W’Cup: S’Falcons head to Canada, Nkwocha dropped
Coach
Edwin Okon named a preliminary 26-woman squad for the Nigeria senior
women team ahead of the 2015 Fifa Women’s World Cup in Canada which
begins on June 6.
A notable
absence is legendary striker Perpetua Nkwocha. The 39-year-old four-time
African Women Footballer of the Year was dropped after participting in
three straight World Cup outings in 2003, 2007 and 2011.
Her hopes
of making a fourth World Cup appearance was dashed as the coached opted
for younger players in keeping with his philosophy of building team for
the future.
The
African champions’ squad, drawn after nearly four months of camping at
the FIFA Goal Project in Abuja since Feburary 22, is composed of four
goalkeepers, eight defenders, seven midfielders and six strikers.
The
Super Falcons’ team, captained by Evelyn Nwabuoku, is largely filled
with members of the 2014 African Women Championship winning
team, including the reigning African Women Player of the Year Asisat
Oshoala.
Surprise
selected talents who made the squad are AWC winner Christy Ohiariaku,
former Falconets star Courtney Dike who plays for the Oklahoma State
University team and Portsmouth Ladies’ Iniabasi Umotong, and former
Flamingoes striker Chinwendu Ihezuo.
Nigeria
have been drawn in the tournament’s toughest group alongside two-time
winners USA, Sweden and Australia in Group D for the Women’s World Cup
that will take place between 6 June and 5 July.
The team departed for Canada on Tuesday night from the Abuja airport via Paris to connect to Toronto.
The duo of
Nwabuoku of Biik Kazygut and Francesca Ordega of Washington Spirits
will arrive Canada from their respective bases in Kazakhstan and the
United States of America.
The
African champions will play a friendly match against the senior women’s
national team of Canada on 25 May – the same day Okon is expected to
release his final 23 squad for the World Cup.
The Super
Falcons will begin their campaign in the preliminary stages against
Sweden at the 7th FIFA Women’s World Cup in Winnipeg on 8th June before
taking on Australia at the same venue and then USA in Vancouver.
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