Canada women prepare for SheBelieves amid labor dispute
By ANNE M. PETERSON
AP Sports Writer
Canada women’s national soccer team coach Bev Priestman says the dispute between her players and the Canadian federation is weighing on the team as it prepares for its opening match of the SheBelieves Cup against the United States. The Canadian players say there have been drastic cuts to the program ahead of this summer’s Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. Late last week the players announced they wouldn’t participate in team activities, but the federation maintained that was an illegal strike and the players reluctantly returned to training. Canada plays the U.S. women on Thursday night at Exploria Stadium in Orlando, Florida.