Defender Jayde Riviere, who had to come off in the first half of Manchester United's 2-0 win over Brighton on Feb. 4, has withdrawn from Canada's roster for the CONCACAF W Gold Cup.
Canada coach Bev Priestman had acknowledged there was an injury question mark over the 23-year-old from Markham, Ont., in announcing her squad for the inaugural women's Gold Cup that kicks off later this month.
"Fingers crossed that Jayde will be with us but there's every chance that she may not be," Priestman said at the time.
That has proved to be the case with Riviere replaced by on Canada's roster by Benfica midfielder Marie-Yasmine Alidou, whom Priestman has said would be at the top of the list in case a replacement was needed.
Riviere has won 43 caps for Canada while Alidou, a 28-year-old from Saint-Hubert, Que., has one.
Canada, ranked 10th in the world, has been drawn in Group C with No. 43 Costa Rica, No. 50 Paraguay and either No. 80 Guatemala or No. 104 El Salvador.
The Guatemala-El Salvador matchup is one of three playoff games scheduled for Sunday in Carson, Calif. The other two are No. 51 Haiti versus No. 103 Puerto Rico and No. 87 Guyana versus No. 107 Dominican Republic.
The playoffs will fill the final three spots in the 12-team tournament field.
Canada will play all three group games in Houston's Shell Energy Stadium, opening against Guatemala or El Salvador on Feb. 22 before facing Paraguay on Feb. 25 and Costa Rica on Feb. 28.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 13, 2024.
The Canadian Press
