Canada faces Mexico today for CONCACAF title

Canada will face Mexico in the CONCACAF Women’s World Cup Qualifier championship final on Monday 8 November in Cancún, Mexico. The two sides have already qualified for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Germany 2011, but will now play for the CONCACAF championship trophy and a set of gold medals on Monday night.

The championship final kicks off at 20.00 (local time) at the Estadio Andres Quintana Roo. The match will be broadcast live on CBCSports.ca, bold television, Radio-Canada.ca/sports and CONCACAF TV (21.00 ET / 18.00 PT). The Canada-Mexico final will be preceded by the match for third place between USA and Costa Rica (17.00 local).

'The numbers suggest we have been one of the best teams in tournament,' said national coach Carolina Morace. 'We must now try to win the tournament.'
Canada is the only undefeated team left standing in the tournament. Canada is 4-0-0 after three wins in the group stage and a 4:0 win over Costa Rica in the semi-final stage. Mexico also won its semi-final match (an impressive 2:1 win over USA), but its record is 3-0-1 including an 0:3 loss to Canada in the group stage.

The 2010 championship will mark the second time Canada and Mexico meet in a CONCACAF women’s final. Twelve years ago, the two sides met in the 1998 CONCACAF Women’s World Cup Qualifier in Etobicoke, ON, with Canada taking gold after a 1:0 score line in the final. USA did not participate that year as it had already qualified as host of the FIFA Women’s World Cup USA 1999; Canada and Mexico, meanwhile, both booked tickets for USA 1999.

In 2011, Mexico will be taking part in its second FIFA Women’s World Cup while Canada will be taking part in its fifth-consecutive FIFA Women’s World Cup (all since Sweden 1995). USA and Costa Rica still have a chance to qualify for Germany 2011, but only the CONCACAF third-place finisher will get that chance when it faces Italy in a two-leg playoff in late November.
Canada, whose title sponsor is Winners and presenting sponsor is Teck, has 20 healthy players for Monday’s final. While it will be facing a pro-Mexican crowd at the Estadio Andres Quintana Roo, it will have the support of all Canadian fans back home as well as the contingent of Canadian fans who traveled to Cancún for the tournament.

To date, the Canadian Soccer Association has won eight CONCACAF titles, including the one by Canada’s women’s team at the 1998 CONCACAF Women’s World Cup Qualifier. Canada’s national teams have also won gold in 1985 (Men’s Championship), 1986 (Men’s U-20 Championship), 1996 (Men’s U-20 Championship), 2000 (Men’s Gold Cup), 2004 (Women’s U-20 Championship), 2008 (Women’s U-20 Championship) and 2010 (Women’s U-17 Championship in March).