Canada set for CONCACAF W Championship opener

For Canada, the road to two major tournaments begins this week in Monterrey, Mexico.

The Canadian women’s soccer teams kicks off the CONCACAF W Championship on Tuesday. Eight teams from the region are vying for four automatic berths to the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, as well as spot at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Here’s what you need to know about the competition.
 

How does Canada qualify for the World Cup?

The eight teams are divided into two groups. Canada is in Group B with Costa Rica, Panama and Trinidad and Tobago, while Group A features the United States, Mexico, Jamaica and Haiti.

The top two teams in each group not only advance to the semifinals, but also automatically qualify for next year’s World Cup. The Canadians open the tournament on Tuesday against Trinidad and Tobago. They then take on Panama on Friday before wrapping up the group stage against Costa Rica on July 11.

Canada, ranked sixth in the world, is by far the highest-ranked team in the group. Costa Rica is the next closest at 37th, followed by Panama (57th) and Trinidad and Tobago (76th).

“I think this group will take every game as it comes,” head coach Bev Priestman told the media on Monday. “I think we have to know that when it really matters, this group can rise to anything, and I'm really, really excited. I just want the ball to roll on day one.”

The Canadians have qualified for every World Cup since 1995 and will be looking to appear in their eighth straight edition of the tournament. Costa Rica is the only other team in the group to ever qualify for the World Cup, having made their tournament debut in 2015 (for a closer look at Canada’s group opponents, click here).

“I think we have to be confident enough that we can go and qualify for a World Cup without being arrogant,” Priestman told TSN last month. “Everything we've done to this point has had the World Cup in the back of our mind, because that's the next mountain that we've got to climb.”

If Canada does fail to finish in the top two of the group, there is still a way to qualify for the World Cup. The third-placed teams from each group advance to the inter-confederation playoffs. The two CONCACAF nations would play in a 10-team tournament early next year to determine the final three qualification spots for the World Cup. 
 

How does Canada qualify for the Olympics?

In past CONCACAF tournaments, usually the final is mainly for bragging rights, as any tournament qualifications would have already been settled by that point. But this year, the CONCACAF Championship also doubles as Olympic qualifiers (which have been their separate tournament in years past).

The winner of this tournament will earn an automatic berth in the 2024 Olympics as well as the 2024 CONCACAF W Gold Cup. The second- and third-place teams will advance to a playoff this fall to determine the final CONCACAF spot for the Paris Games.

“There's a lot of pressure to win the tournament, because that's the only way you can, for sure, qualify for both [major tournaments],” forward Janine Beckie said.

The Canadians enter as the defending Olympic gold medallists and have stood on the podium in three straight Games. The United States have qualified for every Olympics since women’s soccer was first introduced in 1996, earning four gold medals. Mexico is the only other CONCACAF team to ever appear at an Olympic Games after they upset Canada in the semifinals of the qualifying tournament in 2004.
 

Who are the Canadian players to watch?

Eighteen of the 23 players on the squad won gold in Tokyo. The team also includes some newer faces, including goalkeeper Lysianne Proulx (currently uncapped) and midfielder Zoe Burns, who was a standout for the under-20 team.

There has been one question that has stalked Canada for many years: Where are the goals going to come from? For years, the answer was Christine Sinclair, and Priestman recently reiterated how much the team still relies on its captain.

“We need Christine to get us through this World Cup. And I think we've seen that recently, she seems to just keep adding bits to her game,” Priestman said.

Sinclair has been recovering from an injury suffered in June, but Priestman confirmed that the captain will feature in the tournament opener.

A lack of scoring has dogged Canada at times this year. The team has six goals in six matches and has been shut out twice, including most recently in a friendly against 18th-ranked South Korea.

“It's not a secret to anyone that we're having trouble scoring right now,” Beckie said. “But these games will present us with the opportunity to find different ways to score or have multiple goal scorers, and I think that that's something that I'm really excited about with this group.”

Canada will look to its forwards to fill the net, especially against some of the lower-ranked opponents in the group stage. Beckie has started a successful stint with the Portland Thorns in the NWSL with a pair of assists, and currently has 34 international goals, tied with Kara Lang for fourth-most in the team’s history.

Jordyn Huitema, who also recently made the jump to the NWSL and is awaiting her debut with the OL Reign, was the leading scorer at the 2020 CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Championship with seven goals. Nichelle Prince is currently fourth in the NWSL scoring race with five goals for the Houston Dash.

Jessie Fleming and Quinn will be two of Canada’s key playmakers in the midfield, while the backline is cemented by centre backs Kadeisha Buchanan, Vanessa Gilles and Shelina Zadorsky. Fullbacks Ashley Lawrence, Jayde Riviere and Allysha Chapman possess speed on the wings to cover defensively while providing another option on attack, and Kailen Sheridan will look to further solidify her position as Canada’s new No. 1 goalkeeper after the retirement of Stephanie Labbé.
 

Who are the teams to watch?

Canada may be considered a heavy favourite to win its group, but Costa Rica should provide the biggest challenge for the Canadians before the knockout round. While the Central Americans have never beaten Canada in 14 all-time appearances, their most recent meeting in February 2020 was close. With Olympic qualification on the line, the Canadians needed a 72nd-minute goal from Huitema to secure a 1-0 win.

Along with Costa Rica’s big names, like captain Raquel “Rocky” Rodriguez (who plays with Sinclair on the Portland Thorns) and Shirley Cruz, this could be a breakout tournament for Priscila Chinchilla. The 20-year-old plays for Glasgow City in the Scottish Women’s Premier League and was named Player of the Year for this past season.

Assuming Canada advances to the semifinals, the team will likely face some stiff competition in either Mexico (despite the hosts losing to Jamaica in their opener on Monday) or the United States. The Mexicans, ranked 26th in the world, have been on the rise, thanks in large part to the success and development of their own domestic league, Liga MX Femenil.

While the Canadians have won 22 of the 27 all-time meetings, recent history is on Mexico’s side. The two teams played in a pair of friendlies last November in Mexico, with the host country winning the first match 2-1 and the second ending in a 0-0 draw, although the games weren’t entirely best on best. Canada was missing several key players, including Beckie and forward Adriana Leon, and used the matches as makeshift auditions for a few up-and-coming players.

Katty Martinez, one of top goal scorers in Liga MX Femenil, led her country with six goals during qualifiers for the CONCACAF Championship. Maria Sanchez is currently tied for the NWSL lead with three assists for Houston.

The United States, the top-ranked team in the world, are in something of a rebuild, with just 10 of the 23 players on the roster having previous experience in either World Cup or Olympic qualifying. The team is also dealing with injuries to key players, such as midfielders Catarina Macario and Sam Mewis.

There have also been some curious roster decisions by head coach Vlatko Andonovski. Christen Press, who recently suffered a season-ending ACL tear, was left off the roster prior to her injury despite being a key figure for Angel City FC this season. On the other side, veteran Megan Rapinoe was included, even though she has seen limited minutes with OL Reign.

Should Canada face the U.S. in either the semifinal or final, it would be the first meeting since the Canadians defeated their rivals in the semifinals of the Tokyo Games.