By Canadian Press

Casey Stoney to make debut as Canada coach against China, Mexico and Taiwan in Spain

Jan 27, 2025 | 3:04 PM

The Canadian women will take their first steps under new coach Casey Stoney against China, Mexico and Taiwan at the Pinatar Cup next month in Spain.

Canada Soccer had already announced that Stoney would make her Canada coaching debut at the Spanish tournament. But Canada’s opponents were not revealed until Monday.

Sixth-ranked Canada will face No. 17 China on Feb. 19 before facing No. 31 Mexico on Feb. 22 and No. 42 Taiwan on Feb. 25.

All three games will be played at the Pinatar Arena in Murcia. They were initially described as closed-door contests but a Canada Soccer spokeswoman said organizers have confirmed that spectators will be allowed in for free.

Stoney, formerly coach of the NWSL’s San Diego Wave and England’s Manchester United women’s side, was named Canada coach on Jan. 13.

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“I’m really excited to get started. This camp is the first step in building the foundation for what we want to achieve in 2025 and beyond,” Stoney said in a statement. “Each of these teams will present unique challenges, and it’s a great opportunity to assess the players and see where the team is at.”

The former England captain succeeds Bev Priestman, who left Canada Soccer after being sent home as a result of the drone-spying scandal at last summer’s Paris Olympics.

Canada holds an 8-14-5 career record against China, but has dominated the rivalry of late, winning the last seven meetings while outscoring the Chinese 12-4. One of the draws turned into a penalty shootout win for Canada at the Pacific Cup in Australia in June 2000, Canada’s first-ever win over the Chinese after seven straight losses that saw the Canadians outscored 23-2.

Canada is 23-2-3 all-time against Mexico. The last time they met was a two-game series ahead of the Paris Olympics with Canada winning the opener 2-0 in Montreal followed by a 1-1 draw in Toronto.

One of the Canadian losses was costly, however, with a 2-1 defeat in March 2004 denying Canada a berth at the 2004 Olympics in Athens. The other defeat came in a 2021 friendly in Mexico City.

Canada and Taiwan have only met once before with Canada losing 2-0 in December 1987 at the China Cup in Taiwan in a game that featured two 35-minute halves.

The Pinatar Cup was first held in 2020. It’s Canada’s first participation in the tournament, previously won by Scotland, Belgium, Iceland and Finland.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 27, 2025

Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press