SEATTLE - Under the sun of San Diego, the first-ever CONCACAF W Gold Cup comes to an end this week. As the Snapdragon Stadium prepares to host Semifinals and Final of the tournament, here's what you need to know about each clash as two teams look to secure a place at Sunday's deciding match.
It’s game time, San Diego 🏟️ pic.twitter.com/JNub4FQJfN
— W Gold Cup (@GoldCup) March 6, 2024
Brazil vs Mexico
Brazil and Mexico headline one of the semifinal ties, with both teams still undefeated in the competition. It will be the 18th match between both nations and the first one since 2019, a year in which Brazil defeated Mexico twice in a row by a combined score of 10-0.
It will be a different game this time round, as Mexico has improved significantly since then. 'El Tri' has been on a roll lately, winning 12 of its last 13 matches in all competitions with a 0-0 tie with Argentina in the group stages the only time they failed to get the win. Mexico is also unbeaten in its last 22 matches dating back to Sept. 2022, when they lost 1-0 to New Zealand.
Brazil holds the advantage in the head-to-head with a 14-2-1 W-L-D record. The only two times 'El Tri' has been able to defeat its Brazilian counterpart were in exhibition tournaments.
Although they have won only two of the previous 17 matches against Brazil, Mexico enters the game as arguably the best team at the tournament so far. 'El Tri' is the team with the most shots taken so far in the tournament (77, 33 on target) and with the most chances created (27).
Players to watch
Lizbeth Ovalle (MEX): tied with Canada's Adriana León for most goals scored in the tournament (5); she has participated in 10 goals (8 goals, 2 assists) in her last seven games for Mexico.
Bia Zaneratto (BRA): scored two goals and provided an assist during Brazil's 5-1 win over Argentina in the Quarterfinals; she scored 3 goals and had 3 assists against Mexico in their 2019 friendlies.
Canada vs United States
One of the best rivalries in women's soccer will decide the other finalist for this year's CONCACAF W Gold Cup. In what will be the 65th game between both nations, the teams will face off for the 14th time in a knockout stage setting, with the USWNT emerging victorious in 13 of them. Canada's only win in such games was significant, however, as it came in the Semifinals of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
The Canadian team arrives to the semifinal as one of the most in-form teams in the world at the moment, winning all their matches and yet to concede a goal in the tournament. Canada has won each of their last seven games without conceding and have a goal difference of +22 in that span.
Although they are in good form, there's something about facing the United States that makes things difficult for Canada. In their previous eight games at the CONCACAF W Championship, the USWNT won all of them by a combined score of 23-3 and overall, the Canadians have only won four of its previous 64 games against the United States across all competitions.
Canada is the team the USWNT has faced the most times in its history. Their 53 wins and 184 goals scored are also the most against a single opponent in team history.
Players to watch
Jaedyn Shaw (USA): 3 goals scored at the CONCACAF W Gold Cup; became the youngest player ever to score for the USWNT in a KO round of a competitive tournament thanks to her goal against Colombia. She is also one of only two USWNT players in history to score in each of their first three career starts.
Adriana León (CAN): Leads the tournament with 5 goals scored (tied with Mexico's Ovalle), including a hat-trick against Paraguay in the group stages; she was part of the Canadian team that won the gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
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