Canadian women close out 2025, looking to end four-game slide in rematch with Japan

Canada looks to snap a four-game slide and end the year on a winning note Tuesday when it takes on Japan in the second of two meetings in the FIFA women’s international window.

The ninth-ranked Canadians were outplayed Saturday in a 3-0 loss to No. 8 Japan at Nagasaki’s Peace Stadium. 

But assistant coach Natalie Henderson knows there is no quick fix for a team that has not won or scored since a 4-1 victory over No. 43 Costa Rica on June 27 in Toronto. 

“We’re going through a transition phase with this team,” said Henderson, who is running the side while head coach Casey Stoney is back in England with her ailing mother. “We’re trying to build a whole new identity. We’re trying to build a new way of playing and new style of play that Casey wants us to play.

“We want to be brave with the ball. We want to dominate the ball more. And that’s going to take time and we know that. And certainly the game the other day was frustrating, but there were parts of it where we feel we’re heading in the right direction in terms of the identity we want to build. So we’ll focus on those bits (for Tuesday’s game).”

Canada and Japan meet Tuesday at Transcosmos Stadium Nagasaki in nearby Isahaya.

Prior to the Japan defeat, the Canadian women suffered consecutive 1-0 losses to No. 24 Switzerland and the 11th-ranked Netherlands last month and were blanked 3-0 by the second-ranked U.S. on July 2.

The losing streak is the Canadian women’s longest since a four-game slide in 2019 that included a round-of-16 loss to Sweden at the World Cup in France. Canada has not lost five straight since 2005 when it was beaten by Sweden, Norway. the U.S. and Germany (twice).

Forward Holly Ward, perhaps Canada’s best player in the first half against Japan, and midfielder Simi Awujo had yet to celebrate their second birthday when that five-game slump occurred.

The Canadians, whose record stands at 6-5-1 since Stoney took over at the start of the year, have not scored in 364 minutes since Emma Regan’s 86th-minute goal in the Costa Rica win.

Canada’s starting 11, which included two Northern Super League players in Ward of the Vancouver Rise and AFC Toronto’s Regan, went into Saturday’s match with a combined 702 caps. Captain Jessie Fleming, one of four centurions in the side, earned her 150th cap.

Henderson is expected to rotate her roster with perhaps a start for centre back Vanessa Gilles, who came off the bench in the second half Saturday in her first appearance since the July loss to the U.S.

Jordyn Huitema, Julia Grosso, Evelyne Viens, Sydney Collins and Florianne Jourde also saw action off the bench.

Canada’s record against Japan now stands at 4-9-4. The Canadians have not beaten Japan since March 2018, when they prevailed 2-0 at the Algarve Cup and have won just one of the last eight meetings (1-6-1).

Canada is without star forward Olivia Smith, at her English club’s request. Arsenal did not want Smith, who suffered a hip injury playing for Canada last month, to make the long trip to Japan.

Her absence led to a first senior call-up for D.B. Pridham, the NSL’s player of the year. But the Ottawa Rapid star, born in California to Canadian parents, is ineligible to take part in the Japan games because she couldn’t get her Canadian passport in time.

A dual citizen, Pridham travelled on her U.S. passport.

Canada is also missing the injured Kadeisha Buchanan, Gabby Carle  and  Lysianne Proulx. Utah Royals forward Cloe Lacasse, while back from a knee injury suffered in October 2024, is not expected to rejoin Canada until next year.

Annabelle Chukwu  (Notre Dame) and  Kayla Briggs (Michigan State University) were unavailable for selection by mutual agreement with their colleges.

Henderson, who also took charge of Canada for a May 31 win over Haiti in Winnipeg when Stoney was absent for the same family reasons, says coaching the Canadian women is “a privilege.”

“Obviously it’s unfortunate Casey’s not here, because we’re enjoying the process together. But I think, from what I see on the inside, I see a group of players that really want to head in the right direction, want to be accountable … a group that understands that we might have to go through struggle to get to where we want to be. And that’s where we’re at right now.”

“I think we know we need to keep taking small steps in the right direction,” she added. “And I think we’re comfortable that we are doing that”.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 1, 2025