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Steve Bottjer ,

January 14, 2014 Email Steve Bottjer Twitter @BottjerRNO

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Candace Chapman

Candace Chapman made her 100th career international appearance for the Canadian women’s national team in January 2012 at the CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualifying tournament in Vancouver, BC. Chapman is the ninth player in the teams’ history to reach this milestone. With an impressive career representing Canada, Chapman is in her 11th season with the national team, having made her debut in March 2002 against Scotland. Chapman has represented Canada at two FIFA Women’s World Cups (China 2007 and Germany 2011), Women’s Olympic Football Tournament (Beijing 2008), four CONCACAF qualification tournaments (2006, 2008, 2010, 2012), two Pan American Games (bronze in 2007 and gold in 2011), as well as represented Canada at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup (silver medal at Canada 2002).



Most recently Chapman was named to Canada’s All-Time starting eleven and became a Bronze Medalist representing Canada at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Candace currently plays professional soccer for the Washington Spirit.



RedNation recently had the chance to catch up with Chapman to discuss her career at both the club and International level and her upcoming participation at the National Soccer Coaching Conference that will be held in Toronto from Friday, January 31 to Sunday, February 2nd.



RedNation Online (RNO): Candace, one of the important upcoming events for the Canadian Soccer Community is the National Soccer Coaching Conference that will be held in Toronto from Friday, January 31 to Sunday, February 2nd. You will be one of the featured clinicians at the event. How did you get involved and why did you want to be part of the conference?



Candace Chapman: I think there is a misunderstanding because I am not running a session. I was asked to be involved on a question and answer panel about my national team experience, which I was happy to accept. It seemed like a great opportunity to be able to give a more player oriented insight into how the team has progressed throughout the years.



RNO: Looking at it from the standpoint of player development in Canada, what is the value that you see in an event like the National Soccer Coaching Conference with respect to the future of Canadian soccer?



Candace Chapman: I think it is an opportunity to learn insight on all aspects of the game from some of the great coaches and players involved in the conference. Both for an experienced and novice coach, being able to see and hear what other elite coaches are teaching their players on and off the field will be very valuable and always a growth opportunity.



RNO: You are 30 year old now, which is still in the prime for a central defender. At the same time, you must now have an idea about what you want to do when you hang up your cleats as a player. Is coaching something that you hope to pursue further?



Candace Chapman: You would think I have an idea LOL!. This last year and a half not being involved as a player on the National Team side of things has given me some time to explore who I am off the field and what really excites me as I move on from playing. I was always sure that I wanted to be involved with youth development but not sure in what capacity that would be, either as a mentor, coach or something unrelated to soccer. Recently opportunities have presented themselves to be part of the Canadian u17 coaching staff both at training camps and then at the u17 world cup Qualifying a couple months ago in Jamaica. I absolutely loved the experience and because of that, as of now, I see myself coaching in the future at the youth level. College coaching might also be something to consider in the future for me, but because I am still playing professionally, my opportunities to coach this year will probably come from the Canadian youth national team or with my professional club the Washington Spirit’s academy program.



RNO: In terms of your playing career, you’ve won a number of trophies with the Canadian Women’s National Team and of course there is the Olympic bronze medal won at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Looking back on your career with the national team, what have been the main high points?



Candace Chapman: Well I cannot begin without mentioning my youth national team experience at the U19 World Cup. That was really the beginning of my career as a national team player and becoming family with a group of players for the next decade. As a national team player, qualifying for the 2008 Olympics was a moment I will never forget, not only due to the fact that it was the first time the women had ever qualified for an Olympic event, but because the atmosphere of the game in Mexico was incredible. Also being able to achieve that with the core group of players that grew up together was very special.



Of course my first World Cup and Olympic experience were both amazing high points, but nothing quite like the feeling of winning an Olympic medal in London. That is an indescribable moment, not only because of the actual medal but also due to it encompassing the complete journey of my national team career will all the ups and downs as a team and as a player. It was and still is incredible to think about.



RNO: You have earned 108 caps with the national team and as part of the Canadian Soccer Association’s Centennial Celebration in 2012, you were honored on the All-Time Canada XI women’s team. When you made your debut for Canada as an 18 years old back in March of 2002, did you ever imagine that your soccer career would take you all around the world and allow you to achieve all of the things you have with the national team?



Candace Chapman: No I do not ever recall thinking that I would have experienced all the adventures I have and created a career from it. As I am coming to the end of my playing career my only regret is that I didn’t take enough pictures or enjoy the moments as much as I could have. But when you are young and in the thick of playing, taking in all the experiences as they arise is not your focus. You believe you will be there forever and time is on your side to do these things.



RNO: You have played alongside Christine Sinclair for many years and that has probably entailed defending against her many times in training. What do you think is the most important thing that defenders need to take into account when defending against top elite attacking players?



Candace Chapman: Well I have been fortunate enough to not only be a teammate of Sinc for a long time but also some other incredible talent, both on our national team and also as teammates while playing professionally. There is nothing like being on the field as a center back and seeing your forward line consisting of Sinc, Marta and Alex Morgan. Who needs to defend when you have those 3 on one team up front! But honestly, playing against these players in practice and many more great ones only makes you a better player. You learn that each forward has their own distinct unique talents and that you must be keen to these in order to be successful against them.



RNO: You suffered a torn calf while playing Canada at the last Olympic games that took significant time to recover from and impacted your ability to compete for both club and country. How hard was that injury to come back from and where are you now with respect to your fitness?



Candace Chapman: There is never good timing for injuries and there have been a couple that I have experienced that were especially bad in terms of timing. But as hard as it is to swallow, you must know it is part of the game and you learn to focus you efforts both on recovery and also maybe taking another role within the team, to be able to still give everything you can towards the team's goals.



RNO: It’s been a while since you made an appearance with the Canadian Women’s National Team. Head Coach John Herdman used many of the team’s 2013 matches to try out new players and evaluate some of the youth he has at his disposal. What is your status with respect to the national team? Have you had any recent conversations with John?



Candace Chapman: This is a difficult question to answer. John and I have spoken and we have discussed my playing status moving forward and at what time I am able to rejoin the group if those circumstances arise. I will say that my heart is in it, my head is in it, but my physical status is a challenge.



With that said though, we have some exciting young talent already being injected both into the team and even the starting line up, so just being able to see that is something as an older player that I take a lot of pride in.



RNO: In addition to your career at the International level, you have played for a number of teams at the club level in the WPS, W-League and now the NWSL as a member of the Washington Spirit. What are your thoughts on the growth of the women’s game in recent years and the potential for the NWSL as a league?



Candace Chapman: You always have hope that the women’s professional league will continue to grow and become a successful part of North American soccer culture. As you know, there have been a couple significant hiccups in the past. But the NWSL structure is proving to be a giant step in the right direction for sustainable growth. Hopefully we continue to see new teams like the recent Houston Dash appear each year and more and more talented players joining the league.