Player's Own Voice podcast: Janine Beckie's forward march

If you want inside knowledge about Canadian, American, and British soccer, you could buttonhole three players from the three systems, or you could simply check in with Janine Beckie.

Born to Canadian parents in Colorado, she's played top level footy for both countries, and she's currently under contract with Manchester City.

The skilled forward has deep knowledge about the quirks and qualities of most of the leading women in the game. Sometime teammates, sometime opponents, often both.

At this moment, Beckie is digging in her cleats for the Olympic tilt, and that's top of mind as she catches up with Player's Own Voice podcast host Anastasia Bucsis.

How is the Canadian team taking to new coach Bev Priestman? What's going to help Canada finish even higher on the podium than the 2012 and 2016 bronze-winning squads? What are her thoughts on the current roster?

Beckie is forthcoming about the peaks and valleys of her career, and she shows particular class in describing one stinging moment — a missed penalty kick in the 2019 Women's World Cup. Beckie took exactly the right lesson from that saved shot, which is that she is an aggressive, confident penalty taker, and not a single thing is going to change about that approach!

For Beckie, as for most everyone else involved in Canadian Soccer, all thoughts are now on the national roster and expectations for Tokyo. It's going to be a thrilling tournament, and she's not alone in counting down the minutes.

Bucsis risks a turf war with her fellow podcaster. So far, no yellow cards from Beckie or the CRTC.

Something new from Player's Own Voice this season: this will be CBC Sports' first podcast to lead into, go straight through and then follow up after the Summer Olympics. We're stoked to sit down with athletes at the pinnacle of their careers.

Like the CBC Sports' Player's Own Voice essay series, POV podcast lets athletes speak to Canadians about issues from a personal perspective. To listen to the entire fourth season, subscribe for free on Spotify, iTunes, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Tune In or wherever you do your other podcast listening.