The U.S. Women’s National Team will look to win its sixth Concacaf Women’s Championship title when it takes on Canada on Wednesday, Oct. 17 at 7 p.m. CT. The broadcast will likely start on FS2 and then switch to FS1 depending on the MLB Playoff game. The game will also be broadcast on UDN.
Ranked fifth in the world, Canada has an 8-3-0 record in 2018 with the only losses coming to world powers Sweden (3-1), France (1-0) and Germany (3-2). In 2018, Canada has defeated the Korea Republic (3-0), Japan (2-0) and Brazil (1-0). The win vs. Japan was in the fifth-place match at the 2018 Algarve Cup.
Here are five things to know about Canada:
Canada Republic Women’s National Team Roster by Position:
GOALKEEPERS (2):
1-Stephanie Labbe (Linköpings FC, SWE), 18-Kailen Sheridan (Sky Blue FC,
USA)
DEFENDERS (7 ): 20-Lindsay Agnew (Houston Dash, USA), 2-Allysha Chapman (Houston Dash, USA), 4-Shelina Zadorsky (Orlando Pride, USA), 5-Rebecca Quin (Washington Spirit, USA), 10-Ashley Lawrence (Paris Saint-German, FRA), 11-Emma Regan (Univ. of Texas, USA), 3-Kadeisha Buchanan (FCF Olympique Lyonnais, FRA)
MIDFIELDERS (5): 8-Diana Matheson (Utah Royals FC, USA), 17-Jessie Fleming (UCLA, USA), 7-Julia Grosso (Univ. of Texas, USA), 14-Gabrielle Carle (Florida State, USA), 13-Sophie Schmidt (Unattached).
FORWARDS (6): 12-Christine Sinclair (Portland Thorns, USA), 16-Janine Beckie (Manchester City, ENG), 6-Deanne Rose (University of Florida, USA), 19-Adriana Leon (Seattle Reign FC, USA), 15-Nichelle Prince (Houston Dash, USA), 9-Jordyn Huitema (Vancouver Whitecaps FC Girls Elite)
HISTORY VS. THE USA
The USA is 48-3-7 all-time against Canada and while the Americans have had
a long history of success in this series, the 12 meetings since the turn of
the decade have featured three ties and four one-goal wins for the USA.
Before the Nov. 9 and Nov. 12 matches last fall, a 1-1 draw in Vancouver
(Alex Morgan scored) and a 3-1 U.S. victory in San Jose, Calif. (goals by
Julie Ertz, Morgan and Carli Lloyd), the most recent meeting had come in
the title game of the 2016 Concacaf Women's Olympic Qualifying Championship
on Feb. 21, 2016, in Houston, Texas, a 2-0 U.S. win on goals from Tobin
Heath and Lindsey Horan.
The teams have met three times in world championship competition, the first coming in the third-place match of the 2003 FIFA Women’s World Cup a 3-1 U.S. victory at StubHub Center in Carson, California. The USA earned a 2-1 overtime win in the quarterfinals of the 2004 Olympics as Natasha Kai scored the game-winner in Shanghai, China, and of course the teams played an epic semifinal in the 2012 Olympics, a match the USA won 4-3 in the last minute of overtime stoppage time on a header from Alex Morgan.
USA vs. CANADA IN THE WCQ FINAL
This is the seventh Concacaf Cup qualifying tournament that USA has
contested, wining five of six of those tournaments, finishing first in the
qualifying competitions for the 1991, 1995, 2003, 2007 and 2015 FIFA
Women’s World Cups. The USA has played Canada in the championship game of
each of the first four tournaments in which both participated (the USA did
not have to qualify as host in 1999). In the 2010 Concacaf Women’s World
Cup qualifying tournament, the USA fell to Mexico in the semifinal and
Canada defeated Mexico in the championship game. The USA returned to the
top of the podium at the 2014 Concacaf Women’s Championships, defeating
Costa Rica 6-0 in the title game in a tournament that Canada did not
participate in as host of the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Canada won the
tournament for the 1999 Women’s World Cup when the USA did not participate
as host.
GROUP B SUCCESS & TICKET TO FRANCE 2019
Canada won Group B at the Concacaf Women’s Championship without much
difficulty, defeating Jamaica 2-0, Cuba 12-0 and Costa Rica, 3-1. The Maple
Leaves then qualified for the 2019 World Cup with a 7-0 victory against
Panama in the semifinal. Canada tallied at the end of the first half to go
into the break with a 1-0 lead, but then scored six times in a 30-minute
span in the second half. Canada’s 24 goals have come from eight different
players, led by Seattle Reign forward Adrianna Leon, who has six goals,
four against Cuba and two in the semifinal against Panama. Jordyn Huitema
and Christine Sinclair have four each, Nichelle Prince has three and Janine
Beckie and Rebecca Quinn have two each. Jessie Fleming, Diana Matheson and
Deanne Rose have each scored once. Both the USA and Canada have faced just
10 shots in World Cup Qualifying. No other team allowed fewer than 33.
CANADA HAS U.S. TIES THROUGH NWSL AND COLLEGE
Fifteen of the 20 players on Canada’s roster play in the NWSL or for
collegiate sides in the USA. Nineteen of the 20 on Canada’s roster play or
have played in the USA except for 17-year-old Jordyn Huitema. There are
nine Canadian players on this roster that play for NWSL teams, including
all-time leading scorer Christine Sinclair who plays on the Portland Thorns
with the USA’s Lindsey Horan, Tobin Heath and Emily Sonnett. Jessie Fleming
plays at UCLA and is one of the top players in the Pac-12 and in the
country. She is college teammates with U.S. defender Hailie Mace.
Forward Deanne Rose plays at Florida, midfielder Julie Grosso and Emma Regan
play at Texas and midfielder Gabrielle Carle plays at Florida State.
CHRISTINE SINCLAIR CLOSES IN ON GOAL-SCORING RECORD
Sinclair, 35, is one of the greatest players in the history of women’s
soccer. Her 177 goals in 273 matches rank second in most career
international goals scored by a female or male soccer player behind only
Abby Wambach (184 goals). Sinclair surpassed Mia Hamm for the number two
spot in February of 2016.