Canada To Play Friendlies in Winnipeg And Montreal
By This week, Canada Soccer announced a pair of friendlies for the Women’s national team to be played in Winnipeg and Montreal in late May and early June.
Both matches will be played against fellow Concacaf side Haiti, and the first shall be a special celebration match honoring Desiree Scott, the longstanding Canadian national team player who announced her international retirement the same morning.
“Representing Canada has been one of my life’s greatest accomplishments,” said Scott on her international retirement. “It has been a team that I’ve been so fortunate to call family and to make history with and the ride has been nothing short of amazing! I have given my all to our country and just want to say thank you! I am forever grateful.”
Commonly known as ‘The Destroyer’, the hardworking midfielder has had an exceptional 14-year career with the national team, making over 187 caps. The Ottawa Rapid FC player has played in three Women’s World Cups and was part of the Olympic squads that won Bronze twice (London 2012, Rio 2016) and Gold once (Tokyo 2020). Scott is only one of three Canadian players who have won three consecutive Olympic medals.
“Desiree has been a cornerstone of the Women’s National Team program, inspiring countless players with her hard work, spirit, and commitment to the growth of the game,” said Women’s head coach Casey Stoney. “We are excited to carry on her legacy and honour her in Winnipeg and add two home matches for fans this Spring.”
The Women’s team will return to Winnipeg on May 31st after an almost eight-year absence. The last time was in a 3-1 win over Costa Rica in June 2017, in front of 14,434 fans. Coincidentally, that was Winnipeg-native Scott’s 125th cap for the national team. Then, on June 3rd, Canada will travel to Montreal to play in Stade Saputo, almost a year on from their last visit.
Last June, Les Rouges defeated Mexico 2–0 in Quebec in the opening match of the Summer Send-Off Series, where Adriana Leon and Cloe Lacasse scored the goals to secure the victory. That match was also Scott’s first appearance since November of 2022, after recovering from a lengthy knee injury.
Tickets for both matches will go on sale on Friday, May 2nd, with pre-sale windows opening on Tuesday, April 29th.
