BATON ROUGE — Sophomore midfielder Caroline Vanderpool has returned from a 12-day training camp in Teresopolis, Brazil, with the U-20 Canadian National Team in preparation for the 2006 FIFA U-20 World Championships in Russia this summer.
Canada finished its tour with a record of 1-1-2 against two of the top U-20 teams in the world — camp host Brazil and the United States.
The team opened play with a 2-2 tie with the United States on April 15 followed by a 1-0 shutout of Brazil two days later. Canada posted a 1-1 tie with Brazil on April 22 and ended the competition the following day by falling to the United States, 4-0.
“We were only the second Canadian National Team to go to Brazil and compete at an international level, so that was exciting for our team,” Vanderpool said. “It showed us how we stack up with some of the best teams in the world, and we played very well against some good competition. I had a lot of fun.”
Each of the three teams at the training camp is scheduled to compete in the U-20 World Championships to be held in Moscow and St. Petersburg from Aug. 17-Sept. 3. Canada will compete in Group B along with China, Finland and a team that has yet to be determined.
“I hope that all of my international experience helps me grow as a player and a person,” Vanderpool said. “I’m always looking to improve myself. Hopefully, I’ll be able to help our team at LSU continue to build on what we achieved last season and have greater success in the future.”