A Maple Ridge girl has been given a call-up to the Canada under-17 women’s national team camp this week.
Isabella Muzzolini is one of five players with the Vancouver Whitecaps FC Girls Elite Super REX program to get the invitation to Canada Soccer’s six-day U17 camp in Markham, Ont.
It is part of the Women’s EXCEL Program.
Congrats to Izzy, Ella, Mia, Dee and Holly. Invited into the first @CanadaSoccerEN U17 WNT camp! https://t.co/h3jlY7u3V2
— Whitecaps GE REX (@WFCElite) April 26, 2019
The May 5-10 camp will feature 27 players from Canada Soccer’s Super REX Centres in B.C., Ontario and Québec, as well as Regional EXCEL Centres from across the country.
Muzzolini joined the Whitecaps program, in partnership with B.C. Soccer, in August 2017 after previously playing with Coquitlam Metro-Ford SC in the EA SPORTS Premier League.
The midfielder and striker was team captain for two years. Her last season with her hometown West Coast FC was in 2012-13.
Last summer, she played for the U15 Canadian national team at the CONCACAF championship in Florida. It was her debut with the Canadian youth program.
On the heels of a historic fourth-place finish at the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup Uruguay 2018, the Canadian women’s youth teams are looking ahead to international competitions through 2020 at the U15, U17 and U20 levels.
Beyond the May camp, Canada will hold additional national U17 camps in September and December, as well as national U20 camps in July and August.
The FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup is held every two years, with the next edition in 2020. Only players born 2003 or later are eligible to participate.
The CONCACAF Women’s U17 championship serves as Canada’s qualification route for the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup.
ncorbett@mapleridgenews.com
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