Kailen Sheridan, the latest in the long line of Canadian goaltending excellence
Canada has a proud record of outstanding goalkeepers, from Karina LeBlanc, Erin McLeod and Stephanie Labbé to Craig Forrest, Pat Onstad, Paul Dolan and Milan Borjan.
Kailen Sheridan continues the Canadian tradition of safe hands.
The 27-year-old from Whitby, Ontario, who plays her club soccer for the NWSL’s San Diego Wave, is Canada’s undisputed No. 1 at the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
“A great teammate [and] clearly a world-class goalkeeper,” said captain Christine Sinclair.
“I’ve heard [San Diego] coach Casey Stoney says she is the best goalkeeper in the world. I don’t disagree,” Canadian coach Bev Priestman added.
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Sheridan has played in 22 of Canada’s 25 games since the Tokyo Olympics, the last tournament Labbé competed in before announcing her retirement. On Friday, she played the full 90 minutes in a 0–0 draw with fourth-placed England, a closed-door training match that marked the seventh-placed Canadians’ final World Cup warm-up.
But Sheridan had to bide her time.
“As Canadians we are spoiled for choice with the talented goalkeepers we can produce and Kailen has been waiting a long time for this opportunity to really show the world what she is capable of on this stage,” said Sinclair. “I can’t wait to see what she’s going to do this summer.”
Long journey to runway
Heading into the Canadian tournament opener against Nigeria in Melbourne on July 20, Sheridan has won 35 caps with 30 starts and 17 clean sheets.
Sheridan was 20 when she made her senior debut for Canada in a 1–0 victory over Iceland at the Algarve Cup in March 2016, her only appearance for the national team that year.
Labbé won 85 caps for Canada with 43 shutouts.
“Kailen was neck-and-neck with Steph [Labbé] right in the [Tokyo] Olympics,” said Priestman. “Steph got the No. 1 spot, but I think experience is what makes you grow.”
“I think Kailen just needs to be confident, calm and collected going into this tournament. At the end of the day she just needs to do what she does and stick to who she is as a goalkeeper,” she added. “And she’ll do great for us, as she did.”
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Sheridan is a positive influence on the team, says Sinclair.
“[She] never seems to be stressed. And as a goalkeeper, wow, that’s impressive just for the role they play in the team,” she added. “And off the field, [she] just brings this energy. I’m not going to say crazy, just lighthearted,” she added.
“She’s very calm. She’s very positive,” Canadian defender Vanessa Gilles added. “She’s just an overall incredible human being.”
‘I want to be the best I can be’
Sheridan has also dealt with injuries.
Sheridan got the start against the top-ranked USA at the SheBelieves Cup in February 2021 and went down in the seventh minute. The freak injury victim made an innocent-looking pass to Gilles.
Sheridan also supported Labbé at the World Cup in France four years ago. This time she is the starter with Sabrina D’Angelo and uncovered Lysianne Proulx waiting in the wings.
“There’s definitely a clear understanding for me and a clear path for me,” Sheridan said. “But no matter what position I take in the team, I’m always going to compete and will always keep in my mind: I’m going to earn it, I’m going to prove it and I want to be the best.” best I can be.’
That won’t change now that she’s number 1.
“I want to go in there and I want to compete and I want to push everyone around me. And I want them to push me right back,” she said. “I think that’s why we’ve been so successful in the Canadian goalkeeping group we’ve had. We push each other all the time.”
NWSL top goalie
Knowing all about Sheridan’s talent, the NWSL named her Goalkeeper of the Year in 2022 when she averaged 0.95 goals against with eight clean sheets in 18 games, while saving three of four penalty attempts.
Sheridan, the first Canadian to win an NWSL Major Individual Award, was also named to the NWSL Best XI for the second year in a row. This season, she has five shutouts and an average of 1.15 goals against in 13 games for the Wave.
In July 2022, she won the Best Goalkeeper award at the CONCACAF W Championship to help Canada qualify for the World Cup.
Sheridan spent five seasons with NJ/NY Gotham FC, formerly known as Sky Blue FC, after finishing 23rd overall in Clemson University’s 2017 NWSL draft. She made 91 appearances for Gotham in all competitions, but when her contract expired, she was traded to San Diego in December 2021.
“It was pretty nice,” she said of life in California. “I enjoy it. It’s a great city to live in.”
