Nobody is touting Allysha Chapman as the solution to the Canadian women’s team’s issues at left fullback. But she does offer a bit of hope.
Coach John Herdman has long identified the left side of the defence as a problem area, especially with Lauren Sesselmann sidelined with a knee injury since March and not expected to return to action until the early part of 2015.
Chapman, a 25-year-old native of Courtice, Ont., earned her first cap for Canada last Saturday in a 3-0 loss to Japan in Edmonton, and was one of the few bright spots for the Reds. Chapman put in a player-of-the-match performance for her country, and will likely see action again Tuesday night when Canada hosts Japan in another international friendly in Vancouver.
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If Chapman continues to play well, she could prove to be a long-term option at left fullback and might even be named to Canada’s roster for next summer’s FIFA Women’s World Cup.
If she did, it would cap an amazing story.
Chapman came up through the national youth system and after playing for Canada at the 2008 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Chile, she was invited to a senior team training camp the following year by then-Canadian coach Carolina Morace.
Morace wasn’t too impressed with her, though, and Chapman never received another camp invite from the Italian. Herdman took over from Morace in 2011, and didn’t call up Chapman either, until these pair of games against Japan—five years after first being briefly considered by Morace.
Had Herdman waited a bit longer, chances are he would’ve missed out as Chapman, who plays in the Swedish first division with Eskilstuna United, was considering pledging her international allegiance to Scotland.
“I was ready to pack it in and try to play for Scotland. I have a British passport and my mom is born there. I’d actually been in contact with the Scottish coach [Anna Signeul] because she’s from Sweden, so it was easy to reach out to her. She even came out and watched one of my games,” Chapman told Sportsnet.
“If I had my first choice, it would’ve been Canada every time. I wanted to play international soccer and I’d been waiting for so long, so I was ready to make that choice and potentially chose to play for Scotland. But I’m glad I got the call [from Canada] when I did.”
It was while Chapman was playing collegiately at Louisiana State University that Morace first called her into the Canadian camp. When she wasn’t invited back, Chapman emailed the Italian asking for another chance.
“She snubbed our college players. She didn’t want anyone going to school—she wanted complete control over the players. I don’t think she got a good impression of me. She just didn’t like me, personally and professionally. Maybe my humour was lost on her,” Chapman said.
Chapman graduating from LSU and in 2011 she went to Sweden where she played in the second division. With Herdman now in charge, she emailed the Canadian coach about wanting to get back into the senior team program. She even sent him game film of her playing in the Sweden.
Her messages largely went ignored until this past summer when Herdman emailed Chapman after she moved up to the Swedish topflight when she joined Eskilstuna United.
“I think that was the difference. I got the impression from the CSA that if John was going to take a serious look at me I was going to have to play at the highest level in Sweden. … That’s when the spark of interest came back and I got an email from John in June saying he’s watching me and there was the potential for me to come into camp in the fall,” Chapman explained.
No promises have been made about her future with the Canadian team. Chapman is essentially on trial. She is using these pair of games against Japan as a chance to impress Herdman and hopes to be invited to attend the team’s next training camp that begins on Nov. 10.
“When I was walking out onto the field in Edmonton, that’s what I was thinking about—that I need to take advantage of this opportunity and that if I don’t I might not be back for the next camp. Once you get a taste of being here, you don’t want to leave, so that was going through my head—do everything I can to stay in this fight to make the World Cup roster,” Chapman said.
She later added: “That’s what I’m doing—I’m basically trying out. It’s a bit nerve wracking. I’m on trial and nothing is for certain, but this is my chance. The pressure is on.”
She certainly gave Herdman something to think about in her debut. Chapman provided a solid attacking option for Canada, making a number of probing runs down the flank, and delivering dangerous crosses and through-balls for her teammates.
“I think I settled into it as the game went on. I did my thing, especially taking players on one-on-one and not being afraid to attack the Japanese,” Chapman offered.
It helped that her new Canadian teammates welcomed her when she first arrived in camp.
“I was nervous because I didn’t want to disrupt the team dynamic, and I wasn’t sure how they’d treat new players, if it was all about competition for spots. But they’ve been great and really accepting of me, and that helped me out,” Chapman said.