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Canadian womens soccer coach John Herdman couldnt afford to think about experimenting or development. So captain Christine Sinclair and goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc headline an experienced team of largely familiar names announced Tuesday for the CONCACAF Olympic qualifying tournament. Chelsea Buckland, a 21-year-old striker from Surrey, B.C., is the lone player on the roster making her international competition debut. "Its such a big event, we have to qualify," Herdman said on a conference call Tuesday. "Its not one of those events where you can start testing and developing players, although the experience theyll have will certainly put them on a great footing for the Olympics. "Its certainly an event we have to go and win, and with that we had to pick a squad that would deliver us that outcome." The roster includes 14 members of the team that won gold at the Pan American Games in October. And five of the six who missed the Games in Guadalajara, Mexico, played in the FIFA womens World Cup. Canada needs to finish in the top two of the eight-team qualifying tournament, Jan. 19-29 in Vancouver, to earn a berth in the 2012 London Olympics. Sinclair, Canadas captain from Burnaby, B.C., scored to move Canada into overtime versus Brazil at the Pan Am Games. LeBlanc, a goalkeeper from Maple Ridge, B.C., then stopped two penalty shots to secure the gold medal. The one notable player missing from Herdmans roster is veteran defender Emily Zurrer, whom he opted to leave off the lineup in what he called "a tough call." But the coach noted this team isnt exactly the one hell take to the Olympics and Zurrer -- or a rising young player such as Amelia Pietrangelo -- could play her way on to that London-bound squad. Buckland, who topped Oregon State in scoring the past two seasons, earned her spot with an impressive performance in a Canadian team camp last month, scoring a goal in a 2-1 win over Sweden in a friendly. "Her game understanding really jumped out at us . . . and then you see a player come on for only 20 minutes, move well and then actually score a goal, it makes all the difference," Herdman said. While Herdman is fielding a familiar roster in Vancouver, the coach who was hired in September on the heels of Canadas disappointing performance at the World Cup, said fans will see a new and improved squad. Much of his focus has been on the back line, and breaking the teams tendency to launch the ball up the field under pressure. "I think youll see a team that is certainly more versed in playing around rather than over," Herdman said. "Thats certainly what we want to show as part of our identity because I think when we get to the Olympics, we have to have a full repertoire of playing." The former New Zealand coach is also pleased with the development of individual players. "Ive been able to watch even some senior players develop new things to their game," he said. "A lot of that has come down to the fact that theyve been willing to really look at what theyve done, recognize what theyve done in the past probably hasnt been good enough and shed an old skin to move toward something new." Herdman has also focused on rebuilding team morale after its first-round exit at the World Cup in Germany, adding mental trainer Ceri Evans to the staff. "There is a mental approach that needs to be developed," Herdman said. "When you look at the mental state of the team its always going to be fragile if you dont have the tools to get you through those high-pressure situations where you can lose focus which costs you your performance." The roster also features 11 players from the 2008 qualifying tournament that earned the Canadians a berth in the Beijing Games where they lost to the U.S. in the quarter-finals. In opening-round action in Vancouver, Canada faces Haiti on Jan. 19, Cuba on Jan. 21 and then Costa Rica on Jan. 23. The top two teams from each group advance to the semifinals on Jan. 27, while the gold-medal game is Jan. 29. The other group has the U.S., Mexico, the Dominican Republic and Guatemala. The Canadians will gather in Los Angeles for a camp Jan. 3 before travelling to Vancouver on Jan. 14. Herdman isnt giving his players any break for the holidays however. Theyve been outfitted with GPS-enabled heart-rate monitors and are required to upload training data so the coaching staff can keep close tabs. --- Canadian Olympic Qualifying Roster Goalkeepers: Karina LeBlanc, Maple Ridge, B.C., Sky Blue FC; Erin McLeod, Calgary, Dalsjofors G.O.I.F. Defenders: Candace Chapman, Ajax, Ont., Sky Blue FC; Carmelina Moscato, Mississauga, Ont., Pitea IF; Shannon Woeller, Vancouver, Rutgers University; Melanie Booth, Burlington, Ont., Vancouver Whitecaps; Robyn Gayle, Mississauga, Ont., Vancouver Whitecaps; Lauren Sesselmann, Green Bay, Wisc., Atlanta Beat; Chelsea Stewart, The Pas, Man., Real Colorado; Rhian Wilkinson, Baie dUrfe, Que., Lillestrom SK Kvinner. Midfielders: Kaylyn Kyle, Saskatoon, Vancouver Whitecaps; Diana Matheson, Oakville, Ont., Lillestrom SK Kvinner; Kelly Parker, Saskatoon, Atlanta Beat; Sophie Schmidt, Abbotsford, B.C.; Desiree Scott, Winnipeg, Vancouver Whitecaps; Brittany Timko, Coquitlam, B.C. Forwards: Chelsea Buckland, North Delta, B.C., Oregon State University; Christina Julien, Williamstown, Ont., Ottawa Fury; Christine Sinclair, Burnaby, B.C., Western New York Flash; Melissa Tancredi, Ancaster, Ont., Pitea IF. wholesale jerseys . Foley won the honour after the Argos beat the Calgary Stampeders 35-22 at Sundays championship game. wholesale nfl jerseys . Will Sheehey added 14 points, six rebounds and four assists while Christian Watford gave 10 points and seven rebounds for the Hoosiers (8-0), who have won every game this season by double-digits. http://www.chinanfljerseyswholesale.com/ . Tate is expected to be out indefinitely, according to Stampeders coach John Hufnagel. The coach told TSNs Katherine Dolan that the injury is either a separation or dislocation. He will most likely fly back to Calgary to get an MRI and see the extent of the damage. cheap nfl jerseys . A day after the NHL turned down three counter-proposals from players, the league cancelled 53 more games. A total of 135 games through Nov. 1 have been scratched, which amounts to 11 per cent of the season. wholesale jerseys from china . His three years as an NFL executive didnt go as hoped. And for perhaps the first time in his football life, Holmgren came up short as a leader. This loss was tough to swallow.WEST VANCOUVER, B.C. - Steven Diez is the second Canuck to earn a quarter-final berth in mens singles play at the Odlum Brown Vancouver Open. The Toronto native beat Australias James Duckworth 6-2, 4-6, 6-1 in a second-round match at the Hollyburn Country Club on Thursday to join compatriot Frank Dancevic of Niagara Falls, Ont., in the last eight. Pierre-Ludovic Duclos of Sainte-Foy, Que., failed to join them after falling 6-3, 6-3 to Jimmy Wang of Chinese Taipei. Meanwhile, Sergei Bubka and Dudi Sela also made it thrrough, while Dancevic, top seed Igor Sijsling, Danai Udomchoke and Ruben Bemelmans all qualified on Wednesday.dddddddddddd In mens doubles play, Philip Bester of North Vancouver, B.C., and American partner Phillip Simmonds found out who their quarter-final opponent will be when Maxime Authom and Bemelmans won their second-round match. First-ranked Americans John Paul Fruttero and Rajeev Ram lost their match, meaning fourth-ranked Australians John Peers and John-Patrick Smith are the top duo remaining. ' ' '
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