Goals and Dreams: A Celebration of Canadian Women’s Soccer

This book offers a detailed, in-depth look at how a diverse group of soccer-crazed Canadians developed into one of the world’s best teams. Through unique access to the players’ world – both on- and off-field – the authors reveal the passion and commitment these players have for the game and how they balance school, work and training. It follows their journey from the Edmonton Under-19 Women’s World Championships – where 50,000 fans plus a huge TV audience cheered them on – to the Women’s World Cup – where they beat Argentina, Japan and China to capture fourth place – and concludes with the Under-19 World Championships held in Thailand in November 2004. It features interviews with world-class stars like Charmaine Hooper and Christine Sinclair as well as up-and-coming teenagers like Brittany Timko, Kara Lang and Aysha Jamani. It also contains a brief history of women’s soccer in Canada, as well as information on national team selection, chances for a professional career and training routines. The book includes an introduction by stellar midfielder Andrea Neil, who helped the Canadian Women’s soccer team to their fourth-place finish in the recent World Cup and is their longest-serving midfielder. She recently played in her one-hundredth match for Canada.