Celebration Tour brings home the Canadian women’s team

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The Canadian Olympic Women’s Soccer Champion is coming home.

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Nearly two months after winning the women’s soccer tournament at the Tokyo Olympics, Canada Soccer announced that the team will play a pair of exhibition matches against New Zealand on October 23 and 26, in Ottawa and Montreal, respectively.

The two games will be part of a celebratory tour. Canada have not played at home since defeating Mexico 3-0 in Toronto on May 18, 2019; a farewell match before the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup in France.

“This is an exciting time to bring everyone back,” said Canada Soccer Secretary General Peter Montopoli. “We will have an exciting celebration and I think it is important that the country supports what the team has achieved for our country; two bronze medals and one gold, and no other team has achieved it in our country.

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“We applaud the success of our women’s national team, we look forward to bringing them home and we look forward to this next trip on the Celebration Tour.”

Canada won gold at the Olympics with a 2-1 penalty shootout victory against Sweden in the final. Along the way, Canada defeated the United States 1-0 in the semi-final and edged Brazil on a penalty shoot-out in the quarter-finals. The gold medal followed consecutive bronze medals at the 2012 Olympics in London and the 2016 Games in Brazil.

“There is so much excitement after the Olympics and it’s crazy that two months have already passed,” said Canadian defender Ashley Lawrence. “Now that we have this official announcement of the games that we are going to play at home in front of the fans to celebrate winning this gold medal, it will be a moment that we will be able to share with Canada.

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“I know all the players are very excited about this. We felt the support during the Olympics and I think that made a difference. Not being able to celebrate together at home is going to be a lot of fun and I know we are all looking forward to it. “

After winning gold, the Canadian team members returned to their respective clubs. Lawrence returned to Paris Saint-Germain for the start of the European season, and was joined by forward Jordyn Huitema and, shortly after, goalkeeper Stephanie Labbe.

The trio are expected to return from Europe for the two games in Canada, along with a handful of others based in Europe. All North American based players will also be available.

“Coming back (to Paris) was really cool just to see the support from my teammates,” Lawrence said. “Even throughout the tournament, the players and (PSG) staff sent us messages and cheered us on, saying they were watching the games.

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“In the final, there were four of us, three from Canada and Sweden, so it was great to see so many of us being part of the Olympic journey and reaching the final. Only the reception from our teammates and the club in general has been excellent and it only added another boost of confidence for me and the other Canadians who are here with me and you can see it on the pitch. “

For head coach Bev Priestman, winning the gold exceeded many external expectations for the team, having taken over less than a year before the tournament. She helped raise an already high bar for the program heading towards the 2023 Women’s World Cup and the 2024 Games in Paris.

“It’s been a busy period (after the Olympics) and success keeps you busy, which is a good thing,” Priestman said. “I think we have immediately moved on with the technical staff looking to the next three years and how we will maintain this success.

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“We don’t want this to be a unique moment; Let’s make sure we win the World Cup and then, in 2024, we’re back on the podium. It has been phenomenal, but we are ready to keep pushing. I think we should have a gold medal mentality. People will approach us differently and there will be higher expectations than there have been and I think players will thrive in that environment and I can’t wait to see how it develops in the next three years. “

The Olympics provided Canadians with the opportunity to renew their love affair with the women’s team, which began after an exciting 2012 tournament in London. Canada went to Tokyo looking to improve on their two previous Olympic performances and was able to get the job done with possibly the most talented team they have ever lined up.

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“What I learned very quickly is that this country loves this team,” Priestman said. “No matter where you go, everyone tells you stories of how they made the kids wake up in the early hours to see this team consistently throughout this tournament, not just in the big moments.

“It makes you feel loved and having the opportunity to play in front of the fans live will be really special.”

Canada Soccer hopes to expand the Celebration Tour beyond the two games in October. There is a November international window in which club players from Europe must be available for their respective national teams.

“November is certainly on the table and it does not mean that we will not extend the celebratory tour until 2022, given the opportunity of when the FIFA windows are and any opportunity to secure a rival and the availability of venues,” Montopoli said. . “It is very open. We are certainly starting in the East, we would like to go West and certainly 2022 is also on the table to make sure the entire country has a chance to celebrate with Canadian soccer and our women’s national team program. “

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On Twitter: @DerekVanDiest