Four Houston Dash players are set to represent Canada as they enter the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup looking to recapture the form that earned the squad a top-three finish at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.
This is the first World Cup for Lindsay Agnew and Nichelle Prince, who have represented Canada at the youth level since 2010. Prince recently earned her 50th appearance for Canada in a tune up for the World Cup against Spain that finished 0-0. Allysha Chapman is preparing for her second World Cup after she played every minute for Canada in the 2015 edition of the tournament. This will be the fourth World Cup for Sophie Schmidt, who joined the Dash in the offseason.
After qualifying for the Women’s World Cup by finishing as the runner-up in the 2018 CONCACAF Women’s Championship, Canada was sorted into Group E along with Cameroon and the Netherlands, who are each making their second appearances in the Women’s World Cup after both finishing in the Round of 16 in their first tournament appearances four years ago, along with New Zealand, who are looking to make it out of the group stage for the first time in their Women’s World Cup history after four previous appearances.
Houston’s Canadian contingent will open its 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup account at 2 p.m. CDT on June 10 when they take on Cameroon at the Stade de la Mosson in Montpelier, France.
Cameroon qualified for the Women’s World Cup after beating Mali 4-2 in the third-place game at the 2018 Africa Women Cup of Nations. This tournament is Cameroon’s second appearance in the Women’s World Cup, after falling 2-1 in the round of 16 to China in the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup in their first appearance.
The four Dash players and Canada will try to counter Cameroon’s defense through their own attack. Forward and captain Christine Sinclair returns for her fifth FIFA Women’s World Cup and seeks to pass former United States forward Abby Wambach as the all-time leading international goal scorer among men and women. Schmidt brings experience to a young Canadian midfield, while Chapman will assist on defense for the squad. Agnew and Prince will serve as key reserve pieces for head coach Kenneth Heiner-Møller.
The match will kick off at 2 pm CT and can be seen on FS1 and NBC Universo.
