In the next few weeks, John Herdman will start the long process of naming his 2015 World Cup roster.
It seems absurd, but the naming of the 16 players that will grab one of the desired fully professional roster spots in the National Women's Soccer League is of vital importance to 2015. To select the 16 players, Herdman must project forward and guess what players will be key parts of the team two summers from now.
It’s not as easy as you might think. Several of the bronze medal-winning players are on the downside of their career and Herdman will face a tough task in deciding which ones will still be valuable on the wrong side of 30. You can almost guarantee that at least one player will be left off that will ruffle feathers and cause fans to question the decision.
Other factors must be considered. Herdman said that he wanted to both reward past play and project future importance when selecting the players. To that end, some roster spots will be held for younger players – perhaps even some with limited to no caps as of yet.
However, he also must name players that have a reasonable chance to play significant minutes. The CSA will want to maximize its investment and will not be happy to pay a player to sit on the bench.
Complicating that will be the fact that Canada has not produced a lot of good young players since the Bronze Generation broke through in 2003. Many of Canada’s better young players still have college eligibility and therefore will likely be left to finish their NCAA career.
Below the jump we predict what players will get the call.
[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
The sure thing:
Christine Sinclair (32 in 2015)
Sinclair will be one of the players the league markets around and will be the face for Canadian soccer for a few more years. She’s probably the only absolute lock to get one of the 16 slots.
The pretty sure things:
Kaylyn Kyle (27), Sophie Schmidt (27), Desiree Scott (28)
All three players have played significant roles in the past and project to be in their peak years in 2015. This represents the core of the World Cup side and it seems highly unlikely they won’t be in the new league.
If they want to be there:
Emily Zurrer (28), Erin McLeod (32), Diana Matheson (31), Carmelina Moscato (30)
All four would be welcome, but all four have options elsewhere. If they want to take the risk of leaving a stable club environment to come “home” to play in a start-up they will likely get a chance.
No long-term deals:
Jodi-Ann Robinson (26), Brittany Timko (30)
Both are part of the scene, but it’s unclear whether they can still be in 2015. A one-year chance to prove themselves at a pro level seems fair, but hard decisions might be needed once some of the more promising college players start to graduate.
A bit too late?
Karina LeBlanc (35), Lauren Sesselmann (33), Candace Chapman (33)
All three can play now. Will they still have the legs in 2015? That’s the type of tough decision Herdman is going to have to make.
If you’re counting, you’ll note that only 14 players are listed. The other two slots should go to younger players that are yet to fully be on the radar -- or, alternatively, as a legacy “thank-you” to an older player that we know won’t be around (Kelly Parker?) in 2015.
Herdman will need to have an understanding of what the turn-over will be for those spots. Politically, it might make sense to leave a couple spots available for players like Jonelle Filigno or Chelsea Buckland to use in 2014, rather than giving a slot to a player for a year and then pulling it.
Regardless, there are some tough choices ahead for Herdman.