While Canada 2015 surely looms large in the minds of all members of the women's national team, that shot at World Cup glory on home soil is still a distant three and a half years away. Between then and now, the squad's highest-profile shot at glory will come at next summer's Olympic Games in London.
Sorry, correction: that shot at glory should come at the 2012 Olympics. They've got to get there first. And even in CONCACAF, nothing is a slam dunk anymore -- as the Americans showed us during qualifying for the 2011 Women's World Cup, with their shocking semi-final loss to Mexico.
With that in mind, John Herdman has opted to take the following 20 players into battle at next month's Olympic qualifying tournament in Vancouver:
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GK - Karina LeBlanc
GK - Erin McLeod
D - Candace Chapman
D - Carmelina Moscato
D - Shannon Woeller
D - Melanie Booth
D - Robyn Gayle
D - Lauren Sesselmann
D - Chelsea Stewart
D - Rhian Wilkinson
M - Kaylyn Kyle
M - Diana Matheson
M - Kelly Parker
M - Sophie Schmidt
M - Desiree Scott
M - Brittany Timko
F - Chelsea Buckland
F - Christina Julien
F - Christine Sinclair
F - Melissa Tancredi
Surely, the most encouraging news is the return of Diana Matheson to the Canadian roster sheet. The midfield stalwart had missed the team's last two camps with what head coach John Herdman called "an ongoing (physical) problem she'd had", for which she decided to undergo surgery in November. Nothing's guaranteed yet, though -- Herdman said the Canadian medical team is doing its best to get the veteran back to match fitness for the qualifiers, but the timing would be "tight".
With or without Matheson, the squad will have plenty of experience, as Herdman said this was "not one of those events where you can start testing players." Still, 21-year-old Chelsea Buckland wriggled her way into the lineup, largely on the strength of her showing during a recent camp and friendly against Sweden.
"(Buckland) certainly showed the coaching staff some things to be excited about," said Herdman, including her movement, timing and ability to work within a two-striker system. Plus, she scored her first goal for the national team in that Swedish friendly, which "can make all the difference."
Fans shouldn't assume, though, that this is the exact group that will carry the Canadian flag in London next summer (presuming the team qualifies). Herdman noted that several players -- including Marie-Eve Nault and Jonelle Filigno -- currently fighting injury concerns could compete for a spot, as will youngsters such as Alyscha Mottershead and 2011 U-20 player of the year Amelia Pietrangelo (who was "pretty unlucky" to miss out on the Olympic qualifying squad).
Herdman stressed that his focus is on maximizing the available talent based on the circumstances, both on a game-by-game basis and over the long term. For the January tournament, that will likely mean "thinking outside of the box" as it relates to Canada's two "world-class" goalkeepers, LeBlanc and McLeod, making the decision as to the starter based on the situation.
And that situation for the team's first three games -- against Haiti, Cuba and Costa Rica -- will, by Herdman's estimation, involve a lot of potential frustration, as the inferior squads bunker in an attempt to eke out a result (think back to the men's national team's recent World Cup qualifier against Puerto Rico).
"We've been preparing for a style of football that we'll probably come up against," said Herdman, noting that precise scouting of the three first-round CONCACAF opponents is tough.
"People have probably got to get it in their minds that Canada will be breaking teams down for the first three games," he said, adding that after that, fans can expect more wide-open and end-to-end play.
Style-wise, Herdman also emphasized his preference for engaging fullbacks in the attack and "taking some more risks at the back." He noted that Canada's "default setting" has been to desperately hoof the ball away when the pressure is put on (which comes as no surprise to Canadian fans), but that he is working on instilling a "shift in mindset, particularly with some of the players at the back."
"We'll certainly see a team that is more versed in playing around (rather than straight ahead)."
In fact, Herdman's seemingly done as much work on the psychological side of the game as the physical side since taking over -- which makes sense, given the tumultuous 18 months that most of these players have been through. Part of that has been bringing on Dr. Ceri Evans as the team's "mental trainer". Evans has been tasked with trying to "dissolve some of the trauma of the World Cup."
Hopefully, those bitter memories will be replaced by positive ones of success on home soil in Vancouver next month -- with a berth at London 2012 to show for it.
"There's definitely an excitement (around playing at home)," Herdman said. "This is a dream for them."
But before any dream can be achieved, of course, the hard work must be put in.
"The players aren't going to have Christmas off; they're going to work right through."
The team convenes in L.A. on January 3 before heading to Vancouver for final preparations on January 14.
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