By Canadian Press

Canada women to play Iceland, Korea friendlies but no word yet on who will coach

Nov 14, 2024 | 1:15 PM

Canada will play Iceland and South Korea in Spain during the upcoming FIFA women’s international window.

Who will coach the team remains to be seen. Canada Soccer says head coach Bev Priestman won’t be returning in the wake of this week’s independent report into the Olympic drone-spying scandal.

Canada Soccer said an announcement on “interim coaching staff” will come later.

As he did at the Olympics after Priestman was sent home, assistant coach Andy Spence ran the team during last month’s 1-1 draw with third-ranked Spain. Former Canadian international Diana Matheson, now chief growth officer of the new Northern Super League, and Katie Collar, head coach of Vancouver Whitecaps FC Girls Elite, were added to the staff for the game in Spain and served as the team’s spokeswomen with the media.

The sixth-ranked Canadian women will face No. 13 Iceland on Nov. 29 and No. 19 Korea on Dec. 3, with both games at the Pinatar Arena in Murcia.

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“Our upcoming matches against Iceland and Korea Republic in this FIFA international window are crucial for the continued growth of our women’s national team,” Daniel Michelucci, Canada Soccer’s director of national team operations, said in a statement.

“These games provide an invaluable opportunity to test ourselves, build further cohesion, and lay the groundwork for ongoing success on the world stage as we enter a new cycle of international competition.”

Canada has played Iceland twice before, both at the Algarve Cup, with the teams playing to a scoreless draw in February 2019 and Canada winning 1-0 in March 2016.

The Canadian women are 7-1-1 all-time against South Korea and are unbeaten in their last five meetings. The teams drew 0-0 last time they met, in June 2022 in Toronto.

The FIFA window, which runs Nov. 25 to Dec. 3, will mark Canada’s final camp this year, with North American-based players entering their off-season and European-based players returning to club competition.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 14, 2024.

Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press