Canada Soccer announced on Friday the 13 players invited to an EXCELeration Camp in Burnaby from May 20-28, including Whitecaps FC Girls Elite REX player Jordyn Huitema. The camp is scheduled ahead of Canada's two home matches in Winnipeg on June 8, and in Toronto on June 11.
Canada Soccer’s EXCELeration programme provides opportunities for a small group of targeted players to receive individualized training and development. For some, it is about conducting a thorough assessment of their current abilities and readiness to gain selection for the Costa Rica Series, and for others, it’s about accelerating their tactical and positional knowledge around the women’s national team playing models, while benefiting from additional time in the National Team camp environment.
“As we look ahead to our qualifying campaigns for both the FIFA Women’s World Cup and 2020 Olympics, our EXCELeration programme will be a critical factor in our success,” said John Herdman, women's national team head coach and women's EXCEL program director. “The players we have brought into this EXCELeration camp ahead of our two home matches in June, have been selected for tailored player development programming that will give them access to specialised services and staff, as they progress towards the women’s national team. Final selections will be made after the camp concludes on the 28th, but we are pleased with what we’ve seen so far and expect to bring at least one of these players into the squad against Costa Rica.”
Of the 13 players invited into the women’s national team EXCELeration camp, 11 have come up through Canada’s EXCEL program, including Huitema. In addition, 27-year-old Shannon Woeller and 25-year-old Tiffany Cameron have returned to camp after playing professionally in Germany.
“The EXCELeration strategy was designed to support the squad transition from the 2012 London Olympics to RIO 2016, a period that would see a high turnover of senior players and a reliance on our young talent pool,” said Herdman. “Many of our current national team players have benefited from this targeted development approach, which helps young players quickly bridge the gap between youth and senior international soccer. The programme hones in on their specific development needs in relation to the Women’s International Standards and provides a level of support that many other countries are unable to provide for their targeted future players. This has been an ‘x-factor’ for Canada as evidenced with the success of our current crop of young stars, and will continue to be as we look ahead to 2019 and 2020."
Canada Soccer’s EXCELeration programme has already produced nine women’s national team players and Olympic bronze medalists, in Kadeisha Buchanan, Ashley Lawrence, Jessie Fleming, Rebecca Quinn, Janine Beckie, Shelina Zadorsky, Nichelle Prince, Deanne Rose, and Gabrielle Carle. The continued alignment of Canada Soccer’s Women’s programming is a key element in delivering future positional requirements for the women’s national team as it prepares for the FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019 and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
EXCELeration Camp Roster (alphabetical by last name)
Maya Antoine, age 16, from Vaughan, ON/ Vaughan Soccer Club
Tiffany Cameron, age 25, from Mississauga, ON/ Borussia Mönchengladbach (Bundesliga)
Gabrielle Carle, age 18, from Lévis, QC/ CS Lévis-Est & Québec Soccer REX
Jordyn Huitema, age 15, from Chilliwack, BC/ Whitecaps FC Girls Elite BC Soccer REX
Kennedy Faulknor, age 17, from Scarborough, ON/ Unionville-Milliken SC
Alex Lamontagne, 20, Syracuse University, from Whitby, ON/ Durham United FC
Marie Levasseur, age 20, from Stoneham, QC/ University of Memphis (NCAA)
Lysianne Proulx, age 18, from Boucherville, QC/ Syracuse University (NCAA)
Lauren Raimondo, 18, Unionville-Milliken SC, from Niagara Falls, ON
Deanne Rose, age 18, from Alliston, ON/ Scarborough GS United
Sarah Stratigakis, age 18, from Woodbridge, ON/ Aurora United FC (League1 Ontario)
Hannah Taylor, age 17, from Edmonds, WA/ Eastside FC
Shannon Woeller, age 27, from Vancouver, BC/ FF USV Jena (Bundesliga)
