Coach Casey Stoney to miss Canada games in Japan due to ‘personal family matters’

Canada head coach Casey Stoney looks on during the warm-up ahead of their international friendly soccer match against Haiti in Montreal on Tuesday, June 3, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

The ninth-ranked Canadian women will be without coach Casey Stoney when they close out their 2025 schedule against No. 8 Japan in the upcoming November international window.

Canada Soccer says Stoney will not make the trip to Nagasaki “due to personal family matters.” Assistant coach Natalie Henderson will lead the team, with under-17 coach Jen Herst added to the technical staff.

“Although I am personally heartbroken to miss this window, I have full confidence in this team’s resilience to bounce back from past performances and deliver a strong showing against Japan,” Stoney said in a statement. ”They are one of the most technically disciplined and tactically intelligent programs in the world, and competing on their home soil will demand the highest standards from our group.

“This window represents another important step in our continued growth as we build toward 2026.”

Henderson also took charge of the team when Stoney missed a March 31 friendly with Haiti in Winnipeg due to a “family-related personal matter.”

There is a first call-up for Ottawa Rapid forward DB Pridham, who led the Northern Super League with 20 goals this season.

Born in California to Canadian parents (father from Toronto and mother from Fort Erie, Ont.), Pridham is a dual citizen. The family moved to the U.S. for her father’s work in tech sales.

The 28-year-old Pridham, named the NSL Player of the Year, previously played club football in Iceland and Sweden.

The Canadian women have lost three straight, beaten 1-0 by both No. 24 Switzerland and the 11th-ranked Netherlands last month in the wake of a disappointing 3-0 loss to the second-ranked U.S. in July.

Stoney did not mince words after the loss to the Swiss in Nijmegen.

“Not good enough,” said the Canada coach, who is 6-4-1 since taking over the team in January. “Nowhere near the level in terms of the technical quality, ability to keep the ball, winning 50-50 duels. Not to the standard that we need or require when we’re playing top opponents.”

Canada is 4-8-4 all-time against Japan and has won just one of the last seven meetings (1-5-1).

Japan won 3-0 the last time they met, at the SheBelieves Cup in February 2023, and is unbeaten in the last three meetings (2-0-1) since Canada prevailed 2-0 at the Algarve Cup in March 2018.

The teams play twice in Nagasaki on Nov. 29 and Dec. 2.

Japan made it to the quarterfinals of the 2023 World Cup, losing 2-1 to Sweden. Canada failed to survive the group stage.

Other than Pridham, the 23-player Canadian roster is essentially the same as the 24-player squad called up for the October international window. Veteran defender Vanessa Gilles returns from injury, replacing Zara Chavoshi while Olivia Smith and teenage striker Kaylee Hunter are both missing.

Smith, who joined Arsenal in July from Liverpool for a then-record one million pounds ($1.8 million), left the Canada camp during the October window after suffering a hip injury against Switzerland. She was pulled from selection due to ongoing return-to-play protocols set by her club side.

The 21-year-old from Whitby, Ont., has returned to action and played 62 minutes of Arsenal’s 2-1 win over Real Madrid in Women’s Champions League play Wednesday.

The 17-year-old Hunter, who ranked second in scoring in the Northern Super League this season, was called up for the October matches after AFC Toronto declined to release her for the FIFA U-17 World Cup. Arriving in camp with a knock, she did not see action for Canada.

Canada remains without the injured Kadeisha Buchanan, Gabby Carle and Lysianne Proulx. Annabelle Chukwu (Notre Dame) and Kayla Briggs (Michigan State University) are unavailable for selection by mutual agreement with their colleges.

Canada Roster

Goalkeepers: Sabrina D’Angelo, Aston Villa (England); Kailen Sheridan, San Diego Wave (NWSL); Emily Burns, FC Nantes (France).

Defenders: Ashley Lawrence, Olympique Lyonnes (France); Shelina Zadorsky, West Ham United (England); Vanessa Gilles, Bayern Munich (Germany); Jade Rose, Manchester City (England); Sydney Collins, Bay FC (NWSL); Jayde Riviere, Manchester United (England); Marie Levasseur, Montpellier HSC (France). 

Midfielders: Simi Awujo, Manchester United (England); Jessie Fleming, Portland Thorns (NWSL); Marie-Yasmine Alidou, Portland Thorns; Julia Grosso, Chicago Red Stars (NWSL); Emma Regan, AFC Toronto (NSL); Florianne Jourde, Paris Saint-Germain (France).

Forwards: Jordyn Huitema, Seattle Reign (NWSL); Adriana Leon, San Diego Wave (NWSL); DB Pridham, Ottawa Rapid (NSL); Nichelle Prince, Kansas City Current (NWSL); Janine Sonis, Racing Louisville (NWSL); Evelyne Viens, AS Roma; Holly Ward, Vancouver Rise (NSL).

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 21, 2025

Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press