Canada’s national women’s soccer team released its 20-player roster for the 2018 CONCACAF Women’s Championship on Wednesday.

The tournament serves as qualifying for next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup, with the top three teams automatically advancing. Canada, ranked fifth in the world, plays its opening match against Jamaica on Oct. 5 at H-E-B Park in Edinburg, Texas. They will also play Cuba and Costa Rica in the group stage.

This roster has a blend of youth and experience, with an average age of 24.6 years. Four players have more than 100 appearances with the national team, including captain Christine Sinclair, who leads the squad with 269 caps.

One notable veteran who isn’t on the team is midfielder Desiree Scott. The Winnipeg native injured her foot on the first day of training camp in Texas, and is expected to miss six-to-eight weeks. She has 165 caps for the national team.

Besides Sinclair, here are five other players to keep an eye on during the qualifying tournament:

Janine Beckie
Position: Forward
Age: 24
Caps: 44

In three short years, Beckie has become one of Canada’s most dangerous threats up front. Since being left of the roster for the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup, Beckie has 21 goals for the national team – more than Sinclair, who has 18 during that time. She had three goals at the 2016 Rio Olympics, including one just 16 seconds into Canada’s opening match against Australia.

Beckie recently left the National Women’s Soccer League to join Manchester City in England. She scored in her debut with her new club in August, just 10 minutes after being subbed on during a Continental League Cup match.

The 24-year-old is a clinical finisher up front, and her speed has caused problems for many backlines. Despite her status as one of the squad’s top goal scorers, Beckie has nothing but praise for teammates, last year calling Canada the “most unselfish team” she has ever played on.

Allysha Chapman
Position: Fullback
Age: 29
Caps: 53

Chapman is often overshadowed by fellow defenders Kadeisha Buchanan and Ashley Lawrence, but the 29-year-old has been a regular presence on Canada’s backline since 2014. She played every minute of Canada’s five matches at the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup, and only sat out one game at the 2016 Rio Olympics, where the team won bronze.

Chapman has one of the more intriguing journeys to the national team. She didn’t make her debut with the senior squad until Oct. 25, 2014, when she was 25. While she played on the under-20 team in 2008, it wasn’t until John Herdman took over as head coach that she earned a spot at the senior level.

That persistence is evident on the field. As a left back, her aggressiveness and physicality has allowed her to shut down some of the world’s top goal scorers. Paul Riley, Chapman’s former coach with North Carolina in the NWSL, described her succinctly: “tough, tenacious and talented.”

Jessie Fleming
Position: Midfielder
Age: 20
Caps: 53

It’s hard to believe Fleming turned 20 six months ago. She already has 53 appearances for the national team under her belt, starting in 41 of those matches. Her resume is impressive, to say the least.

Last year she was the only Canadian to be named to the CONCACAF Best XI. She has won the Canadian Under-20 Player of the Year award three times. At the collegiate level, she helped UCLA reach the College Cup final in 2017, and was selected as a finalist for the MAC Hermann Trophy, awarded to the top college player in the country. And at just 18, she became an Olympic medallist.

Fleming has become a fixture in Canada’s midfield. She has started in all but one game for Canada in the past two years, when she missed the friendly against Brazil earlier this month due to injury. On the field she defies her age, playing with poise and awareness beyond her years.

While she only has six goals in her international career, two of those have come this year, and head coach Kenneth Heiner- Møller has said he wants Fleming to play more forward.

After Canada’s friendly against Germany in June, where Fleming scored, Heiner- Møller praised her performance, saying, “I think she’s a great player setting up the game, but if we can have her closer to whoever is playing up front, that’ll be a huge win for us.”

Jordyn Huitema
Position: Forward
Age: 17
Caps: 12

Huitema is one of five teenagers on the current roster, and it’s already been a whirlwind year for the 17-year-old. In January, she won the Golden Boot as the top scorer at the CONCACAF Under-20 Women’s Championship, netting five goals in five games. In April and June, she captained the under-17 team and helped them earn a berth in the FIFA Under-17 Women's World Cup, which kicks off in November.

Huitema has been turning heads since she made her senior team debut at 15.  Already being dubbed “the next Sinclair,” Huitema scored her first two goals for the national team coming off the bench against Costa Rica in June 2017.

Huitema has all of the attributes to become a prolific goal scorer. At 5-foot-11, she towers over many of her teammates, and she has the speed and skill to match. She is already drawing interest from major European clubs, as she made two guest appearances for Paris Saint-Germain at the Women’s International Champions Cup this summer.

Rebecca Quinn

Position: Centre-back/Midfielder
Age: 23
Caps: 39

Quinn may be one of Canada’s best-kept secrets. After playing five seasons with Duke University, Quinn was selected third overall by the Washington Spirit this year, becoming the highest-drafted Canadian in NWSL history.  In her rookie season, she started in 16 of Washington’s 17 games.

While she wasn’t on the roster for the 2015 Women’s World Cup, the 23-year-old was on the team one year later at the Rio Olympics. She has seen regular playing time this year, appearing in six of the team’s seven games, and playing all 90 minutes in five of those matches.

Quinn’s versatility is one of her major attributes, as she is comfortable at centre back or shifting into midfield. With the injury to Scott, it’s likely that Quinn will see a lot more playing time as the team’s holding midfielder.