“It’s what these girls were really looking forward to, coming here… we’re going to give them one hell of a fight as we always do and (we’re) looking forward to it”, he said.
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You can catch tonight’s game, held at the BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston, by tuning into the live stream courtesy of NBC Sports. Deanne Rose added the third goal. Though this match may not matter in terms of qualification, it’s a safe bet both teams will be desperate to win.
Jill Ellis’s wealth of riches is such that she can insert a high school senior from Colorado into the best women’s soccer team in the world for a critical match, remove a player who scored five goals in the previous game, and not lose a speck of value.
The Canadians mobbed goalie Erin McLeod as the final whistle blew.
The U.S. women missed more than enough chances to frustrate a coach and then some, but they scored more than enough times in a workmanlike performance to secure passage to their sixth consecutive Olympic soccer tournament Friday night. Eight teams participated and only two punched their tickets to the 2016 Rio games.
“I knew she was ready”, said Ellis, who supervised the World Cup title campaign previous year with a largely established group. The teams tied 1-1 the last time they met, in May 2014 in Winnipeg. Runner-up to the Americans in Group A, they were well-organized and poised under a sunny late-afternoon sky.
Costa Rica made its World Cup debut last summer tying Spain 1-1 and South Korea 2-2 before losing 1-0 to Brazil. “We left it all on the field”.
Christine Sinclair isn’t quite sure how she scored the second of two goals that helped send Canada back to the Olympics.
“Any time you can get your No. 9 three goals I’m pleased”, Ellis said.
Minutes after halftime, Sinclair repeated her celebration at the opposite end when she took advantage of another calamitous mistake from the Costa Rican defence. Led by Crystal Dunn and her five goals, a USWNT record, Team USA was able to speed down the sidelines and dribble the ball in the penalty area without being challenge.
With a win by each team Friday in the CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament, both Canada and the United States are on their way to Rio this summer.
Perhaps the short recovery time-just a year between major tournaments-makes it natural for World Cup winners to lose that little extra edge that got them to the top of the podium in the first place.
The Canadian women had been dominant en route to the semifinal, outscoring the opposition 21-0 with 11 different players getting goals.
The United States went on to win the gold medal with a 2-1 victory over Japan, and Canada took the bronze with a 1-0 victory over France.
Canada has had success this tournament by starting its game with a more traditional long-ball approach to settle into the first 15 minutes before moving into more possession-style play.
Costa Rica cut the lead in half in the 53rd minute, capitalizing on a penalty after a Desiree Scott foul in the box.
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Herdman calls Costa Rica a well-organized team that has grown together.
