Houston Dash defender Allysha Chapman, midfielder Sophie Schmidt and forward Nichelle Prince were called in to the Canadian Women’s National Team ahead of the Concacaf Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament, Canada Soccer announced today.
Canada will open their campaign against Saint Kitts and Nevis on Jan. 29 at H-E-B Park in Edinburg, Texas. They are looking to secure a fourth consecutive trip to the Olympics and build upon bronze-medal winning performances at London 2012 and Rio 2016.
Chapman has represented Canada in two World Cups, playing every minute of five games in Canada’s run in the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup and appearing in all four games of the 2019 World Cup. A key part of Houston’s back line, the defender started in each of her 14 appearances for the club last season.
Schmidt, who earned 18 appearances and tallied one assist with the Dash in 2019, has been part of Canada’s national team since 2005 and made her fourth World Cup appearance last summer in France. The midfielder is nine appearances shy from earning her 200th cap for Canada, having scored a total of 19 goals. The midfielder was inducted into the Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame on October 23.
Prince scored the opening goal of the 2019 season for the Dash against Reign FC in April before joining Schmidt and Chapman in France for the World Cup. Prince lifted Canada over New Zealand with her first World Cup goal on June 15, helping Canada qualify for the knockout round. While in France, Prince suffered an injury to her right knee in Canada’s Round of 16 defeat to Sweden. The Olympic Qualifying Tournament marks her return to the national team after working her way back to fitness. Prince will also be back as one of Houston’s key attacking pieces in the 2020 NWSL season.
The Dash finished the 2019 season with a 7-5-12 record under first-year head coach James Clarkson. The Dash expect to kick off their 2020 campaign in mid-April. The 2020 schedule will be announced in the coming weeks.
