Key absences, new faces highlight Canadian women's soccer roster for upcoming Australia friendlies

Canada Soccer has named 23 players to its women's national team squad for upcoming away international friendly matches against Australia in September. 

The Canadian team will travel to Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium on Sept. 2 and Sydney's Allianz Stadium on Sept. 6, as they continue preparations for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, co-hosted between Australia and New Zealand.

It is the first time Canada has visited Australia for a match in 14 years. Canada qualified for the World Cup by making it through the group stage at the CONCACAF W Championship in July. 

"I've opted to assess some new players, some that I haven't seen for a while," Priestman told reporters Tuesday. "I think that this far away from the World Cup, it makes sense to use this to assess some new players in the environment."

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Coming into the squad are Clarissa Larisey, Marie Levasseur, Sura Yekka, Jade Rose, and Simi Awujo, with Larisey set to make her debut for the senior national team. At the same time, national team stalwarts Deanne Rose, Vanessa Gilles and Jayde Riviere are out with injury, while star fullback Ashley Lawrence is off the roster due to "personal reasons," per Priestman. 

Captain Christine Sinclair, the world's all-time leading international scorer among men and women, will look to add to her 190 international goals in 315 senior appearances. The Burnaby, B.C., native's last goal came in a 6-0 win over Trinidad and Tobago on July 5 at the CONCACAF W Championship.

Although many top-choice players are unavailable for the upcoming matches, the trip offers invaluable opportunities for the women's national team program to prepare for next summer's World Cup. 

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