In just over a week’s time Canada will kick off its FIFA Women’s World Cup campaign on home soil.

It’s been four years since Canada were officially confirmed as hosts for the tournament, but between a failed bid for 2011 and being unable to bid for the 2007 tournament due to issues beyond their control it’s been more than 10 years waiting.

Given that Canada has been eager to host a World Cup since as far back as 2002, it’s no surprise that in 2015 many of the team’s stars are coming to the end of their careers. Christine Sinclair and Diana Matheson are 31, Erin McLeod is 32, while both Melissa Tancredi and Rhian Wilkinson are 33.

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Going into a World Cup relying on a core of players over 30 would be a cause for concern, but luckily Canadian coach John Herdman has heeded the warning signs and has put together a team designed to peak at just the right time.

For several players the bronze medal victory at the 2012 London Games was a last hurrah. The Olympics took place in Herdman’s first year in change and since then he has gone on to make several changes to that squad, moulding the team to his philosophy.

The Canadian team has an average age of 28.22. This average age is certainly on the older side, but still suggests enough young talent to compete. What is more telling is the type of players Herdman has been relying on in the lead up to the World Cup.

Looking at the playing time that the squad has had in 2015 gives a much better indication of who will actually be on the pitch for the crucial moments. Canada has played in two warm-tournaments this year—the BaoAn Cup in China and the Cyprus Cup—and a couple of friendlies. The quality of opposition has generally been pretty high: England, France, and China. So how Herdman approached these games gives us a glimpse into how he will approach the World Cup.

The average age on the pitch at any one time during 2015 has been 25.97 (amongst players who made the World Cup squad), more than two years younger than the average age of the squad. Many of the heroes of Canadian teams past are still here, but the success of the side may come down to how the younger players perform.

The following graph shows the players’ ages along the bottom against the percentage of minutes they’ve played for the national team in 2015.

The stalwart, 20 year-old defender Kaedisha Buchannan has played the second most minutes for Canada behind Christine Sinclair. Jessie Fleming is only 17—and was two when Christine Sinclair made her national team debut—but has still been on the pitch more than 60 percent of the time for Canada this year.

Speaking of Sinclair she may be coming into this World Cup at just the right time. Sinclair was the star of Canada’s 2012 bronze medal performance, highlighted by a memorable hat trick against the United States at Old Trafford, but she had a difficult stretch following the Olympics.

After scoring an astonishing 23 goals in 2012 for an average of 1.06 goals per 90 minutes, she struggled in 2013 and 2014 scoring only five goals over that two-year period.

This year however has been a bit of a renaissance for Sinclair, scoring an average of 0.64 goals per 90 minutes, her second best rate over the past five years.

It’s been a tough road for Sinclair since the 2012 Olympics, but Canada’s most recognizable soccer player appears to have found her best form when she needs it most.

The biggest question that still looms over this team is their ability to compete with the top countries in the world. Canada only has one win against a nation in the top ten of the FIFA rankings since the Olympics, a 1-0 friendly win over Sweden last November. In order to reach a semifinal or final this is something that will need to change. That being said, 2013 and 2014 were not great years for the program, whereas 2015 has seen improvement with some of the younger players starting to fulfill their potential.

Leading up to the World Cup there are plenty of concerns about the squad from the team’s age, to Sinclair’s form to their record against the best nations. Some of these concerns are legitimate, but things are starting to come together for Canada and there are some promising signs. The young players are getting more playing time and Sinclair’s form has drastically improved.

As the World Cup begins all of these factors will play a role, but this team also has an advantage that no Canadian senior team has ever had before: home support at a World Cup.

Data courtesy of canadasoccer.com

Sam Gregory is soccer analytics writer based in Montreal. Follow him on Twitter