CONCACAF announces schedule for 2010 CONCACAF Women’s Championship
CONCACAF, the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football, has announced the groups and dates for the CONCACAF Women’s World Cup Qualifier 2010 – Mexico. This year’s tournament, which will serve as the qualification tournament for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Germany 2011, will feature eight teams participating in Cancún and Playa del Carmen, Mexico.
The 2010 format features eight teams separated into two groups, with Canada, Mexico, Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana in one group and USA, Costa Rica, Haiti and Guatemala in the opposite group. Matches will be played at Estadio Beto Ávila in Cancún and Estadio Unidad Deportiva in Playa del Carmen. The top-two teams advance to the final and qualify for Germany 2011; the third-place team qualifies for a qualification playoff against the fifth-place team from Europe.
Canada finished second at each of the last two CONCACAF Women’s Gold Cups, both times finishing runner-up to confederation champion USA. With each finish, Canada qualified for the FIFA Women’s World Cup (USA 2003 and China 2007), thus bringing its string to four consecutive FIFA Women’s World Cups. It previously qualified for USA 1999 by finishing first at the 1998 CONCACAF Women’s Championship and for Sweden 1995 by finishing second at the 1994 CONCACAF Women’s Championship.
Canada now has its sights set on a fifth-straight qualification with hopefully another top-two finish at the confederation championship.
Canada opens XXVII Torneo COTIF in Alcúdia, Spain
Canada’s men’s U-20 team played its first game at the XXVII Torneo COTIF in Alcúdia, Spain. The Canucks went up 1-0, but lost 1:2 to FC Santos of Brazil on account of two goals scored from set plays in the second half. This was Canada’s first of three group games over the next five days.
“We played a very tough opposition,” said national U-20 coach Valerio Gazzola. “Giving up two goals on set pieces are lessons to learn. Otherwise, the players acquitted themselves very well and this group shows extreme promise.”
Each match at the XXVII Torneo COTIF is 80 minutes in length. The eight-team tournaments features clubs and national teams. Canada’s next game is 15 August against Valencia CF of Spain.
Coach Gazzola’s starting XI featured Jordan Santiago in goal, Francesco Augustin at left back, Doneil Henry and Roger Thompson at centre back, Ashtone Morgan at right back, Jonathan Osorio, Ethan Gage and Matthew Stinson from left to right at midfield, Nicholas Lindsay and Russell Teibert on the wings, and Niall Cousens up front.
Canada maintained good possession and showed its speed throughout the match. The team created three good scoring chances in the first half, one of which hit the back of the net in the 19th minute.Gage won the ball and fed the ball to Osorio who then passed it over to Teibert. Teibert found Lindsay who finished for a 1-0 Canadian lead.
In the second half, FC Santos had the edge for chances and scored two goals on set plays – the first off a corner kick and the second off a free kick. FC Santos scored in the 47th and 72nd minutes.
Canada made two substitutions in the second half, first replacing Osorio for Chris Suta in the 51st minute and then replacing Stinson for Marco Rodrigues in the 78th minute.
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