"Ready for an amazing comeback," Nichelle Prince wrote on her Instagram account on November 18, 2022. That was three days after she ruptured her Achilles while playing for Canada in a friendly against Brazil in Sao Paolo.
Since then, the Houston Dash winger has been away from the spotlight recovering. Focusing on the "comeback." To the surprise of many, just 205 days since she suffered that injury, she appeared on the latest Canada women's national team squad.
On Thursday, head coach Bev Priestman released the names of her 25-player squad that will participate in a preparatory camp ahead of this summer's World Cup in Australia & New Zealand. This roster is just a preliminary selection and will be cut down to 23 players on July 9.
The preliminary roster will fly out to Australia on June 28, and then play a behind-closed-doors friendly against England on July 14. Les Rouges will then open up their tournament in Group B on July 21 against Nigeria in Melbourne, before then going on to play the Republic of Ireland on July 26 in Perth, and finally the hosts Australia on July 31 in Melbourne.
The Climb Begins 💪🧗
— CAN Soccer’s WNT (@CANWNT) June 8, 2023
Your @CANWNT Preparation Camp Roster for @FIFAWWC!@CANWNT x @CIBC pic.twitter.com/Yrj0kE6O1U
“With the preparation camp being only weeks away, I’m so excited to name this squad and see what this squad can bring as we move that much closer towards the Women’s World Cup,” Priestman said via a statement, announcing the squad, on Thursday.
“Picking this roster brought some incredibly difficult decisions and conversations, which I think speaks volumes to how competitive and exciting the group is. I must acknowledge the hard work of the players, the clubs, and our dedicated support staff to have some long-term injured players available for this camp as I know all parties have done everything possible to get to this point."
Prince isn't the only player working incredibly hard to race back in time to be fit for the tournament. Reading winger Deanne Rose also ruptured her Achilles tendon last year, just eight weeks prior to her countrywoman in Brazil.
OL Reign midfielder Quinn has also been on the road to recovery from an ongoing ankle injury. Shortly after making their return to play in the NWSL, they picked up another knock and missed more time in 2023.
However, unlike Prince, Rose and Quinn have both returned to first-team soccer and league play in 2023. Although, neither of them has yet to feature for Canada this year. Prince is still designated as having a 'season-ending injury' according to the Houston Dash's most recent injury report.
Going off Rose's recovering time from the same injury, roughly seven months, Prince wouldn't likely be ready to start playing NWSL minutes until early July. Which is right when Canada's World Cup preparation camp begins.
“This camp is about us solidifying our identity and player partnerships whilst preparing for our group stage opponents. “We know we have three difficult games, all with different styles of play and so being able to adapt and be equipped for all three is important whilst really harnessing and imposing our strengths on any opponent we face," said Priestman.
There has been little noise of Prince's return in Houston, albeit I am sure the club is doing everything in its power to assist the player's improbable return in time for the World Cup.
NWSL players will be released to their national teams on June 27th. That gives Prince four potential club matches to make her official return to soccer. It's unlikely that she will get a run out for the Dash, but even just being involved in first-team training behind the scenes is likely to play a huge part in her recovery.
Prince made 37 appearances for club and country in 2022, accumulating 2,608 minutes of playing time. She had a career season for the Dash, scoring five goals and notching three assists in 18 NWSL regular season appearances. In June, she made club history by becoming the first Houston player to ever score a hat trick in a 5-0 win over the Orlando Pride.
A consistent first-team starter for Canada, Prince was integral to her country qualifying for the 2023 World Cup in Australia & New Zealand. She played in four of Canada's five matches in Monterrey, Mexico, during July's W-Concacaf championship. At the tournament, Les Rouges finished as runners-up behind the United States.
Alongside Prince, Houston teammates Allysha Chapman and Sophie Schmidt were also called up into the 2023 World Cup preparation squad. The duo have been incredible stalwarts for their national team, and have accumulated 96 and 221 caps respectively. All three of the Dash's Canadians were vital in Canada's gold medal win at the 2021 Tokyo Summer Olympics.
Earlier this year, Schmidt announced that she would retire from international soccer after this summer's World Cup.