Concacaf Women's Olympic Qualifying Championshipr1 February 2020 - Edinburg, TX, USArCanada Soccer by MexsportrrJordyn Huitema goal celebration

Canada will face Mexico for first place in the final group stage match for Group B at the Concacaf Women’s Olympic Qualifying Championship. Both nations are tied with six points, although Canada has a +20 goals differential so can secure the first place in the group with a victory or a draw.

The Canada-Mexico match kicks off at 17.30 local (18.30 ET / 15.30 PT) and will be broadcast live in Canada on OneSoccer.ca as well as on Rogers TV (Digital TV channel 368 and Ignite TV channel 430), SaskTel (SD Channel 603 and HD Channel 606 )as well as TELUS (HD Channel 998). Extended match day coverage is featured across Canada Soccer’s digital channels including Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Fans are encouraged to interact with Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team every step of the way on social media handle using the hashtag #CANWNT.

“Mexico have players that can play well all over the pitch and they have a deep roster,” said Kenneth Heiner- Møller, Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team Head Coach. “They’ve played USA a few times in the past months, they’ve played tier-one teams, so they know what we are able to do, and that we can put on that kind of pressure as well. Every match has its own story, and hopefully we can write a good one early in these 90 minutes.”

Canada opened the Concacaf Women’s Olympic Qualifying Championship with a 11:0 victory against St. Kitt’s & Nevis, and then played Jamaica to a 9:0 victory. Across both wins, eight different players have scored for Canada. Jordyn Huitema leads Canada and the tournament with six goals followed by Adriana Leon who is tied for second (four). Other Canada goalscorers at the Concacaf Women’s Olympic Qualifying Championship are Janine Beckie (three), Ashley Lawrence (two), Christine Sinclair (two), Jessie Fleming (one), Jayde Riviere (one), and Deanne Rose (one).

“Just like us, Mexico hasn’t given up a goal either,” said forward Beckie. “We know it’s going to be a difficult game for us. And the tough thing about this tournament, is that there is a short turnaround between games. But we have a really deep team, we had a lot of fresh legs on the pitch in the match against Jamaica, and we will have players that are fresh and ready for the match against Mexico. We are excited about the Semi-Finals, but the priority for us is definitely to win the group.”

After facing Mexico, Canada will play either Costa Rica or USA in the Concacaf Semi-Finals on Friday 7 February.  Group A action will conclude on 3 February with the USA facing Costa Rica in the final group stage match to determine who will finish atop Group A.  The two winners of those Concacaf Semi-finals will qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games as well as advance to the Sunday 9 February Concacaf Final. Both the Semi-finals and Final will be played in Carson, CA, USA near Los Angeles.

CANADA RETURN HOME IN APRIL
Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team will come home this Spring when they face Australia in Vancouver on Tuesday 14 April. The home international soccer match will provide Canadian fans will an opportunity to see their favourite players live in action at BC Place (19.30 local kickoff).

Beyond the Concacaf Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament in January and February, Canada will face France, Netherlands and Brazil at the Tournoi de France (4-10 March) and then Australia at home in Vancouver (14 April).