, silver medalist captain Laura Chénard, and gold medalist and MVP Jenna Richardson are all part of this team.

Along with the official 20-player roster, Canada will travel with three additional players in case of injury. These players are: Helena Brooke McCurdy (ON), Catherine Charron-Delage (QC) and Hannah Rivkin (NL).From the entire group of 23 players, there are 10 players who were born in 1992 that will still be eligible for the next CONCACAF Women’s Under-20 Championship in 2012.

To date, Canada has qualified for every FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, starting with a silver medal performance at the inaugural championship held in Canada in 2002. At the confederation level, Canada has won the 2004 and 2008 CONCACAF championships.


G- Colpitts, Dayle | CAN / NTC - Atlantic/Atlantique | Fredericton, NB, CAN
G- Leblanc, Cynthia | CAN / Comètes de Laval | Granby, QC, CAN
G- McCurdy, Helena Brooke | CAN / NTC - Ontario | Peterborough, ON, CAN
D- Allen, Molly | USA / Virginia Commonwealth University | Halifax, NS, CAN
F- Casselman, Julie | CAN / Comètes de Laval | Gatineau, QC, CAN
M- Charron-Delage, Catherine | CAN / Comètes de Laval | Montréal, QC, CAN
M- Chénard, Laura | CAN / NTC - Québec | Ste-Luce, QC, CAN
M- Lamarre, Rachel | USA / University of Maryland | Laval, QC, CAN
D- Legault-Cordisco, Vanessa | CAN / Comètes de Laval | Ste-Thérese, QC, CAN
F- Leon, Adriana | CAN / NTC - Ontario | Mississauga, ON, CAN
F- Malette, Chloé | CAN / Comètes de Laval | Roxboro, QC, CAN
D- Marton, Lexi | USA / Penn State University | Aurora, ON, CAN
D- McCarthy, Bryanna | USA / West Virginia University | Ajax, ON, CAN
M- Murani, Rehana | USA / University of South Florida | Sherwood Park, AB, CAN
M- Oduro, Christabel | CAN / NTC - Ontario | Brampton, ON, CAN
M- Pachecho, Gina | USA / University of South Florida | Ottawa, ON, CAN
M- Patterson, Taylor | USA / University of South Florida | Edmonton, AB, CAN
F- Richardson, Jenna | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC | Vancouver, BC, CAN
M- Rivkin, Hannah | CAN / NTC - Atlantic/Atlantique | St. John’s, NL, CAN
D- Sansar, Bahar | USA / University of South Florida | Longueuil, QC, CAN
M/F- Stewart, Chelsea | USA / Vanderbilt University | The Pas, MB, CAN
D/M- Woeller, Shannon | USA / Rutgers University | Vancouver, BC, CAN
F- Zadorsky, Shelina | CAN / North London Galaxy | London, ON, CAN

Head of delegation / Chef de la délégation : Francis Millien
Member of delegation / Membre de la délégation : Doug Redmond
Head Coach / Entraîneure-chef : Carolina Morace
Assistant Coach / Entraîneure-adjoint : Elisabette Bavagnoli
Assistant Coach / Entraîneure-adjoint : Andrea Neil
Goalkeeper coach / Entraîneur des gardiens : Massimiliano Colucci
Team Manager / Gérant d’équipe : Daniel Michelucci
Equipment Manager / Gérante d’équipement : Maeve Glass
Athletic Therapist / Thérapeute athlétique : Becky Swan
Translator / Traducteur : Joe Parolini
Doctor / Docteur : Dr. Nick Rose
Doctor / Docteur : Dr. Devin Neilsen