Newly-installed Canadian women’s coach Bev Priestman is hitting the ground running.

On Monday, Priestman unveiled her first roster since being hired last October, naming a 29-player squad for a training camp ahead of the 2021 SheBelieves Cup that is scheduled from Feb. 18 to 24.

Following this preparation camp that kicks off on Feb. 6 in Orlando, Priestman will announce her final 23-player roster for the SheBelieves Cup prior to Canada’s opening match at the invitational tournament on Feb. 18.

The SheBelieves Cup marks Canada’s return to action for the first time in close to a year, as the team has been idle since competing at the Tournoi de France last March.

“We’re really excited to get back together, get on the grass for me personally for the first time as head coach with this team,” Priestman said during a media call. “It’s been almost over a year that the group’s been together. I already get a sense of real hunger, desire, excitement for the group to get back together.”

There are plenty of familiar names to be found on Priestman’s roster, including iconic captain Christine Sinclair (296 caps), veteran midfielders Diana Matheson (206) and Sophie Schmidt (199), and defender Kadeisha Buchanan (103), the reigning Canadian player of the year.

Should she play at the 2021 SheBelieves Cup, Schmidt will become just the third member of the Canadian team’s “200 cap club,” joining Sinclair and Matheson. Midfielder Desiree Scott, who is fifth all-time in caps (156) behind retired Rhian Wilkinson (181), is next in line to reach 200.

“She’s proven that, on her day, she can compete against top nations. Sophie’s passing ability is something that this team needs,” Priestman said.

Also back in this Canadian squad is veteran goalkeeper Erin McLeod (118 caps), who earns her first call-up since returning from injury in 2019.

But the roster also includes five newcomers earning their first national team call-ups, most notably Bianca St. Georges, a 23-year-old defender from Quebec who is coming off a solid debut season with the Chicago Red Stars in the NWSL last year.

Priestman, who previously coached St. Georges at youth level, called the defender a “bit of a warrior,” and a “front-footed” player who likes to take the ball off of opposing forwards.

“Her mindset is a mindset that wants to keep a clean sheet, and we all know to be successful you need players who want to keep a clean sheet, but also contributes to help you winning games. Bianca has a great mindset and athleticism that can help this group,” Priestman said.

The other first-timers are Evelyne Viens (Sky Blue FC), Jordyn Listro (Orlando Pride), Rylee Foster (Liverpool FC) and Samantha Chang (University of South Carolina). Jade Rose, voted 2020 Canadian Youth International Player of the Year, is also in this squad — she’s been called up before by the senior women’s team, but hasn’t earned her first cap.

“What I see in Evelyne is she finds the back of the net really well – that’s stood out to me more than anything. She’s a (forward) who likes to run off the back of defenders; her conversion rate has been really high in a professional environments,” Priestman stated.

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This will be Canada’s first appearance in the SheBelieves Cup, which will take place at Exploria Stadium in Orlando. This year marks the sixth time the SheBelieves Cup has been held, and will see Canada play host nation the United States, as well as Brazil and Japan.

The Canadian side will kick off the competition against the U.S., currently first in the FIFA World Rankings, on Feb. 18.

Following that opener, they’ll take on 10th-ranked Japan on Feb. 21, followed by eighth-ranked Brazil on Feb. 24. Canada is ninth in the World Rankings.

None of the opponents are new to Canada, of course. The Reds played the U.S. in last year’s Concacaf Olympic Qualifying final, losing 3-0. The Canadians lost 4-0 to Japan in October 2019, and they played Brazil in their most recent match last Spring, a thrilling 2-2 draw in which Canada came back from being down 2-0.

“This American team don’t lose very often, as we’ve seen. But on Canada’s day, we absolutely could and should be competing with the U.S.,” Priestman offered.

With games against such strong nations — all of whom will be in Tokyo this summer — the SheBelieves Cup should serve as a very competitive beginning to this new era of the Canadian women’s program under Priestman, while also providing the team with vital preparation for the Olympics. Priestman said the tournament will give her a chance to assess her team and learn what Canada needs to work on going into the Tokyo Games.

“It’ll be the last tournament setting that we get before an Olympic games,” Priestman said. “We have two bronze medals around our neck, and our ultimate goal is change the colour of the medal, but I think historically, you look at this last year with this group, getting a win against a tier-one opposition is something that we need to move up towards.

“To test ourselves against some big hitters is where we need to be for an Olympic games. For me personally, after that tournament (SheBelieves), it’ll give me a great snapshot of where this group’s at.”

Priestman, a 34-year-old native of England, was named the new coach of the Canadian women’s team on Oct. 28, 2020, taking over from predecessor Kenneth Heiner-Møller who stepped down last summer.

CANADA’S ROSTER

Goalkeepers: Rylee Foster (Liverpool FC), Stephanie Labbé (Rosengård), Erin McLeod (Orlando Pride), Kailen Sheridan (Sky Blue FC).

Defenders: Kadeisha Buchanan (FCF Olympique Lyonnais), Vanessa Gilles (FC Girondins de Bordeaux), Jade Rose (Super REX Ontario), Shelina Zadorsky (Tottenham Hotspur), Gabrielle Carle (Florida State University), Allysha Chapman (Houston Dash), Ashley Lawrence (Paris Saint-Germain), Bianca St-Georges (Chicago Red Stars), Jayde Riviere (University of Michigan).

Midfielders: Samantha Chang (University of South Carolina), Jessie Fleming (Chelsea FC), Julia Grosso (University of Texas at Austin), Jordyn Listro (Orlando Pride), Diana Matheson (Kansas City NWSL) Quinn (OL Reign FC), Sophie Schmidt (Houston Dash), Desiree Scott (Kansas City NWSL).

Forwards: Janine Beckie (Manchester City FC), Jordyn Huitema (Paris Saint-Germain), Adriana Leon (West Ham United FC), Nichelle Prince (Houston Dash), Deanne Rose (University of Florida), Christine Sinclair (Portland Thorns FC), Olivia Smith (Super REX Ontario), Evelyne Viens (Sky Blue FC).