Paris 2024 Olympics: Canada Insight (Har Johal)

Canadian soccer journalist Har Johal (Equalizer Soccer/Daily Hive/Canadian Soccer Daily) previews the Olympic title defence of a Canada side adjusting to life after Christine Sinclair’s international retirement. Johal identifies Aston Villa forward Adriana Leon, Canada’s third-highest all-time goalscorer, as the likeliest candidate to help carry the scoring burden, and describes a calmer relationship between the playing squad and Canada Soccer than existed during a tense build-up to the 2023 World Cup. With Bev Priestman’s side built around defensive solidity and set-piece threat, Johal assesses the goalkeeping of Kailen Sheridan and the defensive partnership of Vanessa Gilles and Kadeisha Buchanan as key to a potential fourth consecutive Olympic medal, while cautioning that further profligacy in front of goal could again prove costly.